Service Description

Our walk along Palermo's Arab-Norman route begins in Piazza Bellini, where we'll find San Cataldo, an ancient chapel of Arab architecture, and the Church of Santa Maria dell'Ammiraglio, which houses decorations from various eras, including 12th-century Byzantine mosaics. Crossing Piazza Pretoria, we'll reach the 4 Canti, from which we'll ascend the Cassaro to reach the Cathedral, a symbol of the communion of styles that characterizes our city. Inside are royal and imperial tombs, including that of Don Pino Puglisi, an anti-mafia priest. It also houses the silver urn containing the relics of Saint Rosalia, the city's patron saint, and the treasures of the crypt. Of particular interest are a sundial and a tour of the rooftops. Walking beneath the numerous palm trees of Villa Bonanno, we'll reach the Church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti, which welcomes us with its red domes and its interior cloister immersed in the green gardens of the ancient monastery. From here, we reach the Royal Palace. We'll visit the emperors' chambers, with their extraordinary medieval mosaics, and the Palatine Chapel, a splendid Norman church and treasure trove of Byzantine art. Leaving Porta Nuova behind us, we'll arrive in Danisinni, a historic neighborhood of Palermo, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site ten years ago and located in a natural depression once crossed by the Papireto River. Thanks to a Capuchin friar, Fra Mauro, parish priest of the Parish of Sant'Agnese in Danisinni, in synergy with associations, a project for the socio-economic-cultural regeneration of the neighborhood has been launched, along with initiatives that have revitalized the community, addressing social marginalization and expressing its potential and beauty. A community worker, accompanied by the narration of an artist of the "Sicilian cunto," will guide us to places symbolic of rebirth, such as the farm, the community garden, and the library. Along the way, we'll admire the numerous murals by various artists that enrich the place with evocative colors and images. From the Arab Steps, we'll reach Zisa Castle, where we'll admire its muqarnas ceilings and the castle's unique bioclimatic functionality, featuring an enviable air conditioning system. For the final leg of the tour, we'll take a bus to the Admiral's Bridge, beneath which the Oreto River once flowed, now surrounded by urban development.