Palermo
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The largest city and administrative capital of Sicily in southern Italy – the “football” that the mainland Italian “boot” is “kicking”. Palermo is also a transport hub and a major tourist attraction – and that includes a few dark elements. Some of these are related to the city’s troubled association with the Mafia, and another is a top-notch attraction in the category “dead on display”, namely in the Capuchin Catacombs.
>Combinations with other dark destinations
More background info: Palermo is an ancient city, having been founded by the Phoenicians in the 8th century BCE. Over the next two and a half millennia the city was under a succession of ancient Greek, Roman, Vandal, Goth, Byzantine, Arab, Norman, Spanish and briefly even Austrian rulers, before being integrated into the new Kingdom of Italy in 1861.
While WW1 passed Sicily by, Palermo was much more affected by WWII, and was heavily bombed by the Americans in 1942 and 1943, prior to the Allied landings on Sicily in “Operation Husky”. Palermo was liberated by the US military on 22 July 1943. Apparently they were welcomed by the Palermitans. One reason could be that in fascist Italy’s propaganda Sicilians were looked down upon.
After WWII, Sicily was given the status of a semi-autonomous region and a regional parliament was created with its seat in Palermo, which thus became the capital of Sicily again (as it had been for various periods before the integration into Italy).
A particular dark aspect of Palermo’s modern history is of course its association with organized crime in the form of the Mafia, in this case primarily the so-called “Cosa Nostra”. Mainly known for collecting extortion money, the Mafia’s portfolio was and is much wider. It even affected the cityscape of Palermo massively. Between the 1950s and 1980s the Mafia got heavily involved in construction speculation and through that lots of cheaply and shoddily built apartment blocks displaced the city’s green spaces and many historic buildings were demolished to make way for this sort of construction (this is sometimes referred to as “the sack of Palermo”). The organization also infiltrated local administration, so that large parts of society were under significant control by the Mafia. And especially in the 1980s and 1990s numerous murders, including the killing of judges and politicians, were committed by Mafia hitmen.
But several Palermitans rose up against the challenge posed by the Mafia, not just police, journalists and the judiciary, also ordinary people and shop- or restaurant-owners, e.g. by refusing to pay extortion money. Today the Mafia’s main activity is in drug trafficking. See under Mafia trail and No Mafia Memorial!
What there is to see: For this website the following separate stand-alone chapters cover Palermo’s main dark sides:
In addition you can find examples of fascist-era architecture, such as Palermo’s equivalent to the Casa del Mutilato in Catania, here also known as “Tempio Munito Fortezza Mistica” (apparently inaugurated by Mussolini himself in 1936). Inside are said to be various fascist-style murals depicting soldiers and battles, such as that on the Isonzo Front (see Kobarid and Kolovrat). It stands next to the also fascist-era fire brigade HQ and is a shrine to WW1 casualties of Italy (specifically ones mutilated in the war). Despite its central location near the Teatro Massimo I managed to miss this site when I was in Palermo in April 2026. I only found out about it after the trip. But I doubt it will be regularly accessible anyway. The only elements of fascist architecture I spotted were those eagles atop the buildings that form the gateway to Via Roma opposite the central train station. (At least I think they are fascist-era – they certainly have that look).
At Piazza Pretoria right in the heart of Palermo is supposed to be a WWII-era underground air-raid shelter that is open to the public, but I failed to locate it. This may be because at the time of my visit about a third of the square was fenced off and inaccessible due to construction work.
I also spotted a few abandoned buildings that looked like they could be good for a bit of urbex, but didn’t attempt to gain access. Nor did I venture far into areas with shoddy apartment blocks built in the “sack of Palermo” (see above). However, you don’t have to stray far from the historic centre to come across plenty of examples of Palermo’s “shabby-chic” appeal.
Some WWII destruction from bombing (see above) remains visible, especially in the district of La Kalsa. Also in that district I spotted a memorial plaque for the Covid-19 pandemic, incorporating a bas-relief of Palermo’s patron saint Santa Rosalia.
On the edge of La Kalsa is the Mura delle Cattive, which translates as ‘wall of the prisoners’, though this is meant only figuratively as “prisoners of grief”, namely widows who in the 19th century were given this elevated walkway on parts of the former city walls where they could walk and mourn in peace. So that makes it kind of dark too.
I’m sure digging deeper could reveal yet more dark aspects of Palermo, but this all I can present here.
Location: in the north-western part of Sicily, Italy, on the Tyrrhenian Sea coast.
Google Maps locators:
Casa del Mutilato: [38.1193, 13.3580]
Eagles at the gateway to Via Roma: [38.1110, 13.3662]
Mura delle Cattive: [38.1181, 13.3721]
Piazza Pretoria: [038.1155, 13.362]
Cathedral: [38.1145, 13.3561]
Palazzo dei Normanni: [38.1112, 13.3535]
Oratorio di San Lorenzo: [38.1168, 13.3663]
Quattro Canti: [38.1157, 13.3614]
Piazza Marina with giant fig tree: [38.1176, 13.3694]
Foro Italico with cat colony: [38.1191, 13.3741]
Molo Trapezoidale: [38.1239, 13.3696]
Teatro Massimo: [38.1202, 13.3577]
Central train station: [38.1098, 13.3672]
Ferry to the Aeolian Islands: [38.1250, 13.3687]
Airport: [38.1860, 13.1048]
Access and costs: fairly easy to get to by air, also possible by sea and overland; price levels vary greatly.
Details: For most visitors the easiest option will be to fly into Palermo’s international airport (named Aeroporto Falcone Borsellino after two judges murdered by the Mafia – see Mafia trail). The airport is served by quite a few airlines, though many connections are only seasonal; dominating is a certain Irish budget airline (which I grudgingly admit I used myself for getting to Palermo).
It’s also possible to get to Palermo by train, even from mainland Italy, then including a short train-ferry ride across the Strait of Messina. From within Italy this is a real possibility, but for anybody coming from further away, it’ll likely be too time-consuming. The same will apply to the various ferry connections to/from Palermo, including Naples, Genoa and Tunis.
From the airport, which lies ca. 35 km (22 miles) to the north-west of the city centre, regular trains provide connections every half hour for a reasonable price. Airport buses are also an option.
Getting around within Palermo is best done on foot, although there is also a decent public transport network. But for most visitors with sufficient mobility using public transport will not be necessary. Walking also gives you the best chance for soaking up the atmosphere of Palermo.
Accommodation options vary widely, from cheap-and-cheerful budget options to classy upmarket hotels. Shop around!
As for food and drink, few places can rival Palermo. It’s truly a foodie paradise. The focus is firmly on Sicilian cuisine – and that is not a criticism, very far from it. Sicilian cuisine is quite different from what most people conceive of as Italian food, though pizza and pasta are omnipresent here too. Yet there is so much more. If you’d like me to recommend specific restaurants, contact me.
Street food is enormously popular in Palermo and often very affordable. However, be aware of the local speciality of “stigghiola” – that’s offal. I’ve seen it on open street markets and it really looks icky. But the locals seemingly love it and possibly some daring tourists too. But not me!
Time required: The dark attractions mentioned above could, at a push, be done in a day or two. Personally, I allowed myself four nights in Palermo and that felt more adequate to get a proper impression of the city.
Combinations with other dark destinations: From Palermo you can get a hydrofoil ferry to the Aeolian Islands, daily in high season, only once a week in low season. By train you can easily get to Catania, and even to mainland Italy (including by train ferry crossing the Messina Strait!). There are also ferries to Naples and further afield (including North Africa!).
Closer by there are various Mafia-themed tour offers. But one has to be careful not to step over the delicate line of exploitation or even glamorization, which some tours focused on locations where the famous movie “the Godfather” was filmed are at risk of (as are souvenir stalls selling “Godfather” T-shirts and such stuff). Sicilians are normally not happy with being associated too much with the Mafia, so it’s a sensitive subject. The anti-Mafia association Addiopizzo, on the other hand, is a totally kosher choice for not only Mafia-themed walking tours within Palermo (see Mafia trail) but also into the lands around the city, especially to farms and wineries seized from the Mafia. (Spot the Addiopizzo logo on the doors/windows of restaurants and shops that don’t pay extortion money and hence should be supported for it!) “Libera Terra” is another one of those organizations that co-ordinates social fair-trade agricultural projects on lands seized from the Mafia and also offers tours in the area around Palermo.
See also under Italy in general.
Combinations with non-dark destinations: Palermo is not short of non-dark attractions – far from it. The historic centre is in fact a cluster of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These include the cathedral, a marvel of Byzantine-Norman architecture and also home to the sarcophagi of the Norman kings. The Palazzo dei Normanni (aka Palazzo Reale) is another one, as are various churches.
Out of the countless churches, one that is worth a look in particular is the Oratorio di San Lorenzo. It’s a smallish place but overloaded with stucco by rococo pioneer sculptor Giacomo Serpotta. The countless cherubs, statues and bas-reliefs are a visual orgy of the highest order. And there’s even a dark element, namely in the gruesome depiction of the martyrdom of St Francis!
The centre point of Palermo is the so-called Quattro Canti where the two main touristy arteries Via Vittorio Emanuele and Via Maqueda meet. The pseudo-octagonal square is always busy, including street performers of all sorts.
Of the many piazzas, Piazza Bellini and Piazza Pretoria are especially celebrated, the latter featuring an OTT fountain with numerous baroque sculptures. Piazza San Francesco d’Assisi is another square of note. This is in the La Kalsa district, which out of all the quarters of central Palermo I found the most pleasant, mainly for its artsy vibe, unusual shops and quirky bars and restaurants. A square and small park a bit off the main tourist tracks of La Kalsa is Piazza Marina, which features what some sources claim is Europe’s widest tree, a ficus macrophylla fig tree with a trunk of about 20m in circumference (and 30m height).
An open grassy patch of land on the edge of La Kalsa right on the waterfront is called Foro Italico (not to be confused with the one in Rome). In its north-eastern corner is a curious attraction that may appeal to some: a cat colony. Indeed it is home to a dozen or two semi-feral cats who are provided with shelter (a row of pet carriers), food and water.
Further north is the marina and north of that the new development Molo Trapezoidale with various bars and restaurants frequented mostly by locals rather than tourists.
Something very special are the guided tours of the Teatro Massimo. That’s actually an opera house, in fact the third largest in Europe (opened in 1897). Its interiors are flamboyantly palatial with Murano glass chandeliers and red velvet seats and boxes on six tiers. On the tours you also get access to the royal box and on the extra behind-the-scenes tours you get to see the stage and all the technology involved and can view of the auditorium from the stage. On my tour there was one participant who had a classically trained voice and gave it a brief go of testing the Teatro Massimo’s fabled acoustics.
In a place as foodie as Palermo, visiting one of its markets is also a tourist draw, in particular the Mercato di Ballaró in the backstreets of the Albergheria quarter (just be wary of the stigghiola – see above).
