The Atlas Obscura Guide To

Palermo

10 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Palermo, Italy

Unusual
Attractions
in Palermo

Capuchin Monastery Catacombs

Catacombs with thousands of well-dressed mummies.

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Added by CPilgrim

The Santuario Facade on Monte Pellegrino. (Creative Commons)

Santuario di Santa Rosalia

Cave shrine on Monte Pellegrino.

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Added by atimian

The apse with the Christ Pantocrator.

Cappella Palatina

Every inch of this chapel is covered in craftsmanship from across the world.

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La Zisa

La Zisa

This Arabesque Italian castle was built with a primitive, if ingenious, air-conditioning system.

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Palazzo Chiaramonte graffiti.

Palazzo Chiaramonte

Haunting graffiti left by prisoners of the Spanish Inquisition.

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Added by marcohilo

The cloister.

San Giovanni degli Eremiti

Behind medieval walls in a corner of bustling Palermo is a breathtaking former mosque once inhabited by a wolf-taming hermit.

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Added by Joel Cusumano

Vigili del Fuoco

A study of Fascist era Art Deco design in Italy.

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Added by ThomLaB

The Arabic inscription, which contains a verse from the Quran.

Arabic Inscription of Palermo Cathedral

Why a column on the entrance is inscribed with a verse from the Quran is one of Sicily's many mysteries.

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Added by Joel Cusumano

See All 10 Things to Do in Palermo See All 10 Places

Atlas Obscura Trips

Rome Behind Locked Doors: Music, Magic, & Secret Crypts

Sep 30—Oct 6, 2019

Explore beneath Rome's streets and behind its locked doors to see a Rome that tourists rarely experience—magical, strange, and filled with legend.

Unique
Food & Drink
in Palermo

Cassata Siciliana

Gastro Obscura

Cassata Siciliana

The seductively delicious Easter cake once made an entire convent neglect its prayers.

Gastro Obscura

Added by Susan Van Allen

Frutta Martorana

Gastro Obscura

Frutta Martorana

Sicilian nuns once hung these sugary "fruits" from tree branches.

Gastro Obscura

Added by Abbey Perreault

Pani câ Mèusa

Gastro Obscura

Pani câ Mèusa

You can enjoy this Sicilian spleen sandwich “single” or “married.”

Gastro Obscura

Added by Dr Alan P Newman

Stigghiola

Gastro Obscura

Stigghiola

The streets of Palermo are filled with the smell of succulent, sizzling lamb intestines.

Gastro Obscura

Added by Dr Alan P Newman

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