The capital of Sicily. Sightseeing, photo

The island of Sicily (Sicilia, Italy), whose attractions and beaches attract millions of tourists every year, gathered on its territory a lot of historical and architectural monuments that belong to different epochs of human civilization. Its capital is called Palermo. It will be discussed in more detail later.

General description of the city

As already mentioned above, the capital of Sicily (Italy) is Palermo. The city is one of the oldest settlements of the whole country. It is the largest port of Italy, and the population is on the fifth place in the state. In particular, as of today, about 655 thousand people live here. It is Palermo on the Mediterranean coast, in the eastern part of the island, near the foot of Mount Pelegrino. The western part of it is relatively young. Together with this, housing here is much more expensive in comparison with the central areas. In general, the city can be called chaotic, noisy and colorful. It boasts a unique atmosphere, friendly people, beautiful architecture and delicious food.

The main question that interests all travelers, whose goal is to visit Palermo (the capital of Sicily) - how to get to the city is best. It is more convenient to do this on an airplane. Unfortunately, direct flights from our country to the island are not foreseen. Thus, it is necessary to carry out a combined flight through Rome, Venice or Milan.

History of the foundation and the first conquerors

According to official historical information, the city was founded by the Phoenicians in 734 BC. Originally it was called Sous, which translates as "flower". Thanks to a successful geographical location, commerce and trade developed rapidly here. A little later, there was a port, which later became the main parking lot of the Carthaginian fleet. This, in turn, further accelerated its development. Since the arrival of the Romans in 254, the city has become a real breadbasket of the empire. Whatever it was, these were far from the best times of his existence, and he gradually fell into decay. Since 535 the Byzantines ruled here, but the situation has not changed dramatically.

The Arab Period

In the ninth century, the city was conquered by the Saracens, who immediately proclaimed that Palermo is the capital of Sicily. The history of its development, since this moment, has turned completely in another direction. The city quickly gained its present splendor and transformed itself into one of the most important shopping centers of the entire Mediterranean Sea. During the reign of the Saracens, more than 300 mosques were erected here. However, the conquerors did not pursue either Christians or Jews, so historians call this time a period of tolerance. With the Arabs, new technologies for irrigation of lands came here. Then there were famous for the whole world of citrus groves.

Norman era

In 1072, the island of Sicily (the capital including) was captured by the troops of Norman King Ruggiero d'Altavilla. The new rulers proved to be very talented and versatile. Moreover, they allowed local Aborigines to maintain their identity. In 1130, the Sicilian Kingdom was founded here, and Palermo was its capital. The architecture of the Norman period is an additional confirmation of the great adaptability of the rulers of this period to local traditions, because it harmoniously united and preserved the Roman, Byzantine, Arab and new Norman trends.

The Spanish period

In 1266 the city was conquered by Charles of Anjou. However, fifteen years later, the local population raised an uprising against the government, which grew into a war. It lasted nine years, during which absolutely all the French were exterminated here. After its end, the era of Spanish rule began. 1618 was marked by the beginning of the Thirty Years' War in Europe . This period became unfavorable for the island of Sicily. The capital, like other cities, suffered from high taxes, and the situation was aggravated by extremely poor harvests. As a result, hatred for the Spaniards among the local population grew, resulting in another uprising. As a result, the Senate was dissolved, and taxes were lowered. However, very soon the viceroy returned his rights and introduced tough measures against the local residents.

In 1734, the authorities seized the representatives of the Bourbons on the island. In the early nineteenth century, they united Sicily and the Kingdom of Naples, proclaiming the Kingdom of Two Sicilies.

Italy

In May 1860, along with one thousand volunteers on the island, Giuseppe Garibaldi landed . In just three days of fierce fighting, the city surrendered and became part of the united Italy. Over the following decades, there were constant riots, uprisings and repressions, during which the inhabitants of the island gradually got used to living together with the kingdom. At the same time, the world-famous Sicilian Mafia appeared, which originally supported power over the peasants of landowners.

If during the First World War Palermo was not injured, during the Second World War the capital of Sicily was repeatedly bombed by the Allied forces. Without housing then there are more than 14 thousand local citizens. In the fifties of the last century the city was covered by a wave of immigrants who came in search of work. They did not have a home, so at this time there was a construction boom, which went down in history as "the ruin of Palermo." This is not surprising, because unique buildings and buildings were being demolished, where multi-storey concrete houses and car parks arose. At the same time, the most affected center remained in ruins. The number of local residents in these years has grown by almost 20%.

General description of attractions

Sometimes Palermo is called an open-air museum. This is not surprising, since there are 295 chapels and churches, the fourth part of which was previously monasteries. These monuments boast the whole of Italy, and especially the inhabitants of the island of Sicily. Sights (the history of some of them is almost three thousand years old) was created under the influence of different cultures and eras. It should be noted that the city gained its charm thanks to an interesting layout: here two main local streets are located perpendicular to each other, and intersect in the square of Quantrant Canti, which appeared in the seventeenth century. In more detail the most significant places of the city are described below.

Cathedral

One of the main attractions, which the capital of Sicily can boast, is the Cathedral of Palermo. In its architecture, the Arabian and Norman styles, as well as Baroque and Gothic, are intertwined. According to the studies, this is due to the fact that the building was rebuilt and reconstructed several times. More specifically, it was originally the site of the Byzantine church, transformed in the ninth century by the Arabs into a mosque. After the conquest of the city by the Normans, it was consecrated in honor of the Virgin. In the twelfth century, the local archbishop erected here a cathedral, which over the next seven centuries has been rebuilt and expanded many times. He found his present appearance in 1801.

The Church of La Martorana

The official name of this landmark Palermo sounds like the church of Santa Maria del Ammiralo. It is located on the square of Bellini and was erected in the twelfth century by the Normans. The appearance of the temple has also undergone numerous changes in its history. Up to now, its original appearance has been preserved bell tower and interior. The interior decoration simply amazes the imagination with its unusual and grandeur. Separate words deserve the Norman-Byzantine mosaics that adorn the walls and dome. For nine centuries they have not lost the brightness of colors. This fact is a real miracle even scientists call it.

Catacombs of Capuchins

The most mysterious and mysterious landmark that the capital of Sicily has is the Catacombs of the Capuchins. They are ancient burials under the monastery of the same name. Thanks to the unique climate of the local dungeons, the bodies of the deceased, buried in the period from the fourteenth to the nineteenth century, have survived to this day. In total, there are about eight thousand mummies of people that belonged to different estates (monks, priests, married couples, rich people and children). Although the catacombs are located outside the historical center of the city, you can get here even on foot. This place is considered one of the most popular among tourists in Palermo. Together with this, visiting it is recommended only to very inquisitive people with strong nerves.

The Norman Palace

Separate words deserve the Norman royal palace. Its first appearance is very simple. But if you get inside, the initial impression about him changes radically. Here in front of visitors a luxurious interior opens. Some of the halls remained intact, but much of the castle in the Spanish era was rebuilt. Today the local parliament is sitting here. On the second floor there is the Chapel of Palatine, whose walls are decorated with a mosaic dedicated to the Biblical theme. It is laid out by local and Byzantine masters from the twelfth to the fifteenth century. Nothing like this can be found even in the Constantinople ancient temples.

Other famous churches

The capital of Sicily, Palermo has several symbols, one of which is the church of San Giovanni del Eremitti, built in 1142. Currently, here you can see several imperial and royal sarcophagi, as well as jewels found in the tombs of monarchs.

In the church of St. Francis of Assisi there are many works of art. In different epochs they were created by such famous masters as Giacomo Serpotta, Gaggini's family, Francesco Laurana, Pietro Novelli and others.

The Admiral Church was built in 1143, during the reign of King Roger II. This name she received in connection with what was built on the money of Admiral George of Antioch. Of particular interest here is the unique collection of relics, among which are ancient mosaics with its image.

The real pearl of the Sicilian Baroque can be called the Temple of Jesus, whose construction started in 1590. In 1636 it was consecrated, and in 1892 it was awarded the status of a national monument.

Other interesting places

Whatever it was, the capital of Sicily is famous not only for its temples and palaces. There are many other interesting places that attract tourists from all over the world. For example, opened in 1555, the Pretoria fountain was built by Florentine mannerist Francesco Camilliani. By itself, it represents a composition that consists of a series of basins that differ in size. They are surrounded by marble statues of allegories, fantastic monsters, animals and mythological characters.

People who want to relax from majestic monuments and architecture can visit the Botanical Garden, on the territory of which a unique collection of plants representing all continents is collected. In total, there are about 12 thousand units.

Like many other regions of Italy, the island of Sicily is very popular among local residents for the national opera. It is no wonder that 21 theaters function here. The most famous and majestic among them is the "Massimo Theater" erected in 1897. This is the largest such kind of opera in Europe with excellent acoustics, which can simultaneously accommodate up to three thousand spectators.

Describe briefly all the sights of the city is impossible - they just need to see at least once in life.

Sicilian resorts

Despite the great importance and tourist interest in Palermo, there are other interesting and worthy visits to the place on the island of Sicily. City-resorts, whose attractions, like the capital, can not leave even the most sophisticated travelers indifferent, they are spread all over the coast.

Agrigento is the largest resort on the Mediterranean coast. The city is famous not only for thermal springs, but also for beautiful sandy beaches. It includes three Pelagian Islands, which attract fans of unique landscapes, sea walks, fishing and diving.

On the east coast of the island is the city of Catania, washed by the Ionian Sea. Its main attraction is a strip of beaches formed from volcanic sand. Its length reaches nine kilometers.

The main resort of the whole island is Taormina, located in the province of Messina and washed by the waters of the Tyrrhenian and Ionian seas. The region is famous for its beaches, the most popular of which is called Spiaja Sabbiè Nère. It consists entirely of black volcanic sand.

Other popular resorts are Syracuse and Ragusa.