Palermo

Palermo (Sicilian: Palermu) is a city and comune in southern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of Sicily, and the administrative seat of the Metropolitan City of Palermo. The city lies on the Gulf of Palermo along the island's northern coast, facing the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Palermo Palermu
City and comune
Comune di Palermo
Country	Italy
Region	Sicily
Metropolitan city	Metropolitan City of Palermo
Area
• Total	160.59 km2 (62.00 sq mi)
Elevation	14 m (46 ft)
Population  (31 December 2024)
• Total	625,956
Demonym	Palermitani
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal codes	90121–90151
Area code	091

Palermo contains the seat of the Sicilian regional government. The Sicilian Regional Assembly meets in the Palazzo dei Normanni. Its harbour is the principal port on the northern coast of Sicily and connects the island with mainland Italy and Mediterranean shipping routes.

Geography

Palermo occupies the Conca d'Oro, a coastal plain enclosed by the Gulf of Palermo and the limestone mountains of northwestern Sicily. Monte Pellegrino rises north of the central city and separates the main urban area from the coastal district of Mondello. The Oreto River crosses the southern part of the municipality before reaching the sea.

The city has a Mediterranean climate. Summers are hot and dry, while most rainfall occurs from autumn through early spring. The sea moderates winter temperatures, although the surrounding mountains can limit air movement across the urban plain.

History

Palermo was founded by Phoenician traders during the eighth century BC. It later came under Carthaginian control and developed as a harbour on the northern Sicilian coast. Roman forces captured the city in 254 BC during the First Punic War. Under Roman rule it was known as Panormus. After the end of western Roman authority, Palermo passed to the Ostrogothic Kingdom and was recovered by the Byzantine Empire in the sixth century.

Muslim forces captured Palermo in 831. The city became the capital of the Emirate of Sicily and expanded beyond its earlier boundaries. Its port supported trade between Sicily, North Africa and the eastern Mediterranean. Norman forces captured Palermo in 1072, and Roger II established the Kingdom of Sicily in 1130 with the city as its capital. The Norman court retained administrators and craftsmen from the preceding government. Byzantine mosaic work continued in royal buildings, while western forms were introduced into new churches and palaces.

Palermo remained a royal centre under the Hohenstaufen dynasty. Following the Sicilian Vespers of 1282, the island separated politically from the mainland kingdom centred on Naples. Sicily later came under the Crown of Aragon and remained under Spanish government for several centuries. Savoyard and Austrian control followed briefly before the Bourbon dynasty took the island in 1735.

The Kingdom of Sicily was united with the Kingdom of Naples in 1816 to form the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Palermo became the centre of the Sicilian revolution of January 1848. A revolutionary government governed the island from the city until Bourbon forces restored control in 1849. Giuseppe Garibaldi entered Palermo during his Sicilian campaign in May 1860. Sicily was incorporated into the Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

Palermo was bombed repeatedly during the Second World War because of its harbour and transport facilities. Allied forces invaded Sicily on 10 July 1943 and entered Palermo later that month. Sicily received autonomous status in 1946, after which the regional assembly and government were established in the city.

During the late twentieth century, Cosa Nostra exercised influence over construction contracts and local politics in Palermo. The murders of magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino in 1992 led to large public demonstrations in the city and increased national action against the organization.

Administration

Palermo is governed as a comune within the Metropolitan City of Palermo. The municipality is divided into eight administrative districts, known as circoscrizioni, which cover the historic centre and the outer urban districts. Metropolitan authorities coordinate services extending beyond the municipal boundary.

As the capital of the autonomous region of Sicily, Palermo contains the main regional political institutions. The Sicilian Regional Assembly meets in the Palazzo dei Normanni, while the regional government maintains its principal offices in the city.

Economy and transport

Regional government makes public administration a major part of the local economy. Commercial activity is concentrated in the central districts and around the port. Tourism is based on Palermo's historic centre, religious buildings and coastal location. Ship repair and shipbuilding are carried out around the harbour.

Passenger ferries connect the port with mainland Italy. The harbour also handles freight and cruise traffic, making it one of Sicily's principal maritime entrances. Falcone Borsellino Airport is located at Punta Raisi, west of the city, and is connected to Palermo by road and railway.

Palermo Centrale is the main railway terminus. Rail lines follow the northern and western coasts and connect the city with the Sicilian interior. Urban public transport is provided by bus services and a metropolitan railway network.

Architecture and culture

The historic centre developed around the Cassaro, now known as Corso Vittorio Emanuele. Via Maqueda crosses this route at the Quattro Canti, which marks the meeting point of the four traditional central quarters.

The Palazzo dei Normanni contains the Cappella Palatina, whose interior combines Norman construction with Byzantine mosaic work and decoration derived from Islamic Sicily. Palermo Cathedral was constructed during the Norman period and altered under later governments. The churches of the Martorana and San Cataldo also preserve elements of the city's medieval architectural development.

Seven buildings in Palermo form part of the World Heritage Site known as Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale. The property represents the architectural culture created under the Norman Kingdom of Sicily between 1130 and 1194.

Later construction changed the appearance of the central city. Baroque churches and façades were added during Spanish rule, while the Teatro Massimo was completed during the late nineteenth century. Ballarò and Capo remain active food markets within the historic centre.

The University of Palermo was founded in 1806 and is the city's principal higher-education institution. The annual Festino di Santa Rosalia is held in July in honour of the city's patron saint. Italian is used in government and education, while the local form of Sicilian remains in everyday use.

See also

• Sicily
• Italy
• Metropolitan City of Palermo
• Tyrrhenian Sea
• Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
• Naples