EJ · Unesco World Heritage Tour - Group 3

Located on a wide bay beneath the shadow of Mount Pellegrino, Palermo is truly a jewel in the crown of Sicily. In the 9th century, the city was renowned for the wealth of its court and the prestige of its universities. Today, Palermo is an internationally acclaimed city, rich with modern-day treasures and priceless ancient monuments of architecture and art.

After meeting your English-speaking guide and boarding your comfortable motor coach, you will depart from your hotel for a panoramic drive along Via della Libertà, Palermo’s main shopping street, passing Politeama Square, Via Roma, Via Cavour, and the Foro Italico, a large green area on the seafront. You will then continue along Corso Tukory, with drop-off at Piazza Indipendenza. From here, you will enter the Royal Palace to visit the Palatine Chapel on the first floor. Dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul, it is considered the finest and most harmonious example of Norman art. Built between 1132 and 1140, the chapel represents a splendid combination of architecture and mosaic decoration.

After the visit, enjoy a pleasant walk through the Bonanno Gardens up to the Cathedral, where the Norman kings were crowned. The official name of the church is the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Construction began in 1170 on the site of a former mosque, and the cathedral was consecrated in 1185.

From the Cathedral, you will continue on foot to the Martorana Church, located on Bellini Square. Built between 1143 and 1185 by the Greek admiral George of Antioch, it was erected in gratitude to the Virgin Mary for her help and protection. Although the interior was partly altered during the Baroque period — when the church was enlarged and enriched with marble, stucco, and enamel decorations — its greatest treasure remains the majestic mosaics created by Byzantine artists around 1151. The composition begins with Christ in the dome, surrounded by concentric circles of angels and saints that fill the entire church.

After the visit, enjoy a short stop at the bakery inside Santa Caterina’s Monastery to taste a traditional Sicilian cannolo. Finally, walk back to rejoin your motor coach for the return drive to your hotel.