What is Palermo known for? 6 things that make Sicily’s capital so special

Film fans travel to Palermo specifically for this spot. The final scene of The Godfather Part III, in which Michael Corleone watches his daughter Mary die in his arms on the opera house steps, was genuinely filmed here, in the winter of 1989. At the time, Teatro Massimo had been closed for renovation for twelve years, and it was Francis Ford Coppola who brought the building back to life, if only temporarily, for the shoot. Teatro Massimo is also the third-largest opera house in Europe, after Paris and Vienna, and is still used for real performances today.

Just a quarter of an hour from the centre lies Mondello Beach, a long sweep of white sand and turquoise water where Palermitans spend their summers. The striking Art Nouveau pavilion in the middle of the beach, “il Chiosco”, has become just as much a symbol of the place as the sand and sea themselves. At weekends, it fills up with local families, which makes it as much a cultural experience as a beach afternoon.

This palace is one of the oldest royal residences in Europe still in use, now serving as the seat of the Sicilian regional parliament. Inside is the Cappella Palatina, a chapel covered from floor to ceiling in Byzantine gold mosaics, with a ceiling carved by Arab craftsmen. The palace forms part of the “Arab-Norman Palermo” UNESCO listing, which showcases the unique mix of cultures that shaped the city over the centuries.

Beneath a Capuchin monastery lies one of Europe’s most unsettling places: corridors filled with thousands of mummified bodies, some still dressed in the clothes they were buried in centuries ago. The most famous resident is Rosalia Lombardo, a two-year-old girl who died in 1920 and remains so well preserved that she’s known as “Sleeping Beauty”. Not for the faint-hearted, but one of the most unforgettable places you’ll visit in Sicily.

Just outside Palermo lies the seaside town of the same name, Isola delle Femmine, named after the small rocky island that sits literally just off its coast. Legend has it the island was once used to isolate women infected with the plague, though that story has never been confirmed. Today, it’s mainly a quiet alternative for anyone who wants to see Palermo’s coastline without the crowds of Mondello.

The German poet Goethe once called Monte Pellegrino “the most beautiful promontory in the world”, and once you’re standing at the top, you’ll understand why. On the mountain that frames Palermo sits the sanctuary of Santa Rosalia, the city’s patron saint, tucked away inside a cave. From the summit, you get a panoramic view over both the city and the Tyrrhenian Sea, one of the best spots to take in Palermo as a whole.

Although The Vespa Trip Sicily is based in Trapani, flying into Palermo is the easiest way to get there. Palermo has an international airport (Falcone-Borsellino) with direct connections from many European cities, making it the easiest way to travel to Sicily. Direct flights run from several UK airports, including London (Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and Stansted), Manchester and Birmingham, with British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair all covering the route in around three hours. Flying from the US is trickier, but not impossible: Neos now runs a seasonal non-stop service from New York JFK, part of a wider push to bring transatlantic flights into southern Italy. That’s exactly why the home base of The Vespa Trip, located in Trapani, is close to Palermo.

Weather-wise, Palermo is worth visiting almost year-round. Summers are hot and dry, with temperatures in July and August easily reaching 35°C. Late spring (April to June) tend to be more pleasant for driving, with milder temperatures and less traffic on the roads. This is also why the Vespa tour in Sicily takes place in this period.  Winters are mild, rarely dropping below 10°C on average, although there’s more rain than in summer.