Tours in Palermo

Start at Quattro Canti, where four curved facades meet at a crossroads and the city seems to split into quarters around you. Stand in the middle and look down each street in turn. One runs toward the sea, one toward the mountains, and all of them are louder than you expect. Palermo does not ease you in.

The old centre rewards slow walking. Streets narrow without warning, laundry hangs across them, and a Baroque church opens onto a small square where someone is always arguing happily over coffee. Piazza Pretoria, with its fountain, is close by. The Cattedrale and the Palazzo dei Normanni sit toward the edge of the centre, and both are the kind of place you will want a local to explain, so ask for a tour if you want one. The Teatro Massimo is another name worth putting on your list.

This is a city you see well through a camera, and that is why a private photoshoot suits it. The light drops into the alleys late in the day, the stone goes warm, and the ornate churches and crowded squares make a backdrop you could not stage anywhere else. A local photographer knows where to stand and when, so you can walk, laugh and forget about posing.

Eat as you go. Street food is part of the rhythm here, from arancine to panelle to pane con la milza, and the markets of Ballarò and Capo are where you can watch it happen. Come hungry, wear good shoes, and give the place more than a few hours.