Palermo Walking Tour – Half Day PM (The Baroque and Arystocracy)

Discover Palermo’s layered history on a guided walking tour through ancient streets, baroque palaces, and Norman churches. Visit hidden gems like the Palazzo Alliata di Villafranca, Martorana, and Santa Caterina, while uncovering stories of aristocracy, religion, and the Inquisition.

Martorana Church – Stunning Norman mosaics alongside Baroque architecture.
Santa Caterina Monastery – Once closed to the public, now reveals hidden aristocratic life.
Piazza Pretoria & Piazza Bellini – Iconic fountains and medieval domes rich with folklore.
Piazza Marina & Garibaldi Garden – A peaceful spot that once witnessed the shadows of the Inquisition.

Location: Palermo - Palermo, PA, Italy

Itinerary

Meet us at the i Quattro Canti you will travel the ancient axis of the city to reach and visit the Palazzo Alliata di Villafranca, one of the richest residences of the Palermitan aristocracy, which among its admirably restored halls preserves a beautiful Crucified Christ by Van Dick. Then on the way to the famous fountain Pretoria or “della Vergogna”, which will be the scene of popular stories. In piazza Bellini you will admire the domes of San Cataldo from the XII century. from the Order of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher, and here is a surprise visit to the Church of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio known as “la Martorana” where Baroque and the Middle Ages coexist among the most beautiful mosaics of the Norman era. A particularly interesting visit will follow, the Church of Santa Caterina recently returned to the city but for centuries reserved only for young cloistered nuns, girls of the highest aristocracy who foreclosed lived among altars made with lapis lazuli and precious stones in contrast with the Baroque and the Spanish society of Palermo. You will then walk the alleys of the Guilds of craftsmen and judges that accompanied the “Inquisiti” to Death. You will be introduced to the stories of “the Leopard” admiring from the outside the terrace of the Gangi palace, location of the famous Visconti film, to reach the square decorated by the splendid Gothic rose window of the church of San Francesco d’Assisi. From there you will discover the richest and darkest centuries of Spanish Sicily, reaching Piazza Marina to admire a centuries-old ficus magnolioides of the Garibaldi Garden, once a place reserved for the Condemnations and Tortures of the Holy Inquisition. Here will end the walk between traditional ice cream and cannoli in the district of the old port La Cala.