Your ultimate European summer planned: 36 hours in Palermo, Italy
Italy," reads stenciled graffiti around Palermo, a sign that some in the Sicilian capital view the city as both a physical and cultural outlier from the mainland. Influenced by Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Norman and Spanish conquerors, the port city has long been known for its distinctive dialect, original street food, medieval churches, faded Baroque buildings and — less happily — a historical association with the Mafia.
But recent years have seen remarkable developments: Ambitious restaurants, a crop of natural wine bars and compelling new museums have upped the profile and allure of Palermo, whose historical intrigue and low prices (relative to north and central Italy) remain largely intact. These places also provide refuges from the heat — Palermo has had a scorching summer that ignited deadly wildfires, now under control, around the region.
ITINERARY
Friday
4 p.m. | See art in a palace
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Start with Palermo's most exciting cultural newcomer, Palazzo Butera. The private art museum opened in 2021 in a grandiose aristocratic residence, built mainly over the 18th and 19th centuries, that was recently renovated. Next to the city's port, the complex shows the collection of Francesca and Massimo Valsecchi, an Italian couple who amassed the works over some five decades. Within sumptuous rooms, some with painted ceilings and elaborate moldings, are Tiffany lamps, 19th-century Orientalist paintings, Faberge silver sculptures, Art Nouveau glassware, Gilbert and George photomontages, postapocalyptic installations by Tetsumi Kudo, and haunting canvases incorporating bones and husks from Claudio Costa, all provocatively jumbled together. Entry, 10 euros,
