6 Best Sights in Palermo, Sicily

One piazza over from the dancing nymphs of Fontana Pretoria, this church, with its elegant Norman campanile, was erected in 1143 but had its interior altered considerably during the Baroque period. High along the western wall, however, is some of the oldest and best-preserved mosaic artwork of the Norman period. Near the entrance is a fascinating mosaic that shows the Norman King Roger II being crowned by Christ. In it Roger is dressed in a bejeweled Byzantine stole, reflecting the Norman court's penchant for all things Byzantine. Archangels along the ceiling wear the same stole wrapped around their shoulders and arms. The much plainer San Cataldo is next door.

This church is a lesson in Palermitano eclecticism—originally Norman (1182), then Catalan Gothic (14th to 15th century), then fitted out with a Baroque and neoclassical interior (18th century). Its turrets, towers, dome, and arches come together in the kind of meeting of diverse elements that King Roger II (1095–1154), whose tomb is inside along with that of Frederick II, fostered during his reign. The exterior is more intriguing than the interior, and it's worth walking round to the gracefully decorated back of the apse to view the interlacing Arab arches inlaid with limestone and black volcanic tufa. The climb to the cathedral's roof is also recommended for some fabulous city views.

Despite its grand facade and airy interior, the church of San Domenico itself holds little interest for anyone who isn’t excited by the tombs of Sicilian notables, but the eponymous oratory, located behind the church, constitutes one of Palermo’s great unsung treasures. The private chapel is generously adorned with sumptuous, creamy white stuccos, exquisitely crafted by Giacomo Serpotta (1656­­–1732) and depicting figures representing Patience, Obedience, Humility, Liberty, Justice, and more. Unusually, these allegorical figures take the form of elegant society ladies—something which would never have been possible in a public place of worship like a church. A QR code shown at the ticket office will allow you to download an app that provides background information on what you're looking at, such as the numerous symbols incorporated into each of the sculptures, including the gold-colored lizard on Fortitude’s column, a puny reference to the artist himself, whose name resembles the Sicilian dialect word for “lizard.” Around the allegorical figures cavort a host of playful putti (cherubs), some of them playing musical instruments, while the 1628 painting above the altarpiece, Madonna and Saints, is the work of Anthony van Dyck.

Hidden behind high walls and accessed through a courtyard, the oratory—or private chapel—of Saint Cita boasts one of the finest collections of the graceful white stuccos for which their creator, Giacomo Serpotta (1656–1732), is famous. The centerpiece is an amazingly elaborate rendering of the Battle of Lepanto, at which the Ottoman Turkish fleet was defeated by combined Christian forces in 1571. The walls are inset with a series of Biblical scenes from the life of Jesus. To leaven the solemnity of such scenes, however, Serpotta has introduced some of his most fetching portrayals of the ordinary people of Palermo, from street urchins to wizened old men and sophisticated ladies, while an army of mischievous putti (cherubs) interweaves among them. Fans of Serpotta can find more of his works in the Oratorio di San Lorenzo in nearby Via Immacolatella.

Three striking Saracenic pink domes mark this church, built in 1154 during the Norman occupation of Palermo. The church now belongs to the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre and has a spare but intense stone interior.

Distinguished by its five reddish-orange domes and stripped-clean stone interior, this 12th-century church was built by the Normans on the site of an earlier mosque—one of 200 that once stood in Palermo. The emirs ruled Palermo for nearly two centuries and brought to it their passion for lush gardens and fountains. One is reminded of this while sitting in San Giovanni's delightful cloister of twin half columns, surrounded by palm trees, jasmine, oleander, and citrus trees.