The Politeama Theater (Teatro Politeama) is a prominent cultural landmark in Palermo. Located in the central Ruggero Settimo Square, it is the city's second most significant theater after the Massimo Theater and serves as the home of the Sicilian Symphony Orchestra.

The idea for the theater originated in 1864 when the Palermo municipality announced an international competition to build a monumental opera house, the Massimo Theater. A year later, an internal competition led to the proposal for a multi-purpose "diurnal" theater, hence named "Politeama," derived from Greek, indicating its broader entertainment function.

Giuseppe Damiani Almeyda was selected to design the Politeama. His vision positioned it on the fringe of Palermo's monumental core, serving as a reference point for the city's expansion. The theater was intended for more populist entertainment, including operetta, festivals, and equestrian shows, contrasting with the aristocratic air of the Massimo Theater.

Construction began on the theater in 1867 and encountered early delays. Initially intended as an open-air amphitheater, the design was revised to a complete theater by 1868. It opened on June 7, 1874, showcasing Vincenzo Bellini's opera "I Capuleti e i Montecchi." Originally named "Teatro Municipale Politeama," it was renamed in honor of Giuseppe Garibaldi following his death in 1882.

The Politeama is a quintessential example of Neoclassical architecture. Its façade is dominated by a large triumphal arch entrance, crowned by a bronze quadriga depicting "The Triumph of Apollo and Euterpe," designed by Mario Rutelli. Flanking this are two knight statues by Benedetto Civiletti, symbolizing the "Olympic Games." The entrance is adorned with epigraphs by historian Isidoro La Lumia and surrounded by a semicircular structure featuring two tiers of colonnades.

The theater's rich decoration includes polychrome works by renowned local painters and sculptural works in the lateral gardens, including pieces by Valerio Villareale, Benedetto De Lisi, and Antonio Ugo, adding to its cultural and historical significance in Palermo.

The Massimo Theater is the largest opera house in Italy, often cited as the third largest after the Paris Opera and Vienna State Opera. In 1864, the Palermo City Council launched an international competition to design a new opera house, intended to express the cultural ambitions of newly unified Italy. The winning design was by architect Giovanni Battista Filippo Basile, a leading figure in Sicilian historicist architecture. After his death in 1891, construction was continued and completed by his son, Ernesto Basile. The theater officially opened in 1897.

Basile drew inspiration from classical Sicilian architecture, particularly the monumental forms of the ancient Greek temples of Agrigento, combined with elements of Neoclassicism and late Renaissance revival. The massive portico, broad steps, and temple-like massing give the building a solemn, ceremonial presence.

Inside, the auditorium seats approximately 1,300 spectators and is arranged in the traditional horseshoe shape, designed for optimal acoustics. It features seven levels, including stalls, boxes, and galleries. The stage is slightly inclined, while the seating rises steadily away from it, enhancing sightlines and sound projection.

In 1974, the theater closed for restoration and modernization. What was initially planned as a relatively short renovation became a 23-year closure. It finally reopened in 1997, regaining its role as Palermo’s principal cultural venue. Since reopening, the theater has resumed an active international program of opera, ballet, and concerts. While administrative and financial challenges have periodically affected its management, the Massimo remains a central symbol of Palermo’s cultural life and ambitions.

What does “Vucciria” mean? There are several theories. A widely accepted explanation comes from the Palermo dialect, where “vucciria” means noise, confusion, or uproar. In the crowded open-air market, the shouts of vendors blend into a constant din, recalling the atmosphere of an Arab souk.

The Vucciria market has existed in various forms since at least the 12th century, developing near the port and the old commercial center of Palermo. In 1783, the reform-minded viceroy Domenico Caracciolo undertook a reorganization of the area. He renamed the central space Caracciolo Square, ordered the construction of arcades to formalize market stalls, and added a fountain at the center, giving the square a more regulated urban layout.

A dense network of streets and alleys weaves around the Vucciria. Market stalls overflow with lemons, olives, tomatoes, fish, and other staples of Sicilian cuisine. In recent decades, some surrounding buildings have been restored, parts of the square repaved, and many traditional stalls have closed or relocated to other markets. Yet fish vendors still operate here, and their catch must be kept constantly wet. This everyday detail gave rise to a local saying: when someone refers to something that will never happen, they say, “When the floor of the Vucciria dries up.”

Although it is commonly called Four Corners, the square’s formal name is Vigliena Square. It is named after the Spanish viceroy Juan Fernández Pacheco, Duke of Escalona, who governed Sicily at the time of its construction. Four Corners Square was laid out between 1608 and 1620 by order of the Spanish viceroys as part of Palermo’s urban renewal. The project was overseen by architects Giulio Lasso and Mariano Smiriglio, who conceived the ensemble as a carefully staged urban crossroads.

While usually described as a square, it was historically known as the “Octagon of the Sun”, since its plan is in fact eight-sided. This octagonal form is created by four streets intersecting at right angles and four concave Baroque facades closing off the corners. All four facades are uniform in height, deliberately symmetrical, and treated as a single architectural composition. Each one incorporates a fountain at ground level, above which a tiered sculptural program unfolds.

At the lowest level, the fountains are animated by allegorical figures of the Four Seasons, grounding the square in the rhythms of nature. Above them stand statues of the four Spanish kings of Sicily: Charles V, Philip II, Philip III, and Philip IV. The highest tier is reserved for Palermo’s four female patron saints: Saint Christina, Saint Ninfa, Saint Olivia, and Saint Agatha.

This sculptural hierarchy is also carefully oriented. On the south-facing facade, Spring, Charles V, and Saint Christina are aligned one above the other. Turning west, the facade presents Summer, Philip II, and Saint Ninfa. The north-facing facade carries Autumn, Philip III, and Saint Olivia, while the east-facing facade completes the cycle with Winter, Philip IV, and Saint Agatha.

Sicily has long been a reef of survival amid the tsunamis of war and invasion that have swept across the island since antiquity. In the 9th century, on one of the highest points of the old city and above earlier Punic remains, the Arab rulers of Palermo established a fortified residence. When Palermo became the capital of Islamic Sicily, this complex formed the core of the emir’s seat of power. Archaeological traces of both the Punic settlement and the Arab fortress can still be found beneath the foundations of what later became the Norman Palace.

When the Normans conquered Palermo in 1072, they established the County of Sicily, later elevated to a kingdom, with Palermo as its capital. Rather than demolishing the existing structure, the Normans transformed the former Arab stronghold into a royal residence. The palace evolved into a complex of interconnected buildings linked by arcades, combining residential, administrative, and ceremonial functions, and surrounded by gardens.

Under King Roger II, the palace reached its most celebrated form. Inside the Norman Palace between 1130 and 1140, he commissioned the Palatine Chapel, intended as a private royal chapel and consecrated in 1140. Dedicated to Saint Peter, it stands as one of the finest expressions of Arab-Norman-Byzantine art in 12th-century Sicily. Its dome, apse, and upper walls are covered in luminous Byzantine mosaics depicting Christ Pantocrator, the Evangelists, and scenes from the Bible.

Over the centuries, the palace passed through many hands. During the Bourbon period, several ceremonial rooms were redesigned, including the Red Room, Yellow Room, and Green Room, and the Hall of Hercules, famous for its fresco cycle depicting the hero. Other notable spaces include the Hall of the Viceroy, the Hall of the Winds, and the Hall of Pompeii.

Within the complex, the Maqueda Courtyard and the Courtyard of the Fountain feature multi-level Renaissance loggias and staircases. Of the original four defensive towers, only two survive today: the Pisan Tower at the south-eastern corner and the Treasure Tower at the south-western corner of the palace.

In 831, Arab conquerors recorded the presence of a major Christian church on the site of today’s Palermo Cathedral, referring to it as a large “infidel temple”. They converted this structure into the Great Mosque of Palermo, which became the city’s principal place of worship during the Islamic period. In 1072, when the Normans conquered Palermo, the mosque was reconsecrated as a Christian church. This early cathedral played a ceremonial role in Norman rule, and Roger II, the first king of Sicily, was crowned here in 1130.

The present Palermo Cathedral reflects centuries of rebuilding, expansion, and restoration, resulting in an unusual mixture of architectural styles. The current structure was begun in 1185 under Walter Ophamil, the Anglo-Norman Archbishop of Palermo and a close advisor to King William II. Walter intended the new cathedral both as a statement of Norman authority and as a rival to the nearby Norman Palace. His remains are today preserved in the cathedral’s crypt.

One of the cathedral’s main entrances is located on Matteo Bonello Street, the western side of the cathedral, marked by a Gothic portal flanked by two towers. Above the portal is a niche containing a 15th-century statue of the Madonna. The most prominent entrance, however, is on the south side, where a broad Gothic-Catalan portico was added in 1465. This portico features three large arcades, decorative turrets, and rich sculptural detail.

The interior follows a Latin cross plan, with a central nave and two aisles divided by pilasters. Along the right side are chapels housing the royal tombs, including those of Roger II, Henry VI, Constance of Hauteville, and Frederick II. The cathedral’s sacred vestments, illuminated manuscripts, and the gold tiara of Constance of Aragon are preserved today in the Cathedral Treasury, located on the south side of the building, separate from the royal tombs inside the nave.

For those wishing to continue upward, access to the rooftop is located on the south-west tower, within the cathedral’s Monumental Area. A medieval stairway leads onto the roof, offering panoramic views across Palermo’s historic center.