After years of experience in Hotels, Tour Operator Companies and Public Offices for Tourism, with Sleep in Sicily you can get a high quality Bed and Breakfast accommodation in the province or all around Sicily. The entire package is complemented by the typical Sicilian warm welcome and helpfulness. For this purpose the team is dedicated to operate and give complete information on some outstanding cities, which represent the cultural heritage of Europe.
Palermo is the Sicilian Capital and it is sited on a wide bay at the foot of Mount Pellegrino. The Phoenicians have made of the settlement a trading post together with the early Sicilian and Greek people then occupying this territory, in fact to date Palermo is a busy port. The city was also one of the greatest cities of Europe under Arab domination. During this prosperous period it was known as 'splendid' (ziz), and as from this date Palermo maintained a clear historical and cultural identity; Zisa Castle holds testimony of Arabic culture in Sicily. The Arabs built the Royal Palace or Palazzo dei Normanni, but later it was abandoned, successively the Normans (which made Palermo the capital city of the Kingdom of Sicily) have made of it a sumptuous residence where Federico II established the Sicilian School of Poetry. As from 1947, the Palace has become the seat of the local Regional Parliament.
The historical centre boasts one of the most beautiful squares, that is, Piazza Marina in which there is the superb Medieval Steri Palace once seat of the Inquistion. The Palace amalgamates various inheritance of architectural designs form the past up to the date of its construction. The name derives form the term 'Hosterium' meaning fortified dwelling featuring explicitly its structure. The stunning historical centre hosts the famous feast of Saint Rosalie held in July; the Saint lived in Palermo in the 12th Century, whose sanctuary is found of Mount Pellegrino and is venerated with great devotion by the local people. Mount Pellegrino is rich in flora and offers the tourist an extraordinary seascape of Mondello. Other must see in Palermo are: Teatro Massimo which is one of the largest theatres in Europe and the Regional Archaeological Museum which exhibits important collections of Sicilian art, from prehistoric times to the late Roman period.
For a full immersion in the Sicilian culture and Folklore, the visitor must not miss the 'Vucciria' the highly picturesque city market where one can enjoy the intense aroma of the typical local produce from land and sea. The market has been described in the book 'Midnight in Sicily' by Peter Robb and was immortalised by the famous painter Renato Guttuso in the homonymous painting. Also not to ignore is the Puppet Museum, founded in 1975 and dedicated to the traditional Sicilian puppet theatre.
Our Hotel Bed and Breakfast in Palermo is in the midst of this exhilarating mix of food, culture, folklore, art and historic roots.
