Palermo remained a Phoenician city until the First Punic War (264-241
BC), when Sicily fell under Roman rule. The Roman period was one of
comparative calm, Palermo coming under the provincial administration in
Syracuse. When the Roman Empire was split, Sicily and Palermo came under the
rule of the Eastern Byzantine Empire.
This lasted until the 9th century CE, when Muslim forces from north Africa
invaded, taking Palermo in 831 and all of Sicily by 965. The Muslim rulers
moved Sicily's capital to Palermo where it has been ever since. In the
Muslim period Palermo was a major city of trade, culture and learning, with
(it is said) more than 300 mosques. The city was renowned throughout the
Muslim world. It was a period of prosperity and tolerance, as Christians and
Jews were allowed to live in peace.
In 1060 the Normans launched a crusade against the Muslim emirate of Sicily,
taking Palermo on January 10, 1072 and the whole island by 1091. The policy
of tolerance continued under the Norman rulers, though the mosques were
converted into churches. The resulting blend of Norman and Arab culture
fostered a unique hybrid style of architecture as can be seen in the
Palatine Chapel, the church San Giovanni degli Eremiti and the Zisa.
The Norman dynasty did not last, and Sicily in 1194 fell under the control
of the Holy Roman Empire. Palermo was the preferred city of the Emperor
Frederick II, who is buried in the cathedral. After an interval of Angevin
rule (1266-1282), Sicily came under the house of Aragon and later, in
(1479), the kingdom of Spain. As the seat of the Spanish viceroy, Palermo
grew in population from 30,000 in the mid-15th century to 135,000 on the eve
of the plague of 1656. In the 15th and 16th centuries Palermo was adorned
with a large number of baroque buildings, many of which still exist today.
Sicily's unification (1734) with the Bourbon-ruled kingdom of Naples as the
kingdom of the Two Sicilies inflicted a devastating blow on the elite of
Palermo, as the city was reduced to just another provincial city, the royal
court residing in Naples. Palermo and its many palaces fell into decay.
Palermo was the scene (January 12) of the first of Europe's revolutionary
upheavals of 1848 and held out against the Neapolitan crown until May 1849.
The Italian Risorgimento and Sicily's annexation (1860) to the kingdom of
Italy gave Palermo a second chance. It was once again the administrative
centre of Sicily, and there was a certain economic and industrial
development led by the Florio family. In the early 20th century Palermo
expanded outside the old city walls, mostly to the north along the new
boulevard, the Via della Libertŕ. This road would soon boast a huge number
of villas in the style of Art Nouveau or Stile Liberty as it is known in
Italy, many of which were built by the famous architecht Ernesto Basile. The
Grand Hotel Villa Igeia, built by Ernesto Basile for the Florio family, is a
good example of palermitan Stile Liberty.
20th Century
Palermo survived almost the entire fascist period unscathed, but during the
Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943 the harbour and the surrounding
quarters were bombed heavily by the allied forces and were all but
completely destroyed. Six decades later the city centre had still not been
fully rebuilt, and hollow walls and devastated buidings are commonplace.
The importance of Palermo got another boost when Sicily became (1947) an
autonomous region with extended self-rule. Palermo again was the seat of a
parliament, as it had been in the Middle Ages, and the future looked bright.
Unfortunately, many opportunities were lost in the coming decades, due to
incompetence, incapacity, corruption and abuse of power.
The reduced importance of agriculture in the Sicilian economy led to a
massive migration to the cities, and mostly to Palermo, that swelled in
size. Instead of rebuilding the city centre the town was thrown into a
frantic expansion towards the north, where practically a new town was built.
The regulatory plan for the expansion was largely ignored, as contractors
bribed the city officials who themselves profited massively from the
"sacking of Palermo", as it was commonly called. New parts of town appeared
almost out of nowhere, but without parks, schools, public buildings, proper
roads and the other amenities that characterise a modern city. The Mafia
played a huge role in this process, which was an important element in the
Mafia's transition from a mostly rural phenomenon found into a modern
criminal organisation.
At the turn of the 21st century, Palermo is still struggling to recover from
the devastation of World War II and the damage caused by decades of
uncontrolled urban growth. The historic city centre is still partly in
ruins, the traffic is horrific, and poverty is widespread. Being the city in
which the Italian Mafia historically had its main interests, it has also
been the place of several recent well-publicized murders.
Palermo is a city with monumental problems, but is also a city of almost
three millennia of history, beautiful palaces and churches, colourful
markets, marvelous food and a distinctive cultural identity.
Tourist Sites
A special site of interest is the Capuchin Catacombs, with many mummified
corpses in varying degrees of preservation.
Patron Saints
The patron saint of Palermo is Santa Rosalia, who is still widely venerated.
During the 14th of July people in Palermo celebrate the "Festino" who is the
most important religious event of the year. The Festino is a procession in
the main road of Palermo, to rember the miracle made by Santa Rosalia, who
freed the city from the black plague in the 1624.
Before 1624 Palermo had four patron saints, one for each of the four major
parts of the city. They were Saint Agatha, Saint Christina, Saint Ninfa and
Saint Oliva.
Transport
Palermo International Airport is located 32 km (19 miles) west of Palermo
