After Mallorca, we were very excited to visit Palermo. Being our first time here, we mapped out a route for a morning of sightseeing. Google Maps is a bit wonky with these old, winding streets, but we made it.

Quattro Canti: The Four Corners

First up was the famous Quattro Canti, or four corners — the intersection that divides Palermo into its four historic districts.

Fontana Pretoria

Nearby, only one block from Quattro Canti, we found the Fontana Pretoria. It’s quite a masterpiece.

Palazzo dei Normanni

From there we made our way to Palazzo dei Normanni, the oldest royal residence in Europe. Not only are the buildings and structures impressive, but the grounds surrounding the Palazzo are equally beautiful.

The Cathedral

A short walk from there brought us to the Cathedral. So many different cultures and influences are represented in the architecture and interior decorations that you can almost feel how, over time, each laid claim and added something to what you find now.

Early to the Opera House

We had booked a late morning food tour and found ourselves very early, but already at the meeting point — which happened to be right in front of the opera house, Teatro Massimo Vittorio Emanuele.

A Surprise Tour of the Teatro Massimo

Unwittingly, we were right on time for a tour starting there, and it fit perfectly into our day. It’s one of the three largest opera houses in Europe (after Paris and Austria) — gorgeous, historic, and it served my inner theater geek well.

Street Food and Markets with Streaty Food Tours

From there we slid right into our street food and market tour with Streaty Food Tours, off to the Capo Market.

First Stop: Croquettes, Arancini, and Panelle

Our first sit-down stop included nibbles of potato croquettes, arancini, and panelle — all local staples.

Sfincione Pizza

Sfincione pizza was next. Although we had the anchovy version, the tomato one is just like the Utica tomato pie I grew up on — which shouldn’t be surprising, given the heavy Sicilian influence in Utica, NY.

Rounding Out the Tour

The tour wrapped up with pancetta and scallions, a street cart spleen sandwich, and a gelato brioche sandwich.

Filled to the brim with Sicilian sights and local cuisine, we made our way back to the ship. We love a port of call like this, where the ship is within walking distance of the city itself.

Quick Tips for a Palermo Port Day

• Don’t rely too heavily on Google Maps — Palermo’s old, winding streets can throw it off, so build in a little buffer time.
• Start at Quattro Canti — it’s central and an easy anchor point for mapping out the rest of your morning.
• Check the Teatro Massimo for tour times — we stumbled into one by being early for our food tour, and it fit right into the day.
• Book a street food tour, like the one with Streaty Food Tours, if you want to sample local staples like arancini, panelle, and sfincione in one outing.
• Go in hungry — between croquettes, arancini, sfincione, and a spleen sandwich, this tour covers a lot of ground.