Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TOP OF CHAPTER
1
Outside the City Centre
Villa Malfitano
( 091 682 05 22;
www.fondazionewhitaker.it/villa.html
;
Via Dante 167; adult/student & child €6/3; 9am-1pm
Mon-Sat)
A showcase of Liberty architecture, set in a 9-hectare (22-acre) formal garden
planted with rare and exotic species, this villa is most notable for its whimsical interior
decoration, which includes a 'Summer Room' with walls painted to resemble a conservat-
ory, and a music room draped with 15th-century tapestries illustrating the
Aeneid
. It's a
20-minute walk west from Piazza Castelnuovo.
The villa was built in 1886 by Joseph Whitaker, a member of the entrepreneurial Eng-
lish business dynasty that made a fortune in the Marsala trade in Sicily in the 19th century.
Joseph and his wife Tina were leading figures in Palermo's high society and entertained
their belle époque buddies here in lavish style, even hosting King Edward VII in 1907 and
George V in 1925.
VILLA
Catacombe dei Cappuccini
( 091 652 41 56; Piazza Cappuccini; adult €3, child under 8 free; 9am-1pm & 3-6pm)
These catacombs
house the mummified bodies and skeletons of some 8000 Palermitans who died between
the 17th and 19th centuries. Earthly power, gender, religion and professional status are
still rigidly distinguished, with men and women occupying separate corridors, and a first-
class section set aside for virgins. From Piazza Independenza, it's a 15-minute walk.
CATACOMB
Festivals & Events
Festino di Santa Rosalia
(
www.festinosantarosalia.it
; 13-15 Jul)
Palermo's biggest annual festival celebrates Santa Ros-
alia, the patron saint of the city. The saint's relics are paraded through the city amid three
days of fireworks and partying.
RELIGIOUS
Provincia in Festa
(
www.provinciainfesta.it
)
Four months of art, music and sport events; from September through
December.
CULTURE
