Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(Piazza Marina 61; adult/reduced €5/3; 10am-6pm)
Housed in the basement of the 14th-century
Palazzo Chiaromonte Steri, this recently opened museum offers a chilling but fascinating
look at the legacy of the Inquisition in Palermo. The honeycomb of former cells has been
painstakingly restored to reveal multiple layers of prisoners' graffiti and artwork (reli-
gious and otherwise). Excellent guided visits (in English upon request) are available.
Museo Internazionale delle Marionette
MAP
MUSEUM
GOOGLE MAP
( 091 32 80 60;
www.museomarionettepalermo.it
; Piazzetta Antonio Pasqualino 5; adult/reduced €5/3;
9am-1pm & 2.30-6.30pm Mon-Sat year-round, plus 10am-1pm Sun Sep-May)
This whimsical museum
houses over 3500 marionettes, puppets, glove puppets and shadow figures from Palermo,
Catania and Naples, as well as from further-flung places such as Japan, southeast Asia,
Africa, China and India. From October to May, weekly puppet shows (adult/child €6/4)
are staged on the museum's top floor in a beautifully decorated traditional theatre com-
plete with a hand-cranked music machine.
TOP OF CHAPTER
New City
North of Piazza Giuseppe Verdi, Palermo elegantly slips into cosmopolitan mode. Here
you'll find fabulous neoclassical and art nouveau buildings hailing from the last golden
age of Sicilian architecture, along with late-19th-century mansion blocks lining the broad
boulevard of Viale della Libertà.
Teatro Massimo
MAP
OPERA HOUSE
GOOGLE MAP
( tour reservations 091 605 32 67;
www.teatromassimo.it/servizi/visite.php
; Piazza Giuseppe Verdi; guided tours
adult/reduced €8/5; 9.30am-4.30pm Tue-Sun)
Palermo's grand neoclassical opera house took over
20 years to complete and has become one of the city's iconic landmarks. The closing
scene of
The Godfather: Part III
, with its visually stunning juxtaposition of high culture,
crime, drama and death, was filmed here. Guided 25-minute tours are offered in English,
Spanish, French and Italian daily except Monday.
BATHHOUSE
Hammam
