Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
( 091 611 85 23;
www.principedivillafranca.it
; Via Turrisi Colonna 4; d €108-297; )
Furnished
with fine linens and antiques, this sophisticated hotel is just west of Viale della Libertá in
one of Palermo's most peaceful, exclusive neighbourhoods. Public spaces include a cosy
sitting area with library, fireplace and displays of local designers' work; among the com-
fortable, high-ceilinged rooms, junior suite 105 stands out, decorated with artwork loaned
by Palermo's modern art museum.
Quintocanto Hotel & Spa
MAP
HOTEL
€€
GOOGLE MAP
( 091 58 49 13;
www.quintocantohotel.com
; Corso Vittoria Emanuele 310; s €125-135, d €145-195, ste €254;
)
Housed in a modernised 16th-century
palazzo
, Quintocanto woos visitors with its
prime central city location and a wellness centre where guests enjoy free access to the
sauna, Turkish bath and whirlpool tub (additional spa services including massages cost
extra). Book ahead for rooms 319 and 420, which have terraces with superb views of San
Giuseppe Teatini church next door.
Grand Hotel Piazza Borsa
MAP
HOTEL
€€
GOOGLE MAP
(
091 32 00 75;
www.piazzaborsa.com
; Via dei Cartari 18; s €119-189, d €160-208, ste €350-790;
)
Opened in 2010 in Palermo's former stock exchange, this grand four-star encompasses
three separate buildings housing 127 rooms. Nicest are the high-ceilinged suites with jac-
cuzi tubs and windows facing Piazza San Francesco.
Eating
Sicily's ancient cuisine is a mixture of spicy and sweet flavours, epitomised in the ubiquit-
ous eggplant-based
caponata
and the Palermitan classic
bucatini con le sarde
(hollow
tube-shaped noodles with sardines, wild fennel, raisins, pine nuts and breadcrumbs).
Cakes, marzipan confections and pastries are all works of art - try the
cannoli
(tubes of
pastry filled with sweetened ricotta).
Restaurants rarely start to fill up until 9.30pm. For cheap eats, visit Palermo's markets,
wander the tangle of alleys east and south of Teatro Massimo, or spend a Saturday even-
ing snacking with locals at the street food carts in Piazza Caracciolo in the Vucciria dis-
trict.
