24 hours in Palermo: what to see

The Palazzo dei Normanni is first on the itinerary: the ancient royal residence and now seat of Sicily's Regional Assembly, custodies the Palatine Chapel, considered the apex of Arab-Norman style, with Byzantine mosaics on gold background.

A few minutes on foot lies the Cathedral, a building that over the centuries served as mosque, church and finally Norman cathedral, still bearing in its architecture the traces of each phase.

Proceeding toward the centre you traverse the Four Corners, the Baroque intersection that symbolically divides the old city into its four historic quarters.

For lunch, the Ballarò Market, one of the city's most ancient and vibrant, offers panelle, arancini and pani ca' meusa among stalls animating the neighbourhood since morning.

The Massimo Theatre is Italy's largest lyric theatre, its staircase having become known to international cinema.

The Vucciria Market, the historic commercial heart of the city, instead comes alive especially in the evening between stalls and open-air venues.

With sunset, the Mondello Beach, reachable in minutes from the centre, offers a beach finale to the day, with its bay sheltered between Monte Pellegrino and Monte Gallo.

Palazzo dei Normanni, the Cathedral, and Quattro Canti already tell Palermo's historic stratification well, while the afternoon choice between the Teatro Massimo and the Vucciria adds its monumental or popular side.

The Cappella Palatina deserves a return with more time and a trip to Monreale, with its Norman cathedral, remains a chapter for a second visit. Seeing the golden mosaics of the Cappella Palatina illuminated in the semidarkness sums up Palermo in a single scene.