Dear Diary: Palermo, Sicily

23 June 2016

Palermo is absolutely beautiful, I couldn't get enough of the architecture, the culture, the atmosphere, the beaches, the weather, the gelato! The list could go on and on, so here are my five things not to miss in Palermo (I had such a hard time narrowing these down!)

1. Palermo Cathedral.



If you only manage to do one thing whilst in Palermo, chose the cathedral. The building is absolutely gorgeous to walk around, walk inside and definitely do the tour which lets you up on the roof, giving incredibly views of the city you are exploring.

2. The Architechture 



Palermo is a walker's city. Every building is beautiful to look at, really looking at the intricacies could take you all day! My only criticism would be the graffiti, some of it is lovely at somehow juxtaposes with the architecture well, some of it is just necessary.

3. The Culture



This post is a bit of a naught one because I am bundling two things into one because I want to mention both of them. One of the best nights of my life was attending G-Spot Tornado (a jazz concert - not what you are thinking) at the Teatro Massimo. We chose the cheapest tickets as we weren't sure what to expect and ended up in a gorgeous box around the side with a great view of the stage.


Also under the culture banner, I am going to sneak in a suggestion that you visit a museum. We chose the Regional Art Museum and were definitely not disappointed. The art was beautiful, the building was beautiful and we found a lovely Alice in Wonderland-themed cafe around the corner.

4. Head to the Beach 



Now whilst there is no beach directly in Palermo city, you have Mondello beach situated in Palermo province just a 30 minute bus ride away. The buses were easy to use (didn't always come on time, but they came!) and it was obvious where we had to get off. We paid to go into the section of the beach with sun loungers and it was definitely worth the 22 euros for a hassle free, amazing day.

5. Blanco Restaurant



The menu may be completely in Italian, but with one of the best waiters I have ever had, Damien, choosing food and wine was as easy as ever. After eating here, it made it hard for us to want to go anywhere else!

Have you been? What are your top places? x

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