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The splendid Norman kingdom in Sicily was marked by an exotic mix of cultures as manifested in their administration and in the architecture of the civic and private structures they commissioned (see Norman Palermo).

The heart of town is marked by the intersection of the via Maqueda and the via Vittorio Emanuele. Called the Quattro Canti (the four corners that divide Palermo into quadrants) each is swathed in sculptural decoration. The town hall is in the Piazza Pretoria just steps from the Quattro Canti, although the square is more commonly referred to as the Piazza Vergogna (Square of Shame), after the shameless nudes perched around the edge of the elaborate fountain. Beautifully restored, the fountain was sculpted by Tuscan Francesco Camilliani around 1555 and was originally intended for a Florentine garden, but was then moved down south.

In Piazza Bellini are two splendid churches. The little, mid-12th-century San Cataldo has three Arabic bulbous red domes all in a row, latticed windows and an elegantly bare interior. But it is the Santa Maria dell’ Ammiraglio next door that is the real gem. It was later renamed La Martorana after the Spanish patron who established a convent nearby. Notice the Norman bell tower (c.1140), now missing its red dome, which is just as dramatic as the Baroque façade added in the 16th century. Inside, ignore the later paintings in favour of the original mosaic decoration by skilled Byzantine craftsmen. Just inside the door, an image of King Roger, feet firmly on the ground, is shown being crowned by Christ, hovering in his ethereal realm (see La Martorana, Palermo).

A warren of little streets lies northeast of the Quattro Canti, home to the Vucciria market (see Vucciria, Palermo). Bordering the market to the north is the Church of San Domenico, burial place of notable Sicilians (see San Domenico, Palermo). Rebuilt in the Baroque style in 1640, the harmonious yellow-and-white façade is 18th century. Behind the church is a Baroque chapel, the Oratorio del Rosario di San Domenico, with an altarpiece by Anthony Van Dyck.

Palermo’s regional archaeology museum displays finds from archaeological sites all over western Sicily, from the Neolithic age through to the Roman period. Among Punic and Egyptian objects is the Palermo Stone (c.2700 BC) with a hieroglyphic inscription recording a delivery of 40 boat-loads of Sicilian lumber to an Egyptian Pharaoh. There are also numerous Etruscan artifacts, Greek vases and Greek and Roman sculpture, but the highlight of the collection are the Archaic and Classical metopes recovered from Selinunte (see Selinunte).

The Arabs established their government in this area and its narrow, winding streets later became a densely populated residential district. Sadly, it was heavily bombed during World War II and few of the buildings have been restored, yet their crumbling state seems to add to the atmosphere in this bustling part of the city. Highlights include the Baroque Santa Teresa, the Santa Maria dello Spasimo dating from 1506, the restored 1151 Norman church of La Magione, later headquarters of the Teutonic knights, and the Catalan-Gothic Palazzo Aiutamicristo. Sicilians are ever resourceful and today many of the ruined buildings are being used inventively as restaurants and galleries. Stay alert if you’re wandering this area at night.

Sicily’s regional fine arts museum is housed in the heavily restored 15th-century palace of a Spanish official, deep in the La Kalsa neighbourhood. The permanent collection traces the development of the figurative tradition in Sicilian art and the museum runs an active exhibition programme. Highlights include the door and courtyard of the building itself, a masterpiece of Gothic-Catalan architecture, the detached fresco of the Triumph of Death by an unknown 15th-century master, carved works by Antonello Gagini, Antonello da Messina’s Annunciation to the Virgin , and an enormous 14th-century Hispano-Moresque amphora (see Museo Regionale di Messina).

Yachts bobbing in the small port can be seen from the 15th-century church of Santa Maria della Catena, while palaces of Palermo’s aristocracy line the Piazza Marina. In the centre of the lovely gardens is a statue of Garibaldi (see Giuseppe Garibaldi). The 1582 Porta Felice leads out to the Foro Italico and the seafront, for good waterside walks.

Bordered by via Vittorio Emanuele and via Maqueda, this rather poor residential area is a maze of streets spanned with billowing laundry. The heart of the neighbourhood is given over to the Ballarò market (see Ballerò, Palermo). Don’t miss the 17th-century Chiesa del Carmine on via Giovanni Grasso with its stuccoed interior and frilly, polychrome cupola.

The wide, tree-lined boulevard via della Libertàtravels west from the Teatro Politeama, where the sparkling modern city begins, full of shops and cafés. It passes the Giardino Inglese, laid out with palms, to Piazza Vittorio Veneto and the entrance to the public gardens.