Palermo
Palermo
Distance from Camping La Playa: 10 km. See directions on Google Maps
Palermo, is an Italian town of 671,361 inhabitants, capital of the metropolitan city of Palermo and the region of Sicily. It is the fifth largest Italian municipality in terms of population and the main urban centre of the island of Sicily and island Italy.
The city has a history stretching back thousands of years and has played an important role in the affairs of the Mediterranean and Europe. Founded by the Phoenicians between the 7th and 6th centuries BC, it was conquered in 254 BC by the Romans and became the main centre of the island (Province of Sicily), although Syracuse remained the administrative capital, thanks to the settlement of veterans under Augustus. Conquered by the Vandals in 429, it came under Byzantium in 536 and was conquered by the Saracens in 831. Later, with the advent of the Normans, Palermo was the coronation city for the many kings of Sicily; it is to this circumstance that we owe the titles attributed to the city: ‘Prima Sedes, Corona Regis et Regni Caput’. Since then it has remained, with alternating fortunes, the capital of the kingdom. Particularly important were the Sicilian Vespers, a rebellion that broke out in Palermo in 1282.
From 1816 to 1817, it was the capital of the newly created Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and later became the second most important city in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, until 1861. The city’s long history and the succession of numerous civilisations and peoples have given it a remarkable artistic and architectural heritage. The serial site Palermo arabo-normanna and the cathedrals of Cefalù and Monreale, which includes several monuments located in the city, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015. Many of the city’s churches and palaces have been recognised as Italian national monuments for many years.
Palermo is the seat of the Sicilian Regional Assembly and a university. Its archdiocese is the metropolitan seat and the seat of the primate of Sicily. Palermo was nominated Italian Youth Capital 2017 and Italian Capital of Culture for 2018.
