Attractions
Teatro Massimo di Palermo
Address: P.za Giuseppe Verdi, 90138 Palermo, PA, Italy .The Teatro Massimo Vittorio Emanuele, better known as Teatro Massimo, in Palermo is the largest opera house in Italy and one of the largest in Europe, ranking third in architectural size after the Opéra National in Paris and the Staatsoper in Vienna. The representative rooms, halls, galleries, and monumental staircases surround the actual theater, forming a vast architectural complex of grand proportions.
The theater was built in an area located between the old town center and the new northern expansion, almost symbolizing the historical continuity between the two areas. The theater was positioned amidst the ancient neighborhoods through radical demolitions that affected, in addition to parts of the city walls, the Aragonese quarter to the west and the monastic complexes of St. Giuliano and the Stigmata.
The winning design of the 1864 competition was that of Giovan Battista Filippo Basile. Teatro Massimo Vittorio Emanuele covers an area of 7,730 square meters and is considered the third-largest theater in Europe in terms of size, capacity, and technical requirements, after the Opéra National de Paris and the Wiener Staatsoper in Vienna. The entrance is marked by a hexastyle colonnade on a monumental staircase; on the sides of the stairs are two bronze works representing Tragedy, by Benedetto Civiletti, and Lyricism, by Mario Rutelli.
Architecturally, the theater consists of a two-story body arranged around the auditorium, behind which the stage develops; two circular vestibules project outward on the sides. The auditorium, covered by a dome, and the stage, with a sloping roof, rise to display their formal independence from the building's context. The monumental nature of the architectural structure was ensured by the choice of the classical "Corinthian-Italian" style.
The theater was completed over more than twenty years, from 1875 to 1897. After the designer's death in 1891, the project was finished by his son Ernesto Basile, who is responsible for the external design and the direction of the internal finishing works. These include the furnishing of the large entrance vestibule, which houses a bust of Vincenzo Bellini, the lavish decoration of the royal box, the auditorium, and the five tiers of boxes. The ceiling of the auditorium was frescoed by Ettore De Maria Bergler and Rocco Lentini.
In 1997, the theater reopened after a long period of abandonment that began in 1974 due to delayed restoration. In 1990, the theater was the setting for several scenes in Francis Ford Coppola's film The Godfather – Part III, starring Al Pacino, in which the Godfather Michael Corleone travels to Palermo to attend his son's debut in Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana.
La Vucciria
Address: Piazza Caracciolo, 90133 Palermo, PA, Italy .The Vucciria market extends along Via Argenteria until Piazza Garraffello. In ancient times it was known as “Bucceria Grande”, to distinguish it from other less important markets. It was, in fact, the most important "piazza di grascia", i.e. grocery market of old Palermo. The word "Bucceria" comes from the French "Boucherie", which means "butchery", since the market was initially intended for the sale of meat, and in Palermo this term also became synonymous with noise, certainly due to the loud shouting that is usually heard at the market. Over the centuries, the Vucciria was expanded and modified several times, and in 1783 the Viceroy Caracciolo decided to give the square, the heart of the market, an organic and respectable arrangement, becoming known as Piazza Caracciolo. Around the square, porticoes were built in order to form a square loggia that housed the sales counters. At its centre a fountain was placed, with four little lions pouring water, arranged around a small obelisk. The original square shape with arcades would have resisted for some centuries; tampering began later, and at the beginning of this century, when Via Roma was built, the neighbourhood was redesigned and the square was reduced. Today, Vucciria is a market where anything is sold: meat, vegetables, fish, etc.
Centro Storico di Palermo
Address: 90134 Palermo, Metropolitan City of Palermo, Italy .Historical Centre of Palermo
Cattedrale di Palermo
Address: Via Vittorio Emanuele, 490, 90134 Palermo, Palermo PA, Italy .The Primatial Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin Mary, known simply as the Duomo or Cathedral of Palermo, is the main Catholic place of worship in the city of Palermo and the archiepiscopal seat of the 1 homonymous metropolitan archdiocese
Piazza Pretoria
Address: Piazza Pretoria, Palermo, PA, Italy .Pretoria Square is located on the edge of the Kalsa quarter, near the corner of the Cassaro with Via Maqueda, a few meters from the Quattro Canti, the exact center of the historic city of Palermo. 1
