This castle is by far my favorite place in the world (so far!) and I might be biased because my…read morefamily is from this small town, but this castle is a hidden gem. If you are traveling to Sicily, Palermo will likely be one of your stops. If you are willing to drive into a smaller town, you have to visit Carini and more specifically, this castle. It's breath-taking... every step leading to this castle and within in is spectacular and rich in culture. If you have time, do some research before visiting on the background of this castle. Locals and tour guides can tell you about it, but there are so many amazing details and legends that it's worth Googling in advance. The story is that the married Baronessa Di Carini, Laura Lanza, was involved in a love affair with a commoner and her father, the king, once getting word of this, killed her. During her death, she touched the blood on her side and grabbed onto the wall with her bloodied hand in her last effort to cry for help. Legends say that this handprint could not be washed off by the maids and was still visible in Laura's room until the 1950s. The room then collapsed, but you can see artifacts from that time period on your tour. If you are into history, this should be on your list of attractions to visit in Sicily. Locals still hold processions and parades for the Baronessa. If that's all too grim for you, no worries. The castle itself is a work of art. If you are a resident of Carini, you'll get a discounted rate for entry. For the rest of us, entry to the castle is a bit more (check their website) but definitely worth it. Every room is magnificent and the windows will lead you to amazing views of the city. Photographers rejoice. You can also snap pictures of the old paintings which are said to go back to the 1400s and are still in tact. My suggestion is to visit during the morning hours so you can see the rooms in natural light. If that isn't enough for you, they have a built in bar and lounge in the building attached (so it's technically a bar inside of castle!). If you're not sure where to go, just follow the cobble stones out front and you will usually see a swarm of vespas parked outside as this is a local hotspot. If the bar scene isn't for you, there is a restaurant down the block that offers stunning views of the city as well as the water and the famous Isola Delle Femmine. There's also a gelateria located down the steps from the castle's bar if you just need a sweet treat. If you do come to visit this castle, let me know how your experience is. I hope you love it as much as I do!

Did a walking tour of Palermo and like most tourists had to stop in the Quattro Canti... the four…read morecorners. Such a cool place to see up close. Located in the heart of the city, historic distract. Each corner represents one of the four seasons. The two streets that Voss over are Via Maqueda and Via Vittorio Emanuele... Always illuminated by the sun, this spot is also called the theater of the sun. Major detail and time went into the design and construction here. A must see when in town.

There are a few "must sees" in Palermo and the Quattro Canti (four corners) is one of them. It's…read morehard to miss as this is the very heart and center of the historic district of the city. It is the spot where the two main streets of Palermo cross - the Via Maqueda and the Cassaro Vittorio Emanuele https://www.yelp.com/biz/cassaro-vittorio-emanuele-palermo?hrid=i-CeolRoAs0peYEwN9cCnQ. The four corners represent the four seasons of the year and each representing a separate Spanish king of Italy and a separate patron of Palermo. Beautiful day or night and I'm sad that I didn't take four perfect pictures of each corner to merge into a single image. But it's lovely and worth a visit. As usual, this is the touristy part of town. Any time there are tourists, there are going to be pickpockets. There's very little violent crime in Palermo but there are pickpockets so make sure your stuff is secure. [Round number review 12800 overall, 114 of 2020.]

Extremely busy hangout for the locals in the evening, this is a "music temple" and it looks like it…read morewould be a neat music venue when the plaza isn't visibly covered in construction materials and a huge crane. Built between 1874 and 1875 by the sculptor Salvatore Valenti from Palermo, it was designed for outdoor music performances. For many years, it fell into disrepair and was covered in graffiti and trash. Restored recently and hopefully it remains so. [Review 12833 overall, 148 of 2020.]

"The Fountain of Shame" because a number of the statues here are rather undressed. The "Praetorian…read moreFountain" was originally created for the garden of don Luigi de Toledo of Florence in 1551. In 1573, the fountain was sold to the city of Palermo and reinstalled after it was moved. A restoration was completed in 2003. According to our tour guide, a recent Dolce & Gabbana runway took place here. Which I would totally understand as the Piazza is quite lovely. Well worth a stop to check it out and photograph. [Review 12821 overall, 136 of 2020.]

We found this gorgeous fountain as we walked along the Via Maqueda. It is a very busy area filled…read morewith tourists most every day. There are horse drawn carriages that you can rent for a very nice ride to see area located right on the street.

Visited Teatro Politeama Garibaldi while in Palermo, and it was a delightful find. The neoclassical…read morearchitecture from the late 1800s is stunning, and we loved wandering around and taking in all the details. Knowing it's home to the Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana adds even more cultural weight to the experience. Overall, a rewarding and worthwhile stop while exploring the city. Saluti!

Located adjacent to the Porta Felice at the bottom end of the Corso Vittorio Emanuele, this 18th…read morecentury fountain was built to a design by the sculptor Ignazio Marabitti. It is set back a little bit and the piazza is not otherwise noticeable, so this fountain definitely doesn't get as much viewing as it deserves. In the evening hours, I understand this is a hangout spot for homeless so there's that going for it. In the daytime, it lends itself to portraits and selfies. [Review 12837 overall, 152 of 2020.]

This plaza is alternately called Piazza Politeama and Piazza Ruggero Settimo. It is located at the…read morenorthern end of the pedestrian shopping area that is along Piazza Ruggero Settimo towards Via Cavour. The piazza is dominated by the Teatro Politeama, which is the second largest theater in the city after the famous Teatro Massimo. There is a statue in the center of the plaza of Ruggero Settimo (1778-1863) who was an Italian politician and admiral of the Sicilian fleet. In the evenings, the plaza gets quite busy with people hanging out and meeting up. [Review 12791 overall, 105 of 2020.]

The art in this museum is amazing. That it's a diocesan museum means they house mostly religious…read moreart. But theres a good variety, so it's not tedious. The building itself was the old episcopal palace and is beautiful in its own right. He staff was very helpful.