One day in Palermo
 

If you had one day in Palermo, what would you do. Flying in in the morning, leaving in the evening. Looking for advice from veteran travelers. Thanx

You should try to see the following in the six to eight hours available:<BR><BR>1. Cathedral (45 mins.)<BR>2. Palazzo dei Normanni and Cappella Palatina (1 hr.)<BR>3. Monreale Cathedral (1 hr.)<BR>4. La Martorana and San Cataldo Churches (45 mins.)<BR>5. Piazza Pretoria (10 mins.)<BR><BR>Time permitting, you could try to see either the Cappuccini Convento (mummified corpses), or the Archeological Museum.<BR><BR>Monreale is reachable by bus no. 389 from Piazza Indipendenza (back side of the Palazzo dei Normanni). All other sites can easily be reached on foot.

GAC has plotted a good itinerary but I would offer a few other suggestions to complement his. The waiting lines at Palazzo Normanni get very long. If you are not there at opening time you may spend over an hour just waiting to get in and that may not be the best use of your time. Also, while the Monreale cathedral is beautiful, the bus ride takes almost a 1/2 hour and runs only every 20 minutes. If you do go, see the cathedral only and skip the cloister as it is not well cared for.<BR><BR>The statues of Piazza Pretoria are currently walled off for renovation but it is on your way if walking east (downhill towards the harbor) on Corso V. Emanuele. Leave time for lunch. Off Corso V. Emanuele on Piazza Bologni, Trattoria Primavera is very good but the best is Casa del Brodo, just east of Via Roma. This area also has the Vucciria market and for a meal with a show provided, try Trattoria Shanghai overlooking the market on the second floor. Don't be put off by it's external appearance or the narrow stairway. Great food, very fresh and terrific view. Again, all these places are within walking distance of GAC's recs.

Thanx for the suggestions, they all sound great. Will sort through them. Like the sounds of the restaurants (trattoria).

Forgot to mention another place that may be of interest and you would be hard pressed to see the likes of it elsewhere. Very near the sea at the eastern end of Corso V. Emanuele is the International Museum of Marionettes on Via Butera which houses the largest collection of puppets in the world. Many date from the middle ages when puppet shows where the entertainment of the common folk. Very different and interesting to see.<BR><BR>BTW, the Trattoria Shanghai is not Chinese but authentic Sicilian. Another place I want to add is the Antica Focacceria di San Fransisco serving from the same location since 1837, in the Piazza in front of the church of San Francisco. They have authentic and good Milza among other unusual things.