Palermo

 

Palermo boasts a thousand-year history and has played an important role in the affairs of the Mediterranean and Europe. Founded by the Phoenicians between the seventh and sixth centuries BC, it was conquered in 254 BC. by Romans. After the Arab occupation, with the advent of the Normans and the return to Christianity, it was the coronation city for the numerous rulers of Sicily. From 1816 to 1817 it was the capital of the new Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
The long history of the city and the succession of numerous civilizations and peoples have given it a remarkable artistic and architectural heritage. The Arab-Norman Palermo serial site and the cathedrals of Cefalù and Monreale, which includes many of Palermo’s monumental assets, was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2015.