Piquant Palermo | Hidden History

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Piquant Palermo

6 days

from £1795 per person

Enjoy a winter break in Sicily’s colourful capital, and discover its dazzling multi-cultural heritage, a unique convergence of eastern and western influences over thousands of years.

Highlights

The glorious art of the Palatine Chapel.
The magnificent cathedrals of Monreale and Cefalu.
The exotic pleasure palaces of the Norman kings.
A host of hidden medieval treasures.
The Phoenician origins of a Mediterranean multi-cultural crossroads.

Dates & Prices:

03–08 February 2026. Only £1795. Booking open.

Single supplement only £295

Early booking is recommended.

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Overview

Palermo provides a delightful city break, and its mild winters are a welcome contrast to British weather. It is also a fascinating and colourful convergence of east and west, closer to North Africa than to Rome.

The city was founded in the 8th century BC by Phoenician traders from the Near East who also founded Carthage across the Sicilian Strait in present-day Tunisia. It flourished as a mercantile port, rivalling the Greek colonies of eastern Sicily as both cultures heralded the east meets west character of the island. By the 3rd century BC, an ambitious Rome had entered the stage, conquering Sicily in the Punic Wars with Carthage. The Romans brought stability which created a distinctive mixture of Greek, Punic and Roman culture. By late antiquity this was combined with eastern Orthodox Christianity as Sicily became a western outpost of the Byzantine Empire. The Muslim Conquest of the 9th century then saw this fuse with Arabic learning to create one of the most cosmopolitan and prosperous countries in Europe. Palermo, which the Arabs made the island’s capital, was described as a dazzling metropolis akin to Moorish Cordoba.

Western influence reappeared with the Normans in the 11th century, who proved tolerant and enlightened rulers, harnessing the multi-cultural strengths of their ‘Kingdom in the Sun’ to create a golden age for Sicily, and particularly for Palermo. It was a unique cultural experiment widely admired throughout Europe and Arabia, and it created a glittering array of palaces and churches. The religious art of Monreale Cathedral and the Cappella Palatina is simply awe-inspiring, while Palermo’s pleasure palaces conjure up images of harems and paradisical gardens filled with fragrant citrus trees. Centuries later, after a succession of foreign dynasties, a notably ornate Baroque, and the unification of Italy in 1861, Palermo still retains a distinctly exotic atmosphere.

See the ‘Itinerary’ tab above for more details.

: Cappella Palatina [1]

: Monreale [2]

: The Norman Palace [3]

Twin Tours

This tour combines perfectly with our Sublime Syracuse tour, 09-14 February, creating a 12 day stay in Sicily, with 1 night and 2 whole days between the two tours to relax and make the 3.5 hour transfer.

See the ‘Getting There’ tab above for more details.

What’s Included:

Five nights’ hotel accommodation (see ‘Hotel’ tab above).
All breakfasts and two evening meals (3 nights free to enjoy local restaurants).
Daily excursions with all entrances, transport and expert guiding (see ‘Itinerary’ tab above).
Flexible flight arrangements and airport transfers (see ‘Getting There’ tab above).

Your Tour Director

Dr Jamie Sewell

Jamie is an engaging and passionate storyteller, and a popular and experienced tour leader. He has a PhD in Classical Archaeology from Birkbeck College, University of London, and many years of experience in field archaeology, He has a long list of publications, and has lectured at Durham University in England and at the Humboldt University of Berlin, where he currently lives.

Activity Level

Our tours are good for your health. There is plenty of walking and fresh air, but the pace is always gentle and stops are frequent. This tour is not especially challenging and simply requires a reasonable level of mobility and independence. Feel free to ask us for more details.

Getting There

You have complete freedom to choose when and how you travel, including your preferred departure airport, flight times, length of stay, airlines etc.

Why not extend your stay in the region, or perhaps reduce your carbon footprint by enjoying the journey to Italy by train instead.

We will be happy to help, and if you book your flights with us you will be fully ATOL protected. See the ‘Getting There’ tab above for more details.

What to Expect

All our tours include a full programme of expertly guided excursions and interesting talks to create an enriching travel experience. The emphasis is on both the cultural interest and the nature of the experience—focused but with time to relax and absorb it all.

We like to explore and get off the beaten track for special access to hidden gems and better integration with the local culture and economy. We keep our group sizes small (8–18 people) which enhances your experience and minimises adverse impacts on local communities. It is very relaxed and informal with no prior knowledge expected.

Click here for more about what to expect.

How To Book

Tours have minimum and maximum numbers of participants, so you will benefit from booking early; it secures your place and enables us to confirm your tour earlier. We keep our group sizes small, so tours can quickly fill but it is always worth checking for late availability.

Reservations & Enquiries: To reserve your place or enquire further simply click the “Book This Tour Now” button on the relevant tour page, and submit your details. You can also call us on (UK) 0121 444 1854, or email enquiries@hiddenhistory.co.uk.

There is no commitment and no payment at this stage; reservations are purely provisional until we have confirmed availability and proceeded with booking and payment.

Booking & Payment: Once we have checked availability, a deposit is required to secure your booking (£100 for UK tours, £250 for non-UK tours). We will email you a payment link which enables payment by credit card, debit card or bank transfer. Card payment can also be made by telephone (UK) 0121 444 1854.

Places and prices are guaranteed only with a deposit. Full payment is usually required 2 or 3 months ahead of the tour.

Financial Protection: Hidden History Travel is a member of the Travel Trust Association with membership number Q2398. This means that we provide you with the strongest consumer protection available in the travel industry. Any payments you make are 100% protected by the association to pay for your holiday or to reimburse you if we fail to provide it. Hidden History Travel also holds ATOL licence number 12463. This means that if you book your flights with us you will be protected if we or your airline cease trading.

See our booking conditions for further details.

BOOK THIS TOUR NOW

Image Attributes

[1] Andrea Schaffer, CC BY 2.0, Source

[2] Sibeaster, Public Domain, Source

[3] Palickap, CC BY-SA 4.0, Source

[Hero image] Holger Uwe Schmitt, CC BY-SA 4.0, Source

Day 1: Arrivals

You are met on arrival at Palermo and transferred to your city centre hotel. Your tour director will be on hand to help you get acquainted with your surroundings.

Day 2: Palermo

After breakfast, you tour director will host a welcome meeting before we head out for our first day exploring Palermo’s historic gems, all within easy walking distance. We start with the exquisite churches of La Martorana and San Cataldo, both built in the Norman period using both Muslim and Byzantine craftsmen to create shimmering gold mosaics, inscribed columns and beautifully decorated woodwork.

The La Kalsa district of Palermo is the city’s most important Arabic quarter, and here we discover a host of hidden medieval treasures, including the Basilica della Santissima Trinita’ del Cancelliere, more commonly known as La Magione, and the Palazzo Chiaramonte-Steri, a seigneurial residence of the 14th century famous for the medieval painted ceiling of its sala magna, as well as for being the tribunal of the 17th century Inquisition. We finish with the Palazzo Abatellis, a Gothic Catalan palace which houses the Galleria Regionale della Sicilia and is famed for the staggering fresco of the Triumph of Death, as well as Antonello da Messina’s masterpiece, the Annunciation.

Day 3: Palermo

Our second day in Palermo starts with the Antonino Salinas Regional Archaeological Museum, which houses an impressive collection of ancient treasures in a beautiful Renaissance building. We see the world famous metopes from the Greek temples at Selinunte, and a fascinating range of Greek, Phoenician and Roman art and artefacts.

Close to the museum we find the Oratorio del Rosario di Santa Cita, best known for its remarkable 17th century baroque stucco scenes composed by Giacomo Serpotta. These represent the Mysteries and Virtues, while the centrepiece depicts the historic Battle of Lepanto in which the Christian fleet won against the Turks.

After breaking for lunch in Piazza Bellini, we spend the afternoon strolling through the historic centre. At Piazza della Vittoria, named after Palermo’s victorious 1820 revolt against the Bourbons, we find the remains of two Roman patrician houses from the 2nd and 3rd centuries, complete with mosaics. Nearby is one of Palermo’s finest examples of Arab-Norman architecture; the five-domed, 12th-century church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti, surrounded by a garden of citrus trees and palms and built atop a mosque that itself was superimposed on a 6th-century Benedictine chapel. The tranquil grounds also house the ruins of the monastery’s Norman-era cloister.

Day 4: Monreale & Cefalu

This day is dedicated to exploring two amazing medieval sites not far from Palermo, starting with the extraordinary Cathedral of the Nativity of St Mary at Monreale. Commissioned by King William II, the cathedral is one of the most important in Italy, embellished as it is by a staggering series of Byzantine mosaics, including a depiction of Thomas Becket, killed by knights seemingly under the orders of Henry II not long before the church was built. The cathedral and adjoining Benedictine monastery combine Byzantine art with a Moorish flavour, including the lavatorium in the cloister which is so reminiscent of Andalucian architecture.

After free time for lunch in Monreale, we head to the picturesque town of Cefalu, a short drive along the north coast from Palermo. The town is a delightful jumble of narrow streets in a charming seaside setting. It’s beautiful Cathedral, erected by King Roger II, is a wonderful example of Arabo-Norman architecture, and is famed for its overwhelming mosaic depiction of Christ Pantokrator, which graces the apse in very Byzantine fashion. The columns in the adjoining cloister are sculpted with mediaeval heraldry.

Day 5: Palermo

Our final day brings yet more incredible sites. We start with the two most important pleasure palaces of the Norman period. Known as jenouards, from the Arabic ‘heaven on earth’, they were built to offer paradisical escapes. The first, La Cuba, was built as Norman King William II’s private getaway, and was famed for its sumptuousness. While the artificial lake and citrus fruits which once surrounded the jenouard have gone, the exquisite architecture and Cufic inscription decorating the external wall offer glimpses of its glorious Arabo-Norman past. La Zisa, in turn, is more intact and illustrates the clever Arabic architecture which graced this royal residence built under William I, including an internal fountain which functioned like an air conditioner.

Close to the palaces we also find a Punic Necropolis where over 700 Phoenician tombs have been found. Dating from the 7th to 3rd centuries BC, these were the founders and earliest inhabitants of Palermo. In the afternoon we will also visit the Punic Museum and see the foundations of the Phoenician fortifications.

A Palermo Cathedral we examine its distinctive Moorish architecture and discover the tombs of the Norman kings who made Sicily their Kingdom in the Sun. Our final highlight is a visit to the Norman Palace, where the dazzling Arab-Norman art of the Cappella Palatina is especially awe-inspiring. It is famously decorated with a glittering combination of the finest Byzantine mosaics and an intricate Arabic wooden ceiling, unique for its depictions of courtly scenes.

Day 6: Departure

You will be transferred from the hotel to the airport for your flight home. Or why not stay longer in Sicily?

The Grand Hotel Piazza Borsa.

Via Dei Cartari 18, Palermo, 90133, Italy. piazzaborsa.it

Located in the historic centre of Palermo, the Grand Hotel Piazza Borsa is one of the city’s best 4-star hotels. It is an ensemble of three buildings, originally a palace, a bank and a monastery whose magnificent cloister lies at the heart of the hotel. The hotel is equipped with all modern comforts, and is close to many wonderful restaurants and eateries, including the famous Antica Focacceria di San Francesco.

Location: Our hotel in Palermo is a 35 minute drive from Palermo airport, and just a few minutes walk from both the ferry terminal and the central railway station. There are regular ferry connections to mainland Italy, and train and bus services to the rest of Sicily.

Flexibility: You are free to make your own travel arrangements, or you can book them with us. Before booking any travel of your own please ensure we have confirmed your tour and your place on it.

Flights and Transfers: If you book your flights with us you will receive full ATOL protection. If you book one of our recommended flights, we will also include your transfers in Palermo between the airport and the hotel.

By Train: Make the most of your journey while helping the planet at the same time. We recommend taking a look at an excellent website called “The Man in Seat 61”. Here you will find all the details you need for getting to Palermo from the UK by train. You can get to Italy in a single day, but there is a choice of routes so why not enjoy the scenery and stop off at some interesting places along the way?

What is ATOL Protection? The ATOL scheme (which stands for Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing) is financial protection that protects you when you book a package trip that includes a flight. It protects you and your money if the travel operator you booked with ceases trading, before, or whilst you’re on holiday. This means you will be able to claim your money back or continue your holiday and be repatriated. It is separate to travel insurance.

Hidden History Travel holds ATOL licence number 12463.

: Cappella Palatina [1]

: Monreale [2]

: The Norman Palace [3]

: Cefalù [4]

: Cefalù [5]

: La Cuba [6]

: La Zisa [7]

: Palazzo Abatellis [8]

: Monreale [9]

: Oratorio del Rosario di Santa Cita [10]

: Palermo Cathderal [11]

: The Palatine Chapel [12]

Image Attributes

[1] Andrea Schaffer, CC BY 2.0, Source

[2] Sibeaster, Public Domain, Source

[3] Palickap, CC BY-SA 4.0, Source

[4] Adobe Stock (Free), Source

[5] Miguel Virkkunen Carvalho, CC BY 2.0, Source

[6] Matthias Süßen, CC BY-SA 4.0, Source

[7] Matthias Süßen, CC BY-SA 4.0, Source

[8] Bjs, CC0, Source

[9] Urban~commonswiki, CC BY-SA 3.0, Source

[10] Davide Mauro, CC BY-SA 4.0, Source

[11] Kiban, CC BY-SA 3.0, Source

[12] Holger Uwe Schmitt, CC BY-SA 4.0, Source

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Please tick here to confirm that you have read and understood the Physical Considerations section on our What to Expect webpage and that you have a reasonable level of mobility and independence. If you have any issues or concerns, please call us for a chat.