Palermo Town
Palermo is an exotic mixture of the many cultures reflecting its history of being under numerous dominators over the centuries; you can find Roman, Carthaginian, Byzantine, Greek, Arab, Norman, Swabian and Spanish influences in architecture and art as well as in the Palermitans themselves: blond, dark, red haired and blue eyed people are no peculiarity. Also the food calls upon 2500 years of cross-cultural influences with superb dishes.

Ingredients for those dishes mainly come from the four Palermo markets: Vucciria, Ballarò, Borgo Vecchio and Capo. Vucciria being the best known as it has been immortalized by the painter Guttuso, but also because it is situated right in the centre of the old town. However today Ballarò near the railway station, is the busiest market, while Borgo Vecchio stays open all night.
Visitors will be fascinated by the smells, colours, sounds, sales patter and gestures of the markets, the staffholders and its merchandise and will be amazed that today something like this still exists; it’s as time has stood still. A must see!

As it is Sicily's largest city, Palermo offers great dining as well as excellent shopping and entertainment, including the opera at the Palermo’s famous Teatro Massimo.

Monreale
One of the highlights of a visit to Sicily is an excursion to the Duomo in Monreale, something you may not miss!

Monreale, which is actually on the edge of the city of Palermo, can easily be reached by car or by bus departing from Piazza Indipendenza in Palermo; it takes about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on traffic, to arrive at Monreale.

The cathedral, il Duomo, houses the most extraordinary and extensive area (6340 square meters) of Christian medieval mosaics in the world. The mosaics seem to tell every possibly story from the Old and New Testaments and are lit from the beginning to the end by sunlight following the turning of the sun through the windows due to architectural intelligence.

We suggest participating in a guided excursion as there are so many interesting details and stories to hear about the Cathedral that is well worth paying for and makes your visit even more special and unforgettable. Enter and be overwhelmed!

Bagheria
Well situated between the fertile grounds of the inland and the Tyrrhenean costs the Palermo nobility chose Bagheria for building their private retreats in the 17th century: huge Villas of Sicilian Baroc style, surrounded by agricultural lands, parks and gardens. A few of these villas are still visible, like the famous Villa Palagonia.
But actually the city is quite declined and it’s hard to find the traces of the bravura it once had.

Corleone
The name of this town brings strong images of the Mafia, undoubtedly due to Mario Puzo's book and Francis Ford Coppola's film, The Godfather, and therefore attracts many tourists with great expectations to get a glimpse and feel the tension of the Mafia life. Of course it’s all not so romantic as television serials and films makes you believe. The role of the Mafia is still a big issue in Sicily and many people suffer from it. But it’s part the Sicilian culture and character and it's hard to beat a mentality.

The place Corleone in the film The Godfather is actually not this town, but Motta Camastra, Savoca and Forza d’Agro were used as location to represent Corleone. (See: East Sicily: Alcantara Valley and Valle d’Agro)

Corleone used to be one of the strategic points on the island, situated between Agrigento and Palermo. Nowadays Corleone is interesting to visit because of the natural scenery in its surroundings. In town a place of interest is the Chiesa Madre.

Cefalù
Cefalù is situated right on the beach, backed against a towering mass of crag known simply as La Rocca (the Rock). Because of this geographical position Cefalù has become a popular holiday destination (the fact of picturesque town and sandy beaches together) while at the same time remained a small scale fishing town. 
Cefalù has a lovely beach for swimming and there are good restaurants both in the town center and along the coast that offer seafood and other local specialties. Cefalù’s highlights included the cathedral with its unique mosaics, the terrace cafes at the Piazza Duomo, and the Museo Madralisca with collections spanning from Greek times to the Renaissance.
Just over an hour drive from Palermo.

Mondello
At the beginning of the 1900s charming art nouveau villas and the majestic beach facilities were constructed by rich Sicilian aristocrats. It still bears the name of Palermo’s elegant summer resort on the Tyrrhenian Coast, but it has lost its grandeur it once had. Today it’s a very busy noisy resort where people from Palermo flock to escape the summer heat.
Unfortunately today all trace of its natural features and historic heritage is hard to find, although some are saved and you remain flabbergasted imagining how it once should have been, especially when adding the still present scenery of the majestic cliffs and the beauty of the entire gulf and the overhanging Mount Pellegrino.  

Ustica
The island of Ustica is the summit of an inactive underwater volcano (2000 meters high) which was formed more than a million years back. This black rock (the name Ustica comes from the Latin ustum, which means burnt) is surrounded by a crystal blue sea.
Remains of the Bronze Age and Roman farms can be found on the island; interesting signposted routes help the visitor to explore the fascination of Ustica by foot or by mountain bike.
The reserves that protect the island, The Protected Marine Area (established in 1986, the first in Italy) and the Nature Reserve (1997) enable the visitor to enjoy the island both underwater and on land.

Interesting for its archaeological sites it’s more known as a Diver’s Paradise, because of more than 30 different dives to the precious natural heritage with a vast variety of flora and marine life.
Unique and original is the underwater itinerary where the diver is guided by a rope to the exhibits, the ancient jars and anchors found at a depth of 20-25 meters. Also snorkelling you will enjoy the underwater treasures or you can take a course in diving at one of the professional diving centres.

Only 70 Kms north of Palermo the island is easily reachable by hydrofoil (1,15 h).

Castellammare del Golfo
Castellamare del Golfo is a picturesque fishing town enclosed by surrounding hills and guarded by its one monument, the remains of an Aragonese castle. Today a tranquil town, it once had a bad reputation of Mafia violence; in the late 1950’s one in three of the male inhabitants had committed murder. Of course something the present inhabitants don’t want to be reminding about and will do all to make the visitors stay a pleasant one.

Scopello
A long the beautiful coastline you will find Scopello, a seaside hamlet built around the tonnara -an old tuna fishery- and the upper part hamlet, Scopello di Sopra, built around a baglio, a manor house which courtyard is the centre of village life with craft shop, workshop, bars and some restaurants.
Swim in the crystal clear waters near the Tonnara or make a hike or boat trip to the Riserva Naturale dello Zingaro.

Le Madonie

The Monti Madonie rising high above Cefalù with the two highest peaks Pizzo Antenna Grande (1977 m) and Pizzo Carbonara (1979 m) cater for, like Mt Etna in the east, cool places in the summer and ski possibilities in the winter. In 1989 the Parco Regionale delle Madonie was created, incorporating the area between Castelbuono, Gangi, Caltavuturo and Collesano.
An extensive network of pleasant hiking, riding and mountain bike paths cross these mountains and villages.