Whether a person has visited Sicily on many occasions and has a sense of the sheer scale of the island – much larger than it might seem as one reads about the place or looks at maps – or if one is considering a first foray into this magical environment, the first objective should be the stupendous city of Palermo. This short tour devised by Martin Randall Travel includes the places and sites that are essential to see, and fits in some less well-known spots that add to an appreciation of its richness and variety. With many major Italian cities having lost any sense of a ‘low season’, the south still retains its customary calmer winter months, even in famously busy Palermo. The relative peace, milder temperatures and frequent sunshine make January a wonderful time of year to visit.

Palermo was the capital city of Sicily during the Norman occupation of the island, and the 12th century was a golden age of church building and mosaic decoration. We will visit the glorious church of the Martorana unparalleled for its richness of colour, commissioned by George of Antioch, the first minister of King Roger II. Even more astonishing – in fact, a work of art that simply overwhelms the senses – is the Palatine Chapel, built within the Norman Palace and as a place of worship for Roger and his family and court. Having the opportunity to take it in calmly, without distraction on a private, out of hours, visit is a breathtaking experience. Third in this sequence of outstanding schemes of mosaic decoration is the Benedictine cathedral of Monreale, built in the late 12th century by Roger’s grandson, King William II.

A city of huge wealth and prosperity, Palermo expanded dramatically in the 18th century. Simply walking the streets of the historic centre – and happily our hotel is situated in the very midst of this extraordinary townscape – allows one to judge the scale and splendour of a place which was famous throughout Europe.

Interior of the Palantine Chapel, visited privately and out of hours, Lothar Boris ©

Three extraordinary schemes of stucco decoration are seen in the oratories of Santa Cita, San Domenico and San Lorenzo. Made in the late 17th century in three-dimensional relief by the master craftsman Giacomo Serpotta, they are unlike anything to be seen elsewhere and leave one speechless in wonderment.

This tour is made further memorable because it includes private visits to three of the most remarkable and grandest Palermitan aristocratic houses: the Palazzo Pietratagliata, where we will dine one evening; the Palazzo Valguernera Gangi (famous for its ballroom and appearance in Luchino Visconti’s 1963 film of The Leopard); and lastly the Palazzo Lanza Tomasi, where we will visit the library of The Leopard’s author Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa and view the original manuscript of his masterpiece. Furthermore, and a reminder of the cosmopolitan culture that existed in Palermo, we visit the Villa Malfitano, home of the Anglo-Sicilian Whittaker family, who were involved in every aspect of the commercial development of the island.

There’s so much more. We visit two wonderful museums and have the opportunity to consider Sicily’s vast importance in the ancient world and the competition for control of the island between Greeks, Phoenicians, and – eventually – Romans. We will also look at one of the most sublime masterpieces of Italian Renaissance painting, the Virgin Annunciate, of Antonello da Messina.

The visits prompt many subjects to talk about and discuss – even for example the sad history of Palermo in the 20th century, which was one of devastation in war, and of a place blighted by endemic crime and corruption but from which the city is now emerging.

First and foremost, the time that we will spend together will be a celebration – a joyful delight in superlative works of art before which we pause and reflect, whether seeing them for the first time or to refresh previous impressions. For a few days we will be enriched by absorption into the life of an amazing city which is once again bursting with energy and pride in its own unique character and achievement.

'Palermo Revealed' departs 21–26 January 2025.