Named “the Kingdom of the Sun” by invading Normans in the 12th century, the Sicilian capital of Palermo is one of the sunniest places in Europe, with more than 2,500 hours of sunshine per year. Sitting where Europe ends and Africa begins, it lies on Sicily’s northwestern coast, facing east towards the sea, and is backed by a plain of citrus groves known as the Golden Shell. In the distance, Mount Pellegrino rises 606 meters above the city, the tallest peak in a dramatic mountain range.

Founded by the Phoenicians in 734 BC, Palermo has been colonized by more than half a dozen different civilizations. Over thousands of years, it has absorbed traces of these diverse influences into its architecture, art and gastronomy. Unified with Italy in 1861, it has its own eclectic character.