Exploring Accessible Palermo, Sicily

After our trip exploring northern Italy by train, we knew that Italian trains were reliable and wheelchair accessible so decided to book another trip to explore Sicily!

Before arriving in Sicily we planned out all of the places we wanted to visit and decided to start the first part of our trip staying in Palermo.

When we landed at Palermo Airport from Luton, we were able to take a direct train from the station underneath the airport called Punta Raisi which took us to the centre of Palermo in about 30 minutes.

Stay

When looking for places to stay we wanted to make sure we were in a safe area of Palermo so avoided staying near the train station. There are some pretty rough areas of Palermo so it's better to do some research before you book.

Our hotel was called Camplus Guest Palermo which was a 20 minute walk from the train station. The walk from the station to the hotel was along a main road and we avoided the side roads from it. I will be honest and say that Palermo is not the cleanest city and its pavements are not always smooth.

The hotel is part of a student residence and is pretty close to the main tourist attractions. Our room was really spacious and had two double beds! There was a shower which didn't have a seat in but I was able to use a plastic chair instead.

The hotel was lovely and clean. In the basement there was a canteen where breakfast was served. We didn't find out until the end of our trip that they also serve meals in the evening which is useful if you want something quick to eat after a long day.

Visit

The city of Palermo has many places to explore and visit. The old part of Palermo is pedestrianised which makes it easier to get around. Here are the places we visited over our accessible Palermo visit:

Quattro Canti

You can find these ornate baroque buildings in the centre of the old town at the intersection of Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Via Maqueda. They were built in the 1600s by the Spanish Viceroys as a declaration of their time ruling Sicily. Each of the four corners represent a different season.

The piazza area is pedestrianised and flat. It does get busy here so it is better to visit early in the morning at the beginning of your exploring!

Fontana della Vergogna

This fountain was originally built in Florence and then transported over to Palermo. It is known as 'the fountain of shame' because of the number of naked statues on it! In total there are about 30 statues which represent the Twelve Olympians, mythological figures, animals and the rivers of Palermo

There are steps up to the fountain but it possible to view from a short distance.

Chiesa Del Gesu

From the outside the church looks pretty plain and simple however once you get inside it is breathtaking! This Baroque style church was built in the 16th and 17th century and took over 200 years to complete. Almost every inch of the walls and pillars are decorated with beautiful marble sculptures, paintings and mosaics. There is so much to take in here!

To get into the church there is a side entrance. If you go up the driveway to the left of the church there is a ramped entrance. Someone will then take you through a courtyard into a side entrance of the church to get in.

There are many many beautiful churches in Italy but this one really is a must see!

Palazzo dei Normanni

This palace is the oldest royal residence in Europe and dates back to 1130. Today it serves as the seat for the Sicilian Regional Assembly. The visit comprises of the palace and the Palatine Chapel.

The palace is accessible and has lifts to get up to the different floors. There is also a really cool platform lift which comes out of the floor to take you down a small flight of steps. Probably one of the poshest lifts i've ever used!

The Palatine Chapel is within the palace, there will be a massive queue of people trying to get in but we were able to skip the queue. The chapel was built by the Normans in 1132 and is decorated in gold mosaic. It is very similar to St Mark's Basilica in Venice but somehow the gold in this chapel felt brighter and even more amazing.

We were glad we spent time exploring Palermo as there are some great places to visit here. You can view more photos from our trip on our Instagram page and we'll be posting more about our trip to accessible Sicily soon!