The following
outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Palermo:
Palermo – city of
Southern Italy, the
capital of both the
autonomous region of
Sicily and the
Metropolitan City of Palermo. The city is noted for its
history,
culture,
architecture and
gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old. Palermo is located in the northwest of the island of Sicily, right by the Gulf of Palermo in the
Tyrrhenian Sea. The city was founded in 734 BC by the
Phoenicians. Palermo then became a possession of
Carthage, before becoming part of the
Roman Republic, the Roman Empire and eventually part of the
Byzantine Empire, for over a thousand years. From 831 to 1072 the city was under
Arab rule during the
Emirate of Sicily when the city first became a capital. Following the
Norman reconquest, Palermo became the capital of a new kingdom (from 1130 to 1816), the
Kingdom of Sicily and the capital of the
Holy Roman Empire under
Emperor Frederick II and
King Conrad IV. Palermo is Sicily's cultural, economic and tourism capital. It is a city rich in history, culture, art, music and food. Numerous tourists are attracted to the city for its good Mediterranean weather, its renowned gastronomy and restaurants, its Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque churches, palaces and buildings, and its nightlife and music. Palermo is the main Sicilian industrial and commercial center: the main industrial sectors include tourism, services, commerce and agriculture.