We explore a place that is truly a symbol of the urban, cultural, and edificial regeneration that is currently happening in Palermo. The Kalsa, which stems from the Arabic word “Al Khalisa” meaning “the chosen one”, was founded in the 10th century and has undergone innumerous transformations. Today, it is considered one of the most fascinating quarters of the city. The very first works of street art appeared in its central Piazza Magione and many more have been added throughout the years. The murals of Piazza Magione are hidden amongst well-known alleys, famous piazzas, and seemingly forgotten corners. These range from small stencils to works of monumental proportions. The tour starts at Piazza Marina and winds through the silent, captivating streets of the quarter. Later on, we’ll stroll toward Vucciria Market, an outdoor museum. The tour ends at La Cala, the old harbor.

• Tour Duration: 2.5 hours
• Where: Kalsa Vucciria and Quarter
• Meeting Point: Palazzo Chiaramonte Steri – Piazza Marina
• Ending Point: La Cala
• Reservations: mandatory
• Type of tour: private
• Cost: 1-4 people_€100,00 / 5-8 people €150,00 / 8+ contact us

Our Street Art Tour backdrop is Palermo’s historical center. We’ll pass through the most hidden alleyways of the Capo and Ballarò markets to reveal the beauty of new murals, artistic techniques, and artists. We will visit ongoing social projects featuring murals with a progressive spirit, which are part of a much wider aesthetic and social regenerative movement. Some of these  murals include:

• Archetypes of Women’s Beauty by Marco Miracle (alias Temet Nosce)
• The Bicycles of Yuri Romagnoli in HOPNN Art
• The Positive Messages of the Toquè Brothers
• The Cartoons by Astro Naut
• Le Niňas de Julieta
• The Stories of Continuous Becoming by Exit/Enter

Projects of visual and thematic modernisation have added color to the grey spaces of many deteriorated areas in the heart of the old Palermo – a part of the city that continues to emit a charismatic identity. Walls, portals, halls, and shutters decorated with marvelous drawings simultaneously depict a contemporary urban culture, old legends, and street stories.

 

• Duration: 2.5 hours
• Where: Capo and Ballarò Markets
• Meeting Point: Porta Carini, Capo Market
• Ending Point: Piazza Bellini
• Reservations: mandatory
• Type of tour: private
• Cost: 1-4 people_€100,00 / 5-8 people €150,00 / 8+ contact us

Discover Palermo is to take many journeys through the history of peoples who have always chosen it as the capital of their kingdoms.

Palermo is a city of many souls, colours, faces and scents. It is the result of a series of stratifications whose layers are still visible in its monuments, alleys, streets, squares, food, traditions and language.

We will stroll through the heart of the historical centre to admire the influences left by the Byzantines, the Arabs, the Normans and the Spanish still visible everywhere.

We start at the Quattro Canti, the city’s main crossroads to discover why we call it ‘the theatre of the sun’. We cross the so-called Fountain of Shame to arrive at Piazza Bellini. We climb to the roofs of the church of Santa Caterina to enjoy a 360° view of the old Conca d’Oro and taste the convent’s sweets.
From the mixed Baroque marbles we move on to the pure gold mosaics of the Martorana church. We finish at the Cathedral, a mirror of the many dominations that have taken place in Sicily, inviting us to reflect that respect and tolerance between different cultures is still possible.

  

• Duration: 3 hours
• Where: City Centre
• Meeting Point: Quattro Canti
• Ending Point: Cathedral
• Reservations: mandatory
• Type of tour: private
• Cost: 1-4 people _ €100,00 / 5-8 people €150,00 / 8+ contact us

Passionate, unspeakable, crazy, cruel and silent love! Forbidden, betrayed, unlucky, and overwhelming love! Are you sure you know everything there is to know about the subject of love in Palermo? Alternative Tours Palermo has created an itinerary that will introduce you to some heartbreakingly romantic stories, legends of crazy love, and secret passions. This tour is an evening walk under the dimmed lights of the Kalsa where you will discover real “ammore” in Palermo. The stories we tell during the tour are not the fruit of frivolous gossip. They are moving and intriguing tales that dig deep into the hearts of men and women and reveal the traditions, mentality, and terrible prejudices of Sicilian society. Come hear about love so big it still makes you drift into a world of beautiful but sometimes unlucky women, love affairs without happy endings, and lasting unions that not even death can part. There are also stories of devoted correspondence across oceans and, of course, happy endings. The tour is open to all couples as well as singles. We will tell you these stories in our signature “alternative” style. All participants will also receive an original gift of love from us!

 

• Duration: 2 hours – evening tour
• Where: Historical Centre of Palermo
• Meeting Point: Porta Felice
• Ending Point: Piazza Pretoria
• Reservations: mandatory
• Type of tour: private
• Cost: 1- 4 people _ €100,00 / 5-8 people €150,00 / 8+ contact us

A mysterious itinerary along winding alleyways, secret buildings, and residences inhabited by characters evocative of Palermo’s past. Accompanied by our colleague Chiara Utro, you will hear all about Palermo’s legends, ghosts, and unsolved mysteries. On this interactive tour, each participant will receive a personal  “Ghostbuster” passport. They will then be invited to retrace scenes, rooms, and documents to discover the identity of their hidden historical character. Our Ghost Tour is a truly authentic reflection of our city’s spirit!

 

• Duration: 2.5 hours
• Where: Historical Centre of Palermo
• Meeting Point : San Giorgio dei Genovesi Church
• Ending Point: Ballarò Market
• Reservations: mandatory
• Type of tour: private with 2 tour guides
• Cost: 1-4 people _ €150,00 / 5-8 people €180,00 / 8+ contact us

This tour will take you back in time…inside Renaissance chapels, noble tombs, Liberty architecture, magnificent cloisters and to relics that have remained undamaged by the centuries. It’s a unique walk around the Santa Maria di Gesù Cemetery. This isn’t some bizarre itinerary, but a visit to a monumental complex of extraordinary beauty. It’s an open-roofed museum featuring masterpieces of art and Sicilian architecture from the 18th to 20th centuries. We will start with Damiani Almeyda, architect of the neoclassical Teatro Politeama and the Florio Chapel. The Florio Chapel is where one of the most prominent Sicilian dynasties, which was founded by Vincenzo Florio, rests. Vincenzo Florio was appointed Senator of the United Kingdom of Italy by King Vittorio Emanuele II. We then move on to the Lanza di Scalea Chapel and its creator Ernesto Basile, one of the most well-known architects of international Modernism and the Liberty style. A particularly emotionally-charged part of the tour is when we visit the chapel dedicated to the judge Paolo Borsellino. It’s a parallelepipedon which contrasts the lightness of glass, a symbol of freedom and transparency, with the oppression and heaviness of cement – a reference to the force of the mafia against which this brave man battled. Marble and ceramics, decorations and embellishments, busts and portals, will tell the story of Palermitan viceroys, princes, aristocrats as well as other characters that made Sicily famous.

 

• Duration: 3 hours
• Where: Inside the Santa Maria di Gesù Cemetery
• Meeting Point: to be agreed
• Reservations: mandatory
• Type of tour: private + transfer
• Tour price: 1-4 people _ €100,00 / 5-8 people €150,00 / 8+ contact us
• Transfer price (public or private): to be agreed

A visit to Isravele’s Sanctuary at the top of Mount Gallo is an unforgettable experience both for trekking enthusiasts and fans of Outsider Art. Isravele is an outsider artist who is self-taught in the art of mosaics. He’s also a poet of all that is recycled and is a hotbed of creative spontaneity. An elderly man who made the decision to leave his family, his job, and the comforts of modern life to dedicate himself completely to God. He lives as a hermit in a Bourbon sighting tower, which he has completely covered in mosaics made from stones, glass, seashells, ceramic fragments, and recycled material. Over the course of 20 years, he has created a truly unique, eccentric, and poetic work of art without any formal artistic training whatsoever. It’s his very own personal cathedral where he spontaneously combines symbols drawn from Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

 

• Duration: about 4 hours
• Where: a panoramic trekking path to the top of Monte Gallo, which stands at a height of 650 meters
• Meeting Point: to be agreed
• Reservations: mandatory (We advise that you wear comfortable clothes and sports shoes and bring a bottle of water and some refreshments/snacks along.)
• Type of tour: private + transfer
• Tour price: 1-4 people _ €150,00 / 5-8 people €180,00 / 8+ contact us
• Transfer price (public or private): to be agreed

We can customize your private tour together!

Tell us about you and what would you like to discover in our town.

Together we will find what suits you better.