Palermo (Sicilian: Palermu, Greek: Panormus) is a historic city in southern Italy, the capital of the autonomous region Sicily and the province of Palermo. The city is noted for its rich 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 north-west of the island of Sicily, right by the Gulf of Palermo in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
The city was founded by the Phoenicians, but named by the Ancient Greeks as Panormus meaning all port. Palermo became part of the Roman Republic and eventually part of the Byzantine Empire, for over a thousand years. For a brief period it was under Arab rule where it first became a capital. Following the Norman reconquest, Palermo would become capital of a new kingdom from 1130 to 1816 the Kingdom of Sicily. Eventually it would be united with the Kingdom of Naples to form the Two Sicilies until the Italian unification of 1860.
The metropolitan area of Palermo is the fifth most populated in Italy and in the top eighty of the largest in all of Europe with around 1.2 million people. In the central area, the city itself has a population of around 670 thousand people, the inhabitants are known as Palermitans or poetically panormiti, the languages spoken by its inhabitants are the Italian language and the Sicilian language.
The religion of Roman Catholicism is highly important in Palermitan culture, the patron saint of the city is Saint Rosalia, her feast day on July 15 is perhaps the biggest social event in the city. The area attracts significant amounts of tourists each year and is widely known for its colourful fruit, vegetable and fish market at the heart of Palermo known as the Vucciria.
A new season, eight operas and two ballets, plus an interesting concert season and an intensive activity for students. Once again in 2010 the Teatro Massimo will offer to the public one of the richest opera playbills in Italy. Together with a number of classical melodramas some rare operas will also be staged, including an Italian premiere.
All details on ticket sale and the concert season will be available from October 3.
A new production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Nabucco will open the 2010 Season on January 22 (performances until January 31). After that La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini will take place and in April the Massimo will host the Italian premiere of Die Gezeichneten, masterpiece of the Austrian composer Franz Schrecker.
At the end of May, for the first time at the Massimo, Maria Stuarda by Gaetano Donizetti.
From September 18 to 26 , the public-beloved Barbiere di Siviglia by Giacomo Rossini will be performed once again at the Massimo, while in October, for the first time in 42 years, a production of Don Quichotte by Jules Massenet will be staged.
On the 10th of December 1910, it was given the first performance of Fanciulla del West in New York and in order to celebrate this centenary a new staging made by a prestigious international co-production will take place (From December 10 to 18).
Two ballets will be at the Massimo in 2010: Coppelia by Léo Delibes (From March 17 to 21 March) and Franca Florio – Regina di Palermo.
In July 2010 a new edition the oper-air Teatro di Verdura will host the production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida.
The season also comprises a cultural programme for students with many performances, including the production of Alice in Wonderland in November 2010, an absolute new creation inspired by Lewis Carroll’s novel.
2010 Season Calendar
2010 OPERAS
February 24 – March 6
Giacomo Puccini
LA BOHÈME
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March 18 – 23
Léo Delibes
COPPÉLIA
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April 14 – 21
Franz Schreker
DIE GEZEICHNETEN
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May 21 – 28
Gaetano Donizetti
MARIA STUARDA
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June 11 – 18
Lorenzo Ferrero / Luciano Cannito
FRANCA FLORIO REGINA DI PALERMO
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July – Teatro di Verdura (Teatro Massimo’s summer oper-air venue)
Giuseppe Verdi
AIDA
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September 18 – 26
Gioachino Rossini
IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA
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October 15 – 21
Jules Massenet
DON QUICHOTTE
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November 16 – 19
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
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December 10 – 18
Giacomo Puccini
LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST
2010 Concerts Season in the Teatro Massimo of Palermo
Teatro Massimo
February 5 2010 – 8.30 pm
Conductor Sascha Goetzel
Piano Rudolf Buchbinder
Teatro Massimo Orchestra
Ludwig van Beethoven
Egmont Ouverture op. 84;
Concerto n. 4 in G major op. 58 for piano and orchestra
Concerto n. 5 in E flat major op. 73
“Imperatore” for piano and orchestra
March 1 2010 – 8.30 pm
Tribute to Eliodoro Sollima
Flute Luigi Sollima
Clarinet Calogero Palermo
Piano Giuseppe Andaloro
Cello Giovanni Sollima
March 22 2010 – 8.30 pm
Conductor Yuri Temirkanov
Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra
Nikolaj Rimskij-Korsakov
Shéhérazade, symphonic suite op. 35
Pëtr Il’i? ?ajkovskij
Symphony n. 6 in D minor op. 74 “Patetica”
April 28 2010 – 8.30 pm
Conductor Christian Arming
Teatro Massimo Orchestra and Choir
Anton Bruckner
Symphony n. 7 in E major WaB 109
Te Deum in C major for solos, chorus, orchestra and pipe organ WaB 45
May 6 2010 – 8.30 pm
Conductor Roberto Abbado
Soprano Julianna Di Giacomo
Mezzosoprano Marianne Cornetti
Tenor Francesco Meli
Basso Orlin Anastassov
Teatro Massimo Orchestra and Choir
Giuseppe Verdi
Requiem Missa for solos, chorus and orchestra
June 3 2010 – 8.30 pm
Conductor Günter Neuhold
Teatro Massimo Orchestra
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony n. 35 in D major Kv 385 “Haffner”
Charles Ives
The Unanswered Question
Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony n. 4 in B flat major op. 60
June 25 2010 – Teatro di Verdura
9.15 pm
Verdi Gala
Conductor Srboljub Dinic
Teatro Massimo Orchestra and Choir
October 26 2010 – 8.30 pm
Conductor Stefan Anton Reck
Teatro Massimo Orchestra
Arnold Schönberg
Kammersymphonie op. 9
Sergej Prokof’ev
Symphony n. 1 in D major op. 25 “Classica”
Johannes Brahms
Symphony n. 1 op. 68 in C minor
October 30 2010 – 6.30 pm
Conductor Srboljub Dinic
Teatro Massimo Orchestra, Choir and Youth Choir
Carl Orff
Carmina burana for solos, choir, youth choir and orchestra
December 19 2010 – 6.30 pm
Conductor sir John Eliot Gardiner
Violin Viktoria Mullova
London Symphony Orchestra
Ludwig van Beethoven
Concerto in D major op. 61
Felix Mendelssohn
Symphony in A major op. 90 “italiana”
December 23 2010 – 8.30 pm
Christmas Concert
Teatro Massimo Orchestra and Youth Choir
Travel in Sicily
By: Michael Drewell
Travel in Sicily Palermo is the biggest city in Sicily of Italy. It is also a good harbor with dangerous terrain. Goethe appraised Palermo as the most beautiful cape of the world when he came here. As the dominator changes, there are different kinds of religions and cultures here. So the buildings of this city show different kinds of styles. There is a geographer saying that anyone who sees the city can not help turning around to have a look at Palermo. Although the ancient buildings here are without resplendent and magnificent appearance, they are in harmony with the greenbelts, the streets and the square of Palermo. The urban area of Palermo is very big. The main scenic spots gather in the area of the train station to the northwest. The two main streets, the east one Via Roma while the west one Via Maqueda, run from north to south. The Corso Vittorio Emanuele which runs from the foursquare to the west leads to cathedral and palace both of which are the most important scenic spots. Agrigento is the place where all the gods lives. Pindaros, a lyricist of Greece, once praised Agrigento as the most beautiful city in the world. The dimensions of the city were set as early as the year of 581 BC. From the fifth century, Agrigento is occupied by the Carthage first and then the Roman. Later on, it was dominated by the Byzantium and the Arabia Kingdom. But some time later, the importance of Agrigento is replaced by that of the cities in east coast of Sicily. The busy scene in the past time of Agrigento no longer exists, only a lot of fane relics left. These fanes are the most important tour resource in Agrigento today. The scene spots in Agrigento are not far away from one another. The most important is Valle dei Templi which is about three kilometers away from the city center and the train station. The area for eating and shopping is not far away from the slope by the square of the train station. You can go to one area to the other on foot or by taking a taxi which would take ten minutes. In the north about seven miles away from Agrigento is a popular San Leone where people can have a swim and take activities on water. There are lots of people coming here when in summer. For more information about traveling; please have a look at http://www.affordable-cruises-tours.com.
About the Author
I like traveling and would like to share my experience with others.
Flight-routes, – plans and -companies are changing in this quickly running times as often as you change your shoes or trousers. Last week I wrote about the new ryanair flights to Trapani, now lets look what happens on the Palermo airport. I talk only about flights coming from outside Italy. If you need help with inner-Italian flights or those to Catania, please send me an e-mail.
Click on the airlines name to go directly to there website.
Transfer
As you can see is the way to Terrasini not very long, just 18 km (11 miles), but take care with taxis and public transportation. The first cost probably more than your flight and the second takes much longer than it.
If you are here for scuba diving with me and/or rented an apartment, just give me your arrival time and flight number and I’ll organize the transfer for you. Send me an e-mail in time to gunnar@sicilian.net
STAGIONE DI OPERE E BALLETTI 2010
22-31 gennaio
Giuseppe Verdi
NABUCCO
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23 febbraio – 7 marzo
Giacomo Puccini
LA BOHÈME
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18 – 23 marzo
Léo Delibes
COPPÉLIA
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14 – 21 aprile
Franz Schreker
DIE GEZEICHNETEN
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21 – 28 maggio
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Gaetano Donizetti
MARIA STUARDA
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11 – 18 giugno
Lorenzo Ferrero / Luciano Cannito
FRANCA FLORIO REGINA DI PALERMO
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luglio – Teatro di Verdura
Giuseppe Verdi
AIDA
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18 – 26 settembre
Gioachino Rossini
IL BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA
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15 – 21 ottobre
Jules Massenet
DON QUICHOTTE
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16 – 19 novembre
ALICE NEL PAESE DELLE MERAVIGLIE
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10 – 18 dicembre
Giacomo Puccini
LA FANCIULLA DEL WEST STAGIONE DI CONCERTI 2010
28 gennaio 2010
Daniela Dessì e Francesco Renga
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5 febbraio 2010
Sascha Goetzel e Rudolf Buchbinder
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1 marzo 2010
Omaggio a Eliodoro Sollima
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22 marzo 2010
Yuri Temirkanov e l’Orchestra Filarmonica di San Pietroburgo
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28 aprile 2010
Christiam Arming
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6 maggio 2010
Roberto Abbado
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3 giugno 2010
Günter Neuhold
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25 giugno 2010 – Teatro di Verdura
Verdi Gala
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26 ottobre 2010
Stefan Anton Reck
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30 ottobre 2010
Srboljub Dinic
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19 dicembre 2010
John Eliot Gardiner, Viktoria Mullova e la London Symphony Orchestra
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23 dicembre 2010
Concerto di Natale?
New Year’s Eve – gala dinner and concert of the Swing Dance Orchestra
New Year’s Eve at the Teatro Massimo
New Year’s Eve in one of the most fascinating opera houses across the world – from 8.30 pm onwards a remarkable evening with the Swing Dance Orchestra and the gala dinner by chef Natale Giunta.
Just as it happens at the Staatsoper in Wien, at the Zürich Opernhaus and at the Fenice in Venice, the Teatro Massimo will host the most prestigious event in town.
The Swing Dance Orchestra, conducted by Andrej Harmlin, will play swing music from the 1930s and 1940s. The orchestra, together with singer Bettina Labeau, clarinett David Rose and the Skylarks vocal quintetto will perform songs as “Let´s Dance”, “Santa Claus Is Coming”, “Sing Sing Sing” and musics by Cole Porter, Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman.
Tables will be arranged in the stalls (seating 8 people), while each boxe will suit 4 people. Dinner will be served at the table in the stalls and inside each box. The musical programme and the dinner will alternate until the midnight toast that will give way to the dancing.
“The Massimo opens its gates to welcome 2010 with an event dedicated to opera lovers and to those who will visit our city and look forward to a truly interesting event”, says Antonio Cognata, General Manager of the Teatro Massimo.
“It will also be a chance for us to celebrate our very successful 2009 productions while welcoming the ones for 2010. Be with us!”
Ticket prices (gala dinner and concert)
euro 200 stalls
euro 170 I, II, III floors of boxes
euro 145 IV, V floors of boxes
Reductions for groups and season tickets–holders.
December 6 to December 12 – pre–sale for season–ticket holders only.
From December 13 – Tickets on sale (Teatro Massimo box–office, by phone, on the internet through Vivaticket)
New Year’s Eve at the Teatro Massimo
Swing Dance Orchestra Dan Levinson clarinet
Bettina Labeau solo voice
Andrej Hermlin piano
Michael Wirth drums
Dirk Schelenz guitar
Michael Waterstradt bass guitar
Frank Bach sax alto and clarinet
Gregoire Peters sax alto and clarinet
Finn Wiesner sax tenore and clarinet
Raymond Merkel sax tenore and clarinet
Jörg von Nolting trumpet
Andreas Hillmann trumpet
Thomas Huder trumpet
Stefan Katzenbeier trombone
Friedrich Milz trombone
Lars Juling trombone
Vocal Quintetto Skylarks
Max Keilbach – Till Josa Paar – Markus Krafczinski – Kristofer Benn – Esther Kaiser
American Night Of Swing
Let´s Dance – Sing Me A Swing Song – One O´Clock Jump – Peekabo To You – South Rampert – On The Sunny Side – Anvil Chorus – Watcha Know – You Turnded The Tables – Chicago – Santa Claus Is Coming – Yes My Darling Daughter – I´ve Got A Gal – Goody Goody – Sing Sing Sing – Moonlight – The Lady Is In Love – Lonesome Road – Woodchoppers Ball – Jingle Bells – Well Alright – Don´t Sit Under The – Begin The Beguine – Kiss Polka – Swingin´ The Blues – Why Don´t You Do Right – Vote For Mr. Rhythm – At The Presidents Birthday – Don´t Be That Way – A Gal From Calaco – Lady Be Good – Jukebox Saturday Night – San Francisco – Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen – Chattanooga Choo Choo
The Swing Dance Orchestra
In 1987, the SWING DANCE ORCHESTRA was founded under the direction of “Swing King” Andrej Hermlin. Since then it has developed into the most outstanding and successful swing band in Germany. In addition to frequent radio and TV performances, the orchestra has played countless gigs in prestigious hotels, delighted its audiences in German and European concert halls and has been engaged for glamorous, glittering ball events. The SWING DANCE ORCHESTRA has undertaken highly successful international tours to major cities including Brussels, Zurich, Hong Kong and London.
In New York – the old and new metropolis of swing – Andrej Hermlin has appeared with his musicians in the renowned “Rainbow Room” of Rockefeller Center and in the not less famous “Hotel Pennsylvania“.
Recently the orchestra has performed in several film productions, among them “Taking Sides” under Oscar–winning director István Szabó and “Cold is the Breath of Evening” after a novel by Ingrid Noll.
The orchestra has a multifaceted repertoire containing many familiar but also rarely played original American arrangements from the ‘30s. These include melodies of Benny Goodman’s orchestra, Artie Shaw, Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Glenn Miller and many other stars of the swing era.
The SWING DANCE ORCHESTRA is authentic down to the details: the sound, the arrangements, the microphones and music stands, the instruments and the musicians’ outfits are like the American originals of that time.
The sound of this big band is completely distinctive and not driven by trends or fads.
Most important, the SWING DANCE ORCHESTRA plays music for listening and dancing – from an era whose glitter and glamour continues to fascinate audiences today.
From February 1th to February 19 the School of Italian Language for Foreigners, University of Palermo, organizes study stays of 3 weeks to learn and improve the Italian language and discover the beauty of Sicily.
Organization of courses: 24 hours per week (Monday to Friday).
The price of the whole course is € 400.00 including: welcome cocktail, lessons in the classroom at the ultra-modern center Polididattico inside the Campus, teaching materials, coach tour with guide in Agrigento, guided tours of the city.
From Sicily’s Gateway Airport to Palermo’s Sights by Giulio Monreotti
Every holiday season, numerous tourists take the pleasant Palermo airport transfer ride to explore Sicily’s capital city. As well as the historic sites of the city, Palermo provides a gateway to the beauty of Sicily’s countryside and warm Mediterranean climate, all just a short drive from Palermo airport.It’s a pleasant journey from Palermo airport to the centre of the city. The road runs along the north shore of the region, so you’ll see the sparkling waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea. On the way, the route takes you past the classy resort of Mondello with its palm trees and cafes. I have to say that Sicily is a beautiful part of the world, but being a shuttle driver who regularly takes the journey from the airport to Palermo, I must confess that I am biased.
Travelling on one of the Palermo airport transfer buses, it takes just about half an hour to get from the airport to Palermo’s hotels in the town centre. Once here, many tourists are advised to visit the Palermo Cathedral; it is certainly a grand structure with its dome and its archways extending across the road. It is decorated with spiral carvings and a roofline adorned with triangles. However, in terms what there is to see inside, I prefer the Cappella Palatina, a chapel at Piazza del Parlamento. The ceiling within is elaborately painted with a gold setting behind the churchly images and scenes.
The Cappella is part of the Palazzo dei Normanni which houses the regional parliament and is located in the old centre of the city at the Quattro Canti. Also known as Teatro del Sole, it lies only about thirty five minutes from Palermo airport and is an open area where you can always see the sun, with curvaceous cast iron lampposts and buildings bedecked with statues.
The Museo Archeologico Regionale, and the Palazzo Abatellis containing the Galleria Regionale are popular places to visit in Palermo. One of the stranger attractions I hear tourists talk about during my Palermo airport transfers are the Capuchin Catacombs. If you have the stomach for it, you can see the remains of thousands of corpses that have undergone the regional equivalent of mummification. These are arranged in galleries and themed rooms, featuring some remarkably well-preserved residents of Palermo. Airport transfer buses will pass near the Catacombs on their way from the airport to Palermo’s centre.
Palermo Airport goes by the names of Punta Raisi and Falcone-Borsellino, which can sometimes appear confusing to tourists, especially at the end of their holidays when they are looking to get from the city to Palermo airport. Luckily the Palermo airport transfer drivers will know where they are going.
Mount Etna
The airport is Sicily’s gateway airport to Palermo’s neighbouring regions and attractions. Beyond Palermo is Caccamo, a countryside town that also has catacombs to visit; Castelbuono, with its castle; and Monreale on the mountainside to the south of Palermo, with its ornate cathedral.
Mount Etna is a full three and half hours from Palermo airport, situated nearer to the port town of Catania on the east coast, so be sure to choose a comfortable mode of travel. It is well worth the journey, of course. This is one of the world’s most active volcanoes, and of the active ones in Europe, it is the second largest, reaching a height of over 3300 metres. It is serviced by 4×4 buses, cable cars, and an observatory. There are awe-inspiring guided walks that enable a safe visit to the crater. Like the beautiful Sicilian landscape and Palermo’s historic sites, Mount Etna will ‘blow you away’.
About the Author
Giulio Monreotti is a shuttle driver, driving from the airport to Palermo and other routes for Shuttle Direct. They provide pre-booked shuttles to major destinations all over Europe. Wherever you travel, Shuttle Direct can make sure that you don’t miss your car on your holiday abroad.
Solunto (from Soluntum), Province of Palermo in Sicily
Soluntum or Solus (Italian Solunto) was an ancient city of Sicily, one of the three chief Phoenician settlements in the island, situated on the north coast, about 18 km east of Panormus (modern Palermo), and immediately to the east of the bold promontory called Capo Zafferano. It lay 200 m above sea level, on the southeast side of Monte Catalfano (380 m), in a naturally strong situation, and commanding a fine view. Some scholars contend that Soluntum and Solus were two different cities at close quarters, Soluntum, higher upon the hillside, being a later habitation displacing the earlier settlement of Solus, at a lower elevation. Its current site is at the località of Solanto in the comune of Santa Flavia.
History
The date of its first occupation is, like that of Panormus (Palermo), unknown. From its proximity to Panormus, Soluntum was one of the few colonies that the Phoenicians retained when they gave way before the advance of the Greek colonies in Sicily, and withdrew to the northwest corner of the island. It afterwards passed together with Panormus and Motya into the hands of the Carthaginians, or at least became a dependency of that people. It continued steadfast to the Carthaginian alliance even in 397 BCE, when the formidable armanent of Dionysius shook the fidelity of most of their allies; its territory was in consequence ravaged by Dionysius, but without effect. At a later period of the war (396 BCE) it was betrayed into the hands of that despot, but probably soon fell again into the power of the Carthaginians. It was certainly one of the cities that usually formed part of their dominions in the island; and in 307 BCE it was given up by them to the soldiers and mercenaries of Agathocles, who had made peace with the Carthaginians when abandoned by their leader in Africa. During the First Punic War we find it still subject to Carthage, and it was not till after the fall of Panormus that Soluntum also opened its gates to the Romans. It continued to subsist under the Roman dominion as a municipal town, but apparently one of no great importance, as its name is only slightly and occasicnally mentioned by Cicero. But it is still noticed both by Pliny and Ptolemy, where the name is corruptly written ???????), as well as at a later period by the Itineraries, which place it 12 miles from Panormus and 12 from Thermae (modern Termini Imerese). Soluntum minted coins in antiquity. It is probable that its complete destruction dates from the time of the Saracens.
Excavations and remains
Excavations have brought to light considerable remains of the ancient town, belonging entirely to the Roman period, and a good deal still remains unexplored. The traces of two ancient roads, paved with large blocks of stone, which led up to the city, may still be followed, and the whole summit of Monte Catalfano is covered with fragments of ancient walls and foundations of buildings. Among these may be traced the remains of two temples, of which some capitals and portions of friezes, have been discovered. An archaic oriental Artemis sitting between a lion and a panther, found here, is in the museum at Palermo, with other antiquities from this site. An inscription, erected by the citizens in honor of Fulvia Plautilla, the wife of Caracalla, was found there in 1857. With the exception of the winding road by which the town was approached on the south, the streets, despite the unevenness of the ground, which in places is so steep that steps have to be introduced, are laid out regularly, running from east to west and from north to south, and intersecting at right angles. They are as a rule paved with slabs of stone. The houses were constructed of rough walling, which was afterwards plastered over; the natural rock is often used for the lower part of the walls. One of the largest of them, with a peristyle, is currently, though wrongly, called the gymnasium. Near the top of the town are some cisterns cut in the rock, and at the summit is a larger house than usual, with mosaic pavements and paintings on its walls. Several sepulchres also have been found.
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