CALL ME BY ANOTHER NAME: PALERMO Pulling back the curtain on movie magic, I discovered the real place I dreamed of visiting was the capital of the island of Sicily, Palermo. What’s more, I kept recognising it in other Italian movies, from Roberto Benigni’s Johnny Stecchino to the classic film The Leopard . Some of the city’s most famous landmarks, such as the Norman Palace, the Palatine Chapel, and the Teatro Massimo, made cameos in movies since the 1960s.
Founded by the Phoenicians in the 8th-century BCE, Palermo remained a Phoenician city until the First Punic War, when Sicily fell under Roman rule. Years later, Palermo was ruled by the Byzantine Empire, then the Normans, then the Spanish, before becoming a part of Italy. As the most conquered city in the world, Palermo has a wealth of beautiful architecture, from ancient ruins to Baroque palaces. Yet, Sicily’s capital was only the beginning of my cinematic tour of this camera-friendly island. continue...
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