Air Malta launches special fares to Palermo

Offers are valid on flights leaving Malta on 20 March and 22 April and flights departing from Palermo on 16 April and 26 April.

Seats are only available from the airline’s portal www.airmalta.com and are subject to availability. Tickets are non-refundable and other terms and conditions may apply.

A service fee of €10 is applicable on each ticket purchased from the sales office, while tickets purchased from a call centre incur a €5 charge.

The Sicilian capital of Palermo has a lot to offer to those visiting it for the first time. Its historic medieval old town is very popular with tourists including Cappella Palatina, a small chapel hidden within the Palazzo dei Normanni. This palace is renowned for its wealth of outstanding mosaics that bejewel the walls of its interior. Also popular are the city’s landmark square of Quattro Canti and the tiny chapel of San Cataldo, which has three miniature domes and Arabic inscriptions on its columns. This overlooks Palermo’s famous ‘Fountain of Shame’.  Just outside of Palermo is the Cathedral of Monreale, one of Sicily’s most beautiful buildings, whose interior is lined with shimmering golden Byzantine mosaics while its cloister columns are twisted with vivid zig-zags of Moorish inlay.

For those who prefer the lure of shopping one should visit the haute couture streets of Via Maqueda, Via Ruggero Settimo andVia della Liberta.  For those who prefer bargain hunting and traditional crafts, earthen ware, wrought iron and carved wood, shops in Via Bara, Via Orologia and Vittorio Emanuele are recommended.

Between purchases in either the back streets or the wide boulevards, there is plenty of opportunity to stop for a quick snack of fried aubergines or hefty pizza slices prepared by street vendors or for those who have more time to spare a stop at the more formal restaurants to savour Sicily’s excellent cuisine is a must.