Six of the seven original Etruscan arches into the city can still be seen, with Roman, Medieval and Renaissance alterations. Take a walk around the city following the original walls – the tourist office in Piazza Matteotti has a leaflet with suggested routes.

Though it was once a busy shipyard where European immigrants settled after coming in search of work, this colourful and vibrant neighbourhood has developed into a fashionable centre for trendy galleries and boutiques. Tourists flock here to snap a shot of the colourful Caminito, where painted metal shacks reflect the area's past, and to pay a visit to one of football's most legendary stadiums.

In 620 AD, in the company of an angel, the prophet Mohamad took a night journey to Heaven: called Mi'raj, this episode is a key point in the Islamic tradition. Located on top of the Noble Sanctuary upland, the Dome protects the rock where this journey started. On the same rock, thousands of years before, the biblical patriarch Abraham had allegedly tried to sacrifice his son Isaac, before God told him to stop. The Dome is, according to some, the oldest existing Islamic building, and a holy place of immense importance. Byzantine artisans built it between 687 and 691, and today its golden top stands out against the cityscape. Non-Muslim visitors cannot enter the Dome, but its elegant architecture is definitely worth taking a look at.

Housed in a Renaissance monastery, the Regional Archeological Museum Antonio Salinas boasts a rich collection of Roman and Ancient Greek artefacts including many items spanning most of Palermo’s history. The highlights of the exhibition are the decorative friezes from the temples at Selinunte.