Palermo is one of the Italian and Sicilian cities that still keeps the medieval urban planning; the three markets define the borders of the area and the four historical neighborhood let you breath history.

Each neighborhood had its patron saint and the little streets among them are still untouched.

The best neighborhood to find a home in Palermo are at least six, so we will describe the characteristic of all of them, listing the factors that can be important for your choice.

You can also have more information by Wonderful Italy, who helps foreigners buy a house in Palermo or offers holiday houses.

The Kalsa

Inside the area defined by Via Lincoln, Via Roma, Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Foro Italico, the Arabs set their headquarter, using all the palaces for the government. In fact, Kalsa comes from the old arabic word "Khalisa", which means pure, elected.

Nowadays, thanks to the investors who are renewing the old bombed buildings, the neighborhood has attracted fashionable young people and it's home to many urban hotspots like Mikalsa and Kursaal Kalhesa. Furthermore, there are still the noble houses, such as Palazzo Mirto and Palazzo Ajutamicristo, which belonged to Charles V.

One of the best art galleries, the Regional Gallery of Sicily in Palazzo Abatellis is in Via Alloro, meanwhile in Piazza Marina you can find Palazzo Steri.

La Vucciria

It's inside the Castello a Mare. La Vucciria is accessible from Via Roma, Corso Vittorio Emanuele and La Cala, a very old market that used to be the beating heart of Palermo, as people were coming from everywhere in order to buy fresh products.

Nowadays, just a bit of this big energy stays, but you can still feel the ancient spirit of the neighborhood: some of the shops have still kept their original names in Sicilian language.

Finally, outside of this chaotic context, there are some palaces that you can either buy or rent, as they are in a strategic commercial spot.

Ballarò

It is another historical market of Palermo. Starting from the buildings behind Piazza Bologni until Corso Tukory, there are many houses that should be considered and the zone is full of clients and visitors that buy food.

Nowadays, the neighborhood has become a multicultural area that reminds the golden age of Palermo, where people from different countries have decided to open their shops. The main attractions in the neighborhood are the Chiesa del Carmine and Casa Professa.

Il Capo

The biggest bazar in Palermo is called Il Capo, which is inside the area coasted by Via Papireto, Via Volturno, Via Maqueda and Corso Vittorio Emanuele. It is full of streets and tortuous little streets that attract many tourists.

Furthermore, Il Capo used to be also the headquarter of the secret society Beati Paoli, the legendary society that used to steal from rich people to give to poor ones.

Albergheria

The oldest of the four noble neighborhoods is Albergheria, which is known for the Royal Palace, as the Phoenicians put basis to build it in the highest part of the city.

Those were the streets walked by Cagliostro. Furthermore, there are some beautiful spots, such as Piazza Bologni, with the noble palaces and the statue of Charles V.

In this zone there are building with homes that are interesting for its planning and position.

Castello a Mare

It gives the name to the castle on the sea, Castello a Mare is delimited by Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Via Cavour, Via Roma and Via Crispi.

Even though it was bombed in 1943, the zone hosts some spectacular palaces and churches, such as Oratorio del Rosario di Santa Cita and the ones of San Lorenzo, San Giorgio dei Genovesi and the gothic Santa Maria La Nova.

Castello a Mare comprehends also the neighborhood of La Vucciria, as well as the Pantheon of Palermo, whose architect, Giuseppe Lanza Tomasi di Lampedusa, had its palace here.

While walking towards Via Maqueda, the streets become bigger and you arrive at Teatro Massimo in Piaza Verdi, which marks the division between the old and the new city. Via Maqueda crosses the medieval neighborhood and becomes Via Ruggero Séttimo in the new part of the city.

This street explodes in the important Piazza Politeama, where there is the theater with which it shares the name. Towards north, there is the most elegant street in Palermo, Via Della Libertà, which coasts Giardino Inglese.

In this area, Art Nouveau saw its triumph, as you can notice in Piazza Castelnuovo and Piazza Verdi.

Some of those important buildings have been teared down to build other ones, which are not suitable with the elegance of the neighborhood. Nowadays, it's one of the most popular neighborhoods for buying a hous in Palermo, and the prices are higher than the average.

Cost per square meter for houses on sale and rent in Palermo.

The prices in Palermo have tarifs, which are different in every neighborhood, made by experts in the real estate sector.

A table has been made, counting on a series of factors such as the buildings, hospitals and social class.

It's important that costs are subject to the requests of landlords, so the prices below reported are the standard ones for agencies and not private sellers.

Those prices have been lastly updated in March 2019.

The highest prices can be found in the neighborhoods: Libertà, De Gasperi, Villabianca, Sciuti, Politeama and Croce Rossa. The price is 1.911€ per square meter.
The lowest prices are in the neighborhoods Ciaculli, Belmonte and Chiavelli, 929€ per square meter.

Talking about rent, the highest prices are in Porto, Borgho Vecchio, Roma and Cavour: 8,99€ per square meter (monthly rent).
The areas where there are the lowest prices are Villagraia and Olio di Lino: 4,65€ per square meter. Based on an economic and social evaluation, the best neighborhood for living in Palermo are the ones with the highest prices.

More information

If you want to know more, you absolutely have to contact Wonderful Italy: with their experience, they can give you the best advice for buying a house or they can help you find a good place for rent with a good contract.

Wonderful Italy can also put you in contact with experts of the sector and offer you a service of all inclusive management and concierge, taking care about all the aspects related to cleaning, reparations, guest reception and manteinance. It's like being in a hotel, but in a property house. Furthermore, should the house be uninhabited for a long period of time, Wonderful Italy will generate income by commercializing it on the main touristic platform. The purpose is making the house functional under every aspect.

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