With its Arab-Norman cathedrals and raucous street markets, Palermo has an infectious, sun-soaked energy. And right in the middle of it all, on the beautiful Via Roma, stands the Grand Hotel et Des Palmes, a palazzo with a past to rival the city. Built in 1874 as the private residence of the Ingham-Whitaker family — English Marsala merchants who all but ran Sicily — it was transformed into a hotel in 1907 by Art Nouveau architect Ernesto Basile. Wagner stayed to finish Parsifal, Poet Raymond Roussel checked in and never left, and the mirrors, marble and sweeping staircases have seen it all.
Basile's Art Nouveau fingerprints are everywhere from the stained glass and ornate plasterwork to the life-size statuary — and nowhere more so than the mirrored Senses Bar, where Sicilian spirits are mixed into fragrant cocktails. Breakfast is served in the grand ballroom, a glittering chamber of marble and fluted columns, while the Neo Bistrot restaurant offers a Mediterranean and Italian menu for lunch and dinner. The rooftop Overture Terrace is the place for aperitivo with Palermo stretched out below and there's also a spa with hammam, biosauna and a heated pool.
The 98 rooms and suites are classically styled with parquet flooring, dark wood furnishings and rich fabrics. They are elegant rather than flashy and comfort is taken seriously: Egyptian cotton, memory foam mattresses and rainfall showers in the bathroom. Superior rooms have additional gold-accented detailing and city views, and the suites step up again with private terraces overlooking the rooftops. The Richard Wagner Suite is something else entirely: stucco reliefs, gold leaf, a crystal chandelier and, most memorably, the composer's own grand piano in the centre.
Palermo is a genuinely thrilling city to explore, and the hotel is right in the middle of it. The Teatro Massimo, one of Europe's largest opera houses, is a short walk away and should be top of the list. The Capella Palatina, Arab-Norman itinerary, ancient Ballarò food market and Baroque Quattro Canti are all within easy reach on foot. For a breather from the city, Mondello beach is around thirty minutes by taxi and is a proper old-fashioned lido with startlingly clear water.
The Richard Wagner Suite, the centrepiece of which is the composer's actual grand piano.
The street-facing rooms on Via Roma can be noisy. Instead, ask for a room overlooking the internal courtyard for a quieter night and a lovely view of Basile's Art Nouveau details.
From mirrored bars and marble columns to sweeping staircases, the grand public spaces are spectacular, but some standard rooms feel more corporate than the spectacular exteriors suggest.
A place set apart, where history runs deep and the edges are a little wilder.
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