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Palermo was known to the greeks as Panoramos and it is not difficult to see why. Palermo sits in a beautiful wide bay on the north coast of Sicily underneath the imposing Mount Pellegrino, and surrounded by the wide fertile Golden Shell valley or Conca d'Oro. The golden valley is renowned as an artificially irrigated valley used in the production of fruit growing. It is the capital of Sicily and its principal port. Palermo is now very much a modern city with a lot of it rebuilt but it maintains still much of its Norman origins and baroque architecture. Because of its position at the very foot of Italy, an island unto itself close to the continent of Africa and near the middle east, Sicily is very much influenced by the orients history and this can be seen in the style of Palermo. As the island's capital it contains most of the historical sights in Sicily, from the Arab influence in the design of the churches to the geographic layout of the historic centre. On the negative side, its position made it a target during the second world war and much of the city is still scarred with bombed remains. The city has undergone a lot of redevelopment and new skyscrapers add confusion to the chaos of the city. This is also reputedly the headquarters of the cosa nostra or mafia who make their home on the island. This does not detract from the charm of the old town with its narrow twisting streets and alleys hiding numerous gardens and larger streets lined with palm trees. |