Capital of the island of Sicily off the coast of Italy, Palermo is a lively city of medieval churches, colorful street markets, ancient artifacts, and extraordinary food. Begin at the outdoor food markets where you can collect blood oranges in the spring. Visit the Catacombe dei Cappucini. Take a stroll on the beach. Or meander through the streets in search of the best cannoli in town (while sampling plenty to make your decision). Sicily is a wonderland of Italian culture mixed with a light beach scene and Arab influences.

Sicilian cuisine is a delicious subset of Italian cuisine. You’ll find pastas with red sauce, excellent cheese, freshly pressed olive oil, and full-bodied wines as well as many local specialties. The Spanish, Arabs, and Greeks as well as the Italians have heavily influenced sicilian cuisine, which is apparent in the use of items like saffron, apricots, and cloves.

Sicilians are quite well known for their desserts, cannoli and cassata in particular. A good cannolo consists of fried pastry dough rolled into a tube and filled with sweetened ricotta (and sometimes other ingredients). The cannolo is not only Sicilian, it originated in Palermo for Carnevale; so don’t miss sampling this treat in its birthplace.

The cassata is a sponge cake soaked in a fruity liqueur that is placed between layers of vanilla or chocolate cream, ricotta cheese, and candied citrus peels. It is topped with marzipan, icing, and candied fruit to make a cake as delicious as it is brightly colored.

For something savory, sample an arancino: a deep-fried rice ball filled with items like cheese, tomato sauce, peas, and sauce ragu.

Palermo has a long, complex history spanning from the Phoenician settlement of Ziz in the seventh century B.C. to today. In between, Palermo has had many different rulers from a variety of cultures, each of which left their mark on the present city. For example, the Palace of the Normans was occupied by the Arabs and Spanish, too, and is now a favorite destination for visitors. The Cappella Palatina at the Palace boasts the best Byzantine mosaics in the Mediterranean.

The Museo Archeologico Regionale holds artifacts from the Pheonicians, Punic people, Romans, Egyptians, Greeks, and more who left their mark on Sicily. The museum itself is even historical: it’s dusty and old-fashioned, but navigable with many exhibits to explore including exquisite Greek ceramics and preserved Etruscan antiques.

All images are used via Creative Commons Attribution rights. View the original images on Flickr at: Image 1, Image 2, Image 3, Image 4