PALERMO

Palermo is a city in Insular Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old. Palermo is located in the northwest of the island of Sicily, right by the Gulf of Palermo in the Tyrrhenian Sea.

First settled by various Greek tribes, the city was founded in 734 BC by the Phoenicians as Ziz. The present name is derived from the Greek Panoremus meaning 'always fit for landing in'. Palermo then became part of the Roman Republic, the Roman Empire and eventually part of the Byzantine Empire, for over a thousand years. From 831 to 1072 it was under Arab rule during the Emirate of Sicily when it first became a capital. Following the Norman reconquest, Palermo became capital of a new kingdom (from 1130 to 1816), the Kingdom of Sicily. Eventually it would be united with the Kingdom of Naples to form the Two Sicilies until the Italian unification of 1860. Palermo is also famous for its sweets, the most famous ones are “cannoli” made with ricotta (fresh cheese) and candied fruit.

1.      Palermo is

a)      A new city

b)      A very old city

c)      Poor in history

d)     Famous only for his gastronomy

2.      Palermo is a name with

a)      Greek origin

b)      Roman origin

c)      Norman origin

d)     Arab origin

3.      Palermo was the capital of

     a)      The Norman reign

     b)      The Byzantine  empire

     c)      Kingdom of Naples

     d)     Kingdom of Sicily