City in northwest Sicily on the Tyrrhenian Sea, an arm of the Mediterranean Sea; capital of Sicily.
- Palermo's convenient location has made it an important port for trans-Mediterranean shipping for three thousand years. Settled by Phoenicia in the eighth century b.c., it has come under the influence of many civilizations, including the Roman Empire and the Byzantine Empire. It has also come under the control of the Arabs and the French. Palermo has long been a center for art and architecture.