The main conference rooms will be located in the Parco of Orleans, in the Campus of the University of Palermo, at the teaching complex (Complesso Didattico), Building 19. The Campus comprises Engineering, Economy, Literature, Agricultural and Biological Science Faculties. The teaching complex is represented in the pictures and contains 12 big rooms with all the multimedia equipments needed for a conference and wifi access. Rooms are from 150 places to 70 places seated. Moreover we can have access to bigger rooms (up to 300 places) for the plenary.

Some events of the conference will be held in the Rectorate Palace (i.e. welcome party and opening ceremony).Looking over Piazza Marina on the north side, Palazzo Steri is a typical example of the kind of fortressed palaces that were fairly common amongst powerful mediaeval noble families. It was built in 1307 and has had a fascinating history. Apart from being the scene of many power struggles between local noble families and sovereign rulers (in particular the Spanish), Palazzo Steri became the official residence of the Spanish Viceroy and then, in 1601, the Sicilian branch of the "Spanish" Inquisition took it over as their base. Indeed, Piazza Marina witnessed many an execution as the Inquisition took root in Palermo. Today it is home to the offices of the Rector of Palermo University and, of equal importance, to Renato Guttuso's world-famous painting of the Vucciria market.

The easiest way to reach Palermo is by flight. The international airport Falcone-Borsellino (Palermo, Punta Raisi) is 30 Km away from the town and it is connected to Palermo by the motorway A29 (Palermo-Trapani), by a railway and an efficient bus network. The airport is well connected to Rome (on average, there is a flight per-hour that lasts about 50 minutes). There are also direct flights (at least with weekly frequency) to other important capitals and European cities, which may vary during the seasons.

In September, direct flights are available to/from: Hamburg, Barcelona, Bordeaux, Brussels, Cologne, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hannover, Lyon, London, Luxemburg, Madrid, Moscow, Nantes, New York Munich, Oslo, Paris, Stockholm, Tunis, Zurich.

The airlines companies that land/depart from the Palermo Airport are: Alitalia , Thomas Cook, Jetaifly, Brussels Airlines Liège, Windjet, Ryanair, Meridiana, Easyjet, Airberlin, Air Italy, Vueling, Norwegian, Helvetic, Airberlin.

The airport website indicates flight schedules and connections.

For the schedule of the airport-city railway connections, please refer here .
The railway ticket is € 5.8.

Further information about the connections from the airport to the Palermo main station can be found by calling the call center: 892-021, the airport ticket office +39 091 7044007, or by visiting the railway company website .

For the airport-city bus connections, please refer here . The bus company can also be contacted by phone +39 091 586351 091 580457 or by fax +39 091 581241. The bus itinerary follows the following stops: Airport, via Belgio, Piazza A. De Gasperi, via Croce Rossa, via Libertà (3 stops), Politeama, via Emerico Amari, Palermo Central Station. Buses run every 30 minutes, from 5a.m to midnight. The ticket is € 6,10 and can be bought on the bus.

The airport's taxi service is in operation from 06.00 to 24.00 and the taxi rank is to be found outside the Arrivals Area. Fares from the airport to the city are about € 40/€ 45.
Useful numbers can be:

1. Coop. Trinacria: +39 091-225455
2. Coop. Autoradio taxi: +39 091-513311

Another possibility is to flight to the international airport Vincenzo Florio (Trapani, Birgi) Airport , connected to many European cities by low-cost Ryan-air flights. The airport is 115 km far from Palermo downtown. Bus connections are available. Since current time schedules are valid until the end of June, we recommend to check the time tables on the airport website or on the sites of the two available bus companies www.autoservizisalemi.it, https://www.terravision.eu .

By train

Palermo Central Station is connected with the principal Italian towns. However, due to its peripheral geographical location, the train travel takes several hours (about 10 hours from Rome, and 17-20 hours from Milan) and is not recommended.

For people not bored to the extreme slowness of the Italian railway connections, getting to Sicily by train (and by ferry from Reggio Calabria to Messina) can be an interesting experience. For timetable information, destinations and prices consult here.

By bus

Reaching Palermo by bus is easy from Rome or from Catania (where another international airport is available). There are also some buses from and to Germany, France, and Switzerland, but they suffer of the same slowness problem mentioned for the train trips. Information can be found at the following links:

1. Sais Trasporti - Daily connections from various towns in Sicily to Rome. tel. 095/536 201 - (Website only in Italian)
2. Autolinee Segesta - National connections from Sicily to Puglia, Rome, Milan, Bologne, Urbino and Mestre and international connections to Belgium, France, Switzerland and Germany. tel. 091304106. (Website only in Italian)

By boat

From the Palermo port, it is possible for you to reach the most important Italian ports (Napoli, Salerno, Genova, Livorno, Cagliari, Catania), the little isles that surround Sicily (Eolie, Egadi, Pantelleria, Ustica, Linosa and Lampedusa) and the ports in Malta and Tunisia. If you like the sea, have time at hand or are travelling by car or campervan the following companies offer connections to Sicily:

1. Tirrenia: from Cagliari to Palermo and Trapani, and from Napoli to Palermo
2. Siremar: from Napoli to Milazzo and the Eolie Islands (Messina). (website only in Italian)
3. Grandi Navi Veloci:from Genova and Civitavecchia to Palermo
4. Ustica Lines: from Napoli to Milazzo and all of the minor Islands
5. Snav: from Civitavecchia and Napoli to Palermo. (website only in Italian).
6. Grimaldi: From Salerno to Palermo.

Just Sicily offers daily excursions, from hiking, to relaxing beach excursions, and from visiting archaeological sites to day cruises, thus, allowing you to explore a beautiful part of Sicily.

1. MORNING PALERMO WALKING TOUR - Sovereigns and People
2. CEFALÙ & SANTO STEFANO DI CAMASTRA POTTERY
3. VINEYARD & ARCHAEOLOGY TOUR - Archaeo & Wine
4. VALLEY OF TEMPLES TOUR
5. Valley of the Temples in Agrigento,Villa Romana del casale in Piazza Armerina & Morgantina
6. Archeo, Marsala Wine and FAVIGNANA ISLAND

If you plan a lengthy stay in Sicily, it would be a mistake to limit yourself to Palermo downtown attractions. We suggest to visit Erice and the Trapani area. The seaside around San Vito lo Capo, and Scopello. The seaside near Cefalù. The Ragusa and Siracusa area. The Catania area with Taormina.

Moreover, 1 hour from Palermo, the ancient Greek archeological sites of Agrigento (Valle dei Templi), Selinunte and Segesta surely deserve a visit.

For more information:

1. Sicily for tourists (official website of the Sicily Region)
2. Palermotourism (official website of Palermo province)
3. Municipality of Palermo (official website)

Located in the northwest of the island of Sicily, in the Tyrrhenian Sea, Palermo is a buzzing Mediterranean centre, whose 1 million inhabitants are a fascinating cocktail of apparently conflicting characteristics. With its 2,700-years of history, Palermo has seen many different dominations, including the Phoenicians, the Carthaginians, the Greeks, the Romans, the Saracen Arabs, the Normans, the Swabians, the French and the Spanish Bourbons just to name the most influential. These dominations created an intriguing fusion of people, architectural styles, languages and even ingredients used in the local dishes. The city is full of contradictions: elegant liberty villas and essential Arabic fortress, wonderful palaces and damaged buildings in the old center, baroque churches full of decorations and Norman churches with red domes, modern shopping areas and local markets (whose Arabic origins are still evident today thanks to their noise, smells, colors, narrow labyrinthine streets and the general 'souk' atmosphere).

Visiting Palermo is a continuous trip among centuries and cultures that will make your experience memorable!

Two walking itineraries