Catacombe dei Cappuccini

The morbid Catacombe dei Cappuccini is home to the mummified bodies and skeletons of some 8000 Palermitans who died between the 17th and 19th centuries. Earthly power, sex, religion and professional status are still rigidly distinguished; men and women occupy separate corridors and within the women’s area there’s a 1st-class section for virgins. Dressed in their Sunday best, the corpses’ clothes have survived better than some of the bodies themselves. This is possibly not a place to take the kiddies. From Piazza Independenza, it’s a 15-minute walk; alternatively, catch any bus running along Via Cappuccini to the corner of Via Pindemonte, then walk one block to Piazza Cappuccini.