Palermo is a cultural center of some note, with an opera and ballet season running from January to June. The principal venue for cultural presentations is the restored Teatro Massimo, Via Maqueda (tel. 091-6053515), across from the Museo Archeologico. It boasts the largest indoor stage in Europe except for the Paris Opera House. Francis Ford Coppola shot the climactic opera scene here for The Godfather: Part III.

The theater was built between 1875 and 1897 in a neoclassical style, and reopened after a restoration in 1997 to celebrate its 100th birthday. During the Festival di Verdura, from late June to mid-August, many special presentations, most often with international performers, are presented on the stage here. Ticket prices, of course, depend on the event and your seat, but they range in price from 11€ to 73€. The box office is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm. Bus: 101, 102, 103, 104, 107, 122, or 225.

If you have only one night for theater in Palermo, make it the Teatro Massimo. However, Politeama Garibaldi, Piazza Ruggero Settimo (tel. 091-6053315), is also grandiose, and it, too, presents a wider season of opera and orchestral performances. Again, the tourist office will have full details of what is being performed at the time of your visit. Bus: 101, 102, 103, 124.