Restaurants and wine bars in the colorful Kalsa district of Palermo.

Restaurants and wine bars in Palermo's Kalsa district. Area map and brief history follow below.
X.Cana Wine Bar, Via Alloro 105. Intimate setting in medieval building.Open at 8 PM.
X.Spasimando Wine Bar, Via dello Spasimo 48. Across from Spasimo Church. Open at 8 PM:
X.Kursaal Kalhesa, Foro Umberto Primo 121, Foro Italico next to Porta dei Greci behind Piazza Kalsa. Wine bar and restaurant in old structure. Open 7:30 PM.
X.Mi Manda Picone, Via Paternostro 69 at Piazza San Francesco. Wine bar with nice atmosphere. Opens 8 PM.
X.Mi Kalsa, Via Torremuzza 27 off Piazza Kalsa. Beers from around the world. Opens at 9 PM.
X.Gattopardo Café, Vicolo Neve Alloro, between Piazza Marina & Via Alloro. Theme is based on novella The Leopard by Giuseppe di Lampedusa.
X.Focacceria San Francesco, Piazza San Francesco. Folksy Sicilian specialties. Open lunch & dinner.
X.Trabucco, Via Bottai 28 off Piazza Marina. Traditional dishes.
X.Le Pergamene, Piazza Marina 48. Pizza. Open evenings.
X.Beati Paoli, Piazza Marina 50. Pizza. Open evenings.
X.La Fenice, Piazza Marina 52. Grilled specialties.
Map showing Kalsa district.
The Place: Established in the 9th century as Al Khalesa ('the elect'), the Kalsa was the administrative center of Balharm, as Arab Palermo was The Spasimo church in Palermo.
known. Little remains of the original buildings, which included a castle and large mosque, though the Kalsa's ambience still seems distinctly Arab, with narrow winding streets typical of old cities in Tunisia, Egypt and Iraq. Early in 1072 the Normans arrived, and made al Kasr ('the castle'), further inland, their capital district. Today it is called the Cassaro. This too was important in Saracen times, and the present Norman Palace was built on the site of an Arab fortress. Phoenician, Carthaginian and Roman ruins exist in the Cassaro district. In ancient times, when Hannibal and Hamilcar came, much of the Kalsa was under water. Piazza Kalsa is the focus of this quarter, but medieval Khalesa included what is now Piazza Magione, Piazza Marina and the area around Piazza San Francesco. In late Summer the annual KalsArt festival features art exhibits, late museum hours and evening events in this fascinating historical district.