Is Palermo Really as Trashy as The Internet Says? Our Honest Experience in Sicily's Capital

Why this topic matters to us

As you already know, Palermo has become one of our favourite cities... Ever. So it honestly hits us almost personally when we see comments online calling it trashy, dirty or even comparing it to ghettos. Some people write things that make you wonder if they even visited the same city.

So let’s ask the question directly.
Is Palermo actually as trashy as the internet says?

What we expected

If you have read our previous post about Palermo or watched our video, you know how much we love it. This love came directly after we visited Palermo for the first time. But before our first visit we had the exact same expectations the internet gave us. Trash everywhere, chaos at every corner, markets eating you alive, and maybe one or two stolen scooters flying past.

I will be honest. We did expect to find Palermo exactly as described. And this time we were pleasantly surprised. What a wonderful change. Although, at this point, I should admit that Sicily has been pleasantly surprising us constantly and I am very grateful for it.

Starting the trash hunt

Since the internet insists on painting Palermo as chaotic and dirty, we decided to test the claim properly. If the city is really that messy, we should be able to find proof without much effort, right? So off we went on what we now lovingly call our “trash hunt,” trying to understand whether Palermo truly deserves its reputation or if the internet is simply being its dramatic self again.

So is Palermo actually messy? The answer depends entirely on what you choose to see. This time, we walked through Palermo with one specific goal in mind.

Search. For. Trash.

And here is our honest experience. If you look for trash in Palermo, you will find trash in Palermo. It is not that hard. Some streets are messy. Some buildings are run down. Some people do not care about their surroundings at all. And yes, you can even find burned scooters or burned cars. Thank you, kind Reddit stranger, for pointing that out.

The Palermo you experience depends on you

Here is what really made us think. By the time we filmed this trash hunt, we had already visited Palermo many times. We walked through its small streets, visited concerts, went to local shops, spent evenings out. And this was the first time we noticed the mess in any significant way.

Once you start hunting for trash, your brain highlights every single piece of it. And you realise, yes, there is a lot of it. But the moment you stop focusing on it, the whole city changes back into something completely different.

Are we trash blind?

So were we trash blind all this time and is Palermo ruined for us forever?

Not at all. Because I believe you can find Palermo trashy or you can find it extremely beautiful and both of those experiences are true. It depends on what you want to see.

You can find the trash everywhere... And prove your point. You can also see all the beauty... And prove another point.

Or you can see the city for what it truly is. A place built on contrast. Beauty mixed with noise. Mess mixed with history. UNESCO level monuments standing next to everyday life. Nature blending with people and their stories. And above all, a city that is alive.

Palermo has a heartbeat you feel almost instantly if you are open to it. It is loud, warm, chaotic and beautiful all at once. And that is exactly why we have come to love it so much. Not for its perfection. For the balance between the good and the messy, all living together in perfect unison.

You can turn one way and see a broken building. You can turn the other way and see the Palermo Cathedral, which is a masterpiece. You can stare at a pile of trash or you can lift your eyes and see historical balconies full of plants and life. You can notice a burned scooter or you can walk two steps further and buy a perfect cannoli from a local bakery.

For us, Palermo’s story is the people. The artists. The food. The sound. The small chaos that somehow gives it soul instead of taking it away. Palermo feels like a place where life is happening at full speed and you just jump in and become a small part of it.

The city has changed

We also want to acknowledge something important. The Palermo we love today is not the same Palermo people talk about from ten or even five years ago. Locals have repeatedly told us the city was much rougher a fairly short while ago. And honestly, that version of Palermo might have scared us too.

But what we see now is a city that has changed. Its inhabitants have worked very hard to change it for the better. And it shows.

So should you visit?

Here is our honest advice. Only you can know your comfort level. If you prefer more polished, picture perfect towns, Palermo may still be overwhelming. And that is completely fine. Sicily is full of stunning places that feel cleaner and more gentle, like Cefalù, Erice, Castellammare del Golfo, Terrasini and many more.

But if you enjoy a bit of chaos and contrast, if you like cities with depth and soul, if you love places that feel alive rather than perfect, then Palermo is absolutely for you. And I hope you fall in love with it as much as we did.

If you expect piles of trash everywhere, that is simply not true anymore. Yes, if you search specifically for trashy streets as we did for our video, you will absolutely find them. But why would you want to search for trash on your vacation or day out? Unless you're into it, of course. No judgement here. We have done it too, as you see. :D

But if you arrive with an open mind and an open heart, Palermo will reward you with its magic.

Want to see it for yourself?

If you want to see our trash hunt in Palermo, you can find the video here: https://youtu.be/_TGzPVbvneM?si=fxtTkBD80-05gYZD

If you want to see the beautiful Palermo we fell in love with, check out our previous Palermo video: https://youtu.be/KG3vNEy5J_U?si=phXGchN6V3ThDDkw

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Thank you for reading. See you in the next one. Ciao!