Palermo redraws its relationship with the sea

The city of Palermo is increasingly closer to improve its relationship with the sea. Palermo was founded by the Phoenicians who settled there for the excellent natural harbor, the Cala dates back to the seventh century BC.

The Authority for the Harbour of the Western Sea of Sicily has launched an “International Competition of ideas for the design of new passenger and ro-ro terminals and related areas of the city-port interface, as part of the provisions of the Port of Palermo “.

The call was submitted on 15 January 2018 to the Official Journal of the European Union and on 20 April 2018 the deadline for receipt of the works will expire. The winner of the competition will receive a prize of € 77 thousand, the second result will be awarded a reimbursement of expenses of € 21 thousand.

The Authority reserves the right to entrust the winner with the subsequent design phases, for a total amount of over 3 million and 270 thousand euros, the total cost of the works amounts to approximately 70 million as well.

The competition announcement was supported by a study on the urban-port waterfront regeneration curated by Maurizio Carta of the University of Palermo, who said that “the new terminals will be the continuation of the urban axes connecting the mountains to the sea, like long fingers reaching the water, becoming the new components of the Palermo landscape of the future “.

The construction of two new terminals in parallel with the lay-by of the piers is planned. Together with the current maritime station and a system of pedestrian links at high altitude, they are considered as a single mixed system capable of responding to the most up-to-date, and growing, functional port requirements both to welcome new mixed functions aimed at citizens and tourists, generating new urban space.

The area covers about 140 thousand square meters, from the Molo Sammuzzo to the Santa Lucia pass.

The Molo Sammuzzo is destined to host the new cruise terminal, with the aim of becoming a cruise home port capable of accommodating large ships, supporting the tourist vocation of the port of Palermo and this will be a multi-purpose, flexible, integrated into the landscape and connected via a pedestrian passage to the area accessible from via Patti, thus facilitating the cruise passengers’ exit towards the historic center.

The new cruise terminal is set up as a new urban landmark, capable of generating a new urban landscape, both artificial and vegetal, and also acting as a public space for a city that returns to look at the sea.

The Molo Piave will host the new ro-ro terminal, ie the large ferries, and passengers and an interface area on Via Crispi as a filter of the pedestrian and vehicular traffic flow system to and from the port and, in part, connecting port and city, also due to the important presence of the future subway station. The project foresees an articulated conformation of the different levels, a wealth of visual perspectives, a panoramic promenade and viewing areas from which to observe port activities.

Comment the president of the Port Authority of Palermo, Pasqualino Monti: “The publication of the announcement is the first step of the operation” Palermo returns to watch its sea “.