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Congress Venue

Re-opened to the public in 1997, Palermo’s Teatro Massimo Opera House is a splendid and well suited venue for international conferences. The Theater will host both FIGIPAS 2009 plenary and parallel sessions. Europe’s third largest Opera House, the Teatro Massimo opened its doors to the public on the evening of 16 May 1897.

Flights

Several airlines operate regular flights to Palermo's "Falcone e Borsellino" airport, whereas a train shuttle commutes between the airport and Palermo leaving every 50 minutes. Many of such international and national flights are operated by low cost companies, including Ryanair, Wind Jet, Blu Express, Hapag LLoyd, MyAir, Transavia.

  • Alitalia: from Roma, Napoli, Bologna, Milano Linate, Milano Malpensa, Torino
  • Windjet: from Roma, Milano, Bologna, Napoli
  • Tunisair: from Tunis
  • EasyJet: from Milano
  • Palermo's airportMeridiana: from Milano Linate, Firenze, Pisa, Roma, Bologna, Verona, Torino and Parigi
  • Air Malta: from Malta
  • Air One: from Roma, Milano
  • Ryanair: from London
  • Eurofly: from New York
  • TUIFly: from Stuttgart, Hannover, Colonia, Berlin
  • MyAir: from Roma and Milano

Accomodation

Hotel accommodation can be reserved at preferential rates in Palermo hotels through the intermediary of the Organizing Secretariat, by  e-mailing to the Organizing Secretariat. Rooms have been booked in several hotels. Early reservation is highly recommended to take advantage of the special rates negotiated for the Congress.

Transportation to and from the Congress venue as well as for social events will be provided only from/to the hotels reserved by the Congress.

Palermo and Sicily

Mercato della Vucciria, Palermo. The essential charms of this mysterious and intoxicating city -- has written Ariel Forman in The New York Times-- thankfully remain intactPalermo is a 3,000 years old city with 600,000 inhabitants. Entirely built in front of the sea, it has gone through Phoenician, Roman, Arab, Norman, German, Spanish, French and Italian domination which resulted in a unique mix of cultures well reflected by the magnificent cultural heritage of the city.

"The essential charms of this mysterious and intoxicating city -- has written Ariel Forman in The New York Times -- thankfully remain intact".

Perhaps not surprisingly given its history, Palermo has a rich and old scientific tradition. In chemistry, in particular, Palermo is the city of Stanislao Cannizzaro and of Giuseppe Oddo. The University’s organic chemistry Department currently hosts one of Italy’s most cited research chemists (G. Savona) while the CNR has achieved relevant results in a number of different fields of contemporary chemical research.

Testifying to this are the different urban strata that have changed the face of the city over the centuries. The city's name derives from the Greek and means "all port", to indicate the width of the approach and the importance of this trading post. In fact, Palermo was founded by the Phoenicians, probably in the eighth century BC. Fortified and surrounded by defensive walls, in the fifth century BC it became the most important Carthaginian stronghold on the island.

After the Roman conquest, the barbarian invasions and Byzantine domination, then under the Arabs, who arrived in 831, Palermo became the capital of the autonomous emirate of Sicily and one of the busiest emporia of the Mediterranean. In the successive Norman period, the work of Byzantine, Arab and Latin craftsmen again transformed the architectural and urban fabric of the centre and the whole province, as the beautiful Palatine chapel and the Monreale cathedral testify. Finally, between the sixteenth and seventeenth century a new period of reconstruction occurred, that enriched the churches, palaces and monuments. The current face of this modern metropolis of the South is that of a mighty and mysterious city, enclosed in the labyrinth of Arabian lanes, in the magnificence of palaces and sanctuaries, in art treasures, in the charm of natural scenery, and in the unchanging values of ancient craft and food tradition.

Located at the center of Mediterranean sea, the island of Sicily is Italy’s largest region. It has 5 million inhabitants and hosts an enormously varied and important cultural heritage. Since 1947, it has an autonomous democratic government with a huge budget (25bn euro).

Some 15 nice small islands complement the travel experience in Sicily. The Aeolian volcanic islands (directly connected to Palermo); the Egadi islands, Ustica and Pantelleria, (connected to Trapani and Palermo); and the Pelagian isles (connected to Agrigento). All deserve a visit to their blue seas and prehistoric remnants.

Social Program

Half day tour (Wednesday, July 1). The tour starts from the Cathedral of Monreale, which was built in 1174 by the Norman king William II, and is the symbol of a sophisticated mixture of Arab, Byzantine and Romanesque architectural styles. The visit continues to the Arab-styled cloister located next to the Cathedral where lights and shades depict the elegant marble columns decorated with golden tesserae. After Monreale, the tour continues to the Norman Palace. The palace was commissioned by Roger II of Sicily, who transformed the remains of a Roman fortress into a sumptuous building. The mosaic decors of the Throne Room were made by Byzantine artists, who used the same type of decorations and narrative style also in the Palatine Chapel, where biblical scenes, geometrical patterns and exquisite court scenes in Persian style alternate on the precious wooden ceiling.

 

Social Dinner (Friday, July 3). A dinner is offered to all the participants and accompanying persons.
 

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