Mondello

Mondello (Sicilian: Munneḍḍu) is a seaside district of the city of Palermo in the autonomous region of Sicily, in Southern Italy.

It lies on a sandy bay delimited by two hills called Mount Gallo and Mount Pellegrino, in the northernmost area of the city. In the administrative subdivision, it falls within the 7th municipal division (or circoscrizione) of Palermo and it is annexed to the surrounding neighborhoods of Addaura and Partanna, with which it forms the 22nd major neighborhood (or quartiere) of the city, Partanna-Mondello.

Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Upper Paleolithic. During the ancient history, Mondello Bay became a passage point for sailors from different cultures, such as the Western Phoenicians, the ancient Greeks and the Romans. Around the 5th century BC, when the bay was part of the Phoenician trade network, a small port was founded.

During the Roman Republic, intense deforestation activities on Mount Pellegrino altered the normal flow of water in the south-eastern section of the bay. This caused the birth of a swamp in the area at the base of the mountain, known as Valdesi, which characterized the landscape until the 19th century.

In medieval times a small village arose on the northern edge of the bay. The community prospered economically due to the abundant profits from fishing and agriculture. In the 15th century a tuna fishery was built, which quickly became the most successful business in the village. In that period the military defense of the place became necessary due to the frequent attacks by Barbary corsairs.

In the late 18th century, part of the area was annexed to La Favorita Royal Estate, the private estate of King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies. Today, the site - which is the largest urban park in Palermo - divides the district of Mondello from the city centre, and the roads built inside it represent the main connection between the two areas.

In the early 20th century, Mondello became a luxury seaside resort for the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie. In 1911, the Municipality of Palermo reached an agreement with an Italian-Belgian company for the construction of a new district in the area aimed to the wealthier social classes. The new neighborhood was planned according to the canons of the garden city movement and its construction involved the leading architects of the Palermo modernist school, such as Ernesto Basile and his students. A number of Liberty style villas on the seafront promenade have made it one of the gems of Art Nouveau in Europe.

Later, Mondello Beach grew into a tourist destination and it is currently considered the main seaside resort of Palermo, although the district remains essentially a residential area.