AVIS Car Rental at Palermo Airport

Avis Autonoleggio is located just outside the terminal at Palermo Airport, and the service desk is open from 7.30 am to midnight every day. The Avis Autonoleggio office can be contacted at tel +39 091 591684 and reservations can be made using the form above.

Avis is just one of the many companies providing car rental at Palermo Airport.

Palermo offers tourists an amazing number of cultural attractions. In the ancient heart of the city lie many treasures, such as the 12th century Cathedral of Palermo with its royal tombs, or the beautifully domed Teatro Massimo where music lovers can enjoy opera performances – or the many lively street markets the city has to offer, such as the weekly market of Vucciria near the port of Palermo, or the more centrally located Via Ballarò market.

But if you have rented a car from Avis at Palermo Airport, there are so many choices within a couples of hours' drive, it's hard to resist the urge to just take off into the blue. One of the more interesting towns to visit is Santa Margherita Belice, about an hour and 15 minutes down the SS6264 route.

Located in the province of Agrigento, Santa Margherita di Belice was founded in 1572 by Baron Corbera, and a succession of noble families built mansions and palazzos in the town in subsequent centuries. One of these palaces was built by the Filangeri family and it later inspired author Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa (1896 – 1957) to write his novel "The Leopard", which was eventually turned into a movie by Visconti, starring Hollywood's legendary actor Burt Lancaster.

Today there is a Museum of the Leopard in the Palazzo Filangeri-Cutò, where the author's typewriter is on display, together with various objects from his life. Reading the pages of the one of Italy's most beloved novels while in Santa Margherita di Belice is like using a tour guide into the fictional world of The Leopard - many places mentioned in the novel are real and still preserved today.

A powerful earthquake struck the town in 1968 and destroyed many fine buildings, among them the Church of Santa Margherita di Belice. Partly restored to its former glory, the church is today home to the Museum of Memory, housing a collection of mementos and survivor statements and items salvaged from the destroyed buildings. The Museum of Memory is adjacent to the Palazzo Filangeri di Cutò.

Santa Margherita Belice is located ca 77 km from Palermo. Taking the E90 motorway takes slightly longer, about 1 hour and 33 minutes.