Moorish Marvels: The Vintage Palermo Travel Poster

Commissioned in the 1930s by ENIT—the Ente Nazionale Italiano per il Turismo—this poster frames Palermo’s Arab-Norman splendor in bold Art Deco simplicity. Rather than selling a product, it offers an invitation into Sicily’s layered history and the dawn of modern travel.

Italy’s Golden Age of Posters

Between the World Wars, Italy leveraged graphic art to rebuild its image. ENIT, founded in 1919, enlisted studios like Stab. Amarzi in Rome to produce large-format posters that would appear in train stations and consulates across Europe. Each design fused regional character with a modernist sensibility, signaling that Italy’s heritage was not static but very much alive.

Printing Techniques & Style

This poster was almost certainly produced via chromolithography, a popular technique of the era. Separate limestone or metal plates carried each hue—deep blues for the silhouetted island frame, warm ochres for sunlit stone, and fresh greens for agave and bougainvillea. Printers layered these inks in precise register, achieving both the saturated color fields and the subtle gradations that lend the scene its luminous quality. Occasional metallic-accent varnishes would have heightened the glow of the domes at dusk.

Artistic & Cultural Relevance

More than an advert, this poster served as cultural diplomacy. By spotlighting Palermo’s red-domed chapels and lush cloisters, it celebrated the city’s unique blend of Arab, Byzantine, and Norman influences. For interwar audiences, it framed travel as an act of discovery—an opportunity to step through an ancient archway into a living tapestry of monuments and myths.

Influence on Visual Culture

These ENIT commissions shaped generations of graphic designers. The economy of form—silhouetted landmass, simplified flora, evocative color palette—became a touchstone for mid-century poster art worldwide. Today, museums and private collectors study them as milestones in the evolution of mass communication and place-branding.

Preservation & Display

To honor the original chromolithographic brilliance, conservators recommend UV-filter glazing and acid-free mats. A simple black or deep bronze frame keeps focus on the vibrant scene while echoing the poster’s dark border. Hung at eye level in a study or gallery, it still transports viewers through that inky portal to Palermo’s Moorish courts and sunlit gardens—just as it did eighty years ago.