La Kalsa — from al-Khalisa, the "pure" — was the walled administrative quarter laid out by the Fatimid emirs in the 10th century, and its broad outline still defines this corner of the old town. Inside it sit the Palazzo Chiaramonte, the church of Santa Maria dello Spasimo, the Galleria Regionale di Sicilia in Palazzo Abatellis, the puppet museum, and a string of small Baroque and Norman churches.
The Kalsa was heavily bombed in 1943 and parts are still semi-ruined. The restored sections — particularly around Piazza Marina and the Foro Italico — are pleasant places to walk in the early evening. Stay alert in the unrestored back lanes after dark.