First Sentence

"The traditional image of Palermo (elev. 14 m., pop. 698,556; maps on pages 26-27 and 30-31), set amidst the greenery of vast citrus groves at the foot of the distinctive promontory of Monte Pellegrino, celebrated by view painters and etchers of the 18th and 19th c., has collided with the conditions of the 20th c., and with the changes brought about by the considerable growth of the city, which has historically played the role of "capital," and even more serious, the speculative growth that ever since the end of WWII has played a fundamental role in the development of the modern city and the equilibrium of the entire territorial system."