Corso Vittorio Emanuele is the long avenue that divides Palermo in two and ends at a large stone gate, Porta Felice. Crossing it you will find the Foro Italico with its sea views.
But if instead of crossing it you look at the stairs right next to Porta Felice you can climb them, go through an iron gate and walk along what were originally the city walls.
You will be walking on the Mure delle Cattive. If you know any Italian, you'll know that “cattive” is the feminine plural of "cattiva" which means bad. So yes, you are on the "wall of bad women".
Don't think this is a typo, the sign hanging over the gate you've walked through says it quite clearly. So, if it's not a mistake, you're probably now wondering who these women are and what might have done to have earned that label.
Thieves, murderers, swindlers?
None of the above.
These women were just prisoners. Not of their family, not of a king, not of a jailer. They were prisoners of their pain, that is, they were widows.
Everything is due to a misunderstanding between the word captiva (captive, prisoner) and the word cattiva (bad).
In 1823 this promenade with a paved terrace was built on the walls to be able to take a walk overlooking the sea to enjoy a cooler breeze. This would have allowed those widows, who according to tradition should be dressed in black and mourning their loss to infinity, to walk more discreetly.
Another version of the story tells that what they really did was to let themselves be seen to show that they were available…
Today, after some years closed, you will not see widows walking around, but at least you can sit in the only bar to have a snack in the shade of the trees.