Great Sicily

27/10/2022

Did you know that you can reach Palermo from the "Falcone e Borsellino" Airport comfortably by train!

Discover all the convenience of the train to reach Palermo Airport or to get to the city after your trip.
With 2 trains per hour in each direction, you can easily visit the Sicilian capital and the beauties of the island or set off on a journey to new destinations.
If you choose the service that makes fewer stops, reach the city center from Punta Raisi in just over half an hour *.
Remember:

the first train in the morning leaves from Palermo Centrale at 04.00 and from Punta Raisi at 05.15;
the last train of the evening leaves from Palermo Centrale at 22.11 and from Punta Raisi at 12.25.
Traveling by train is convenient; from Palermo to the airport tickets for only € 5.90.
For families and small groups of two to six people (with at least one paying adult) there is a 50% discount on the cost of the ticket for children between twelve and eighteen years old.

* the indicated travel time refers to the Punta Raisi - Palermo Notarbartolo section from Monday to Sunday.
For more information and updates, consult the official website of the State Railways
at 892-021, ticket office: 199 166 177, airport ticket office: +39 091 7044007 or at the website "http://www.trenitalia.it/"

But there are alternatives:

Buses and coaches ensure connections between Palermo airport, (for updates and changes see the official website of the airport management company http://www.gesap.it

> from / to the airport
Coach Prestia e Comande "http://www.prestiaecomande.it/"

> from / to Trapani airport:
Segesta bus "http://www.interbus.it/"

> from / to Agrigento airport.
SAL coach
"http://www.autolineesal.it/"

> from / to airport- Sciacca Ribera:
Gallo coach
"http://www.autolineegallo.it/">

Public transport in Palermo:

> The fifth Italian city by demographic order is organized with a good level of public transport, represented by the subway and a dense bus network. The Palermo metro is managed by two companies (AMAT and Trenitalia) and consists of two lines, Line A (Central Station - Punta Raisi Airport) with 14 stations, and Line B (Notarbartolo Piazza Giachery Station) with 4 stations. expansion is planned with the construction of other various lines, including the light metro. Work is also planned for the construction of three tram lines managed by the AMAT company.
The bus system is managed by the same company MAT and is operational during the day and at night (via two lines, 1 and 2) .The urban railway system has the following main stations: Centrale, Notarbartolo, Lolli, Sant 'Erasmus, Orleans.

05/10/2022

Etna from Mount Cammarata😍

03/09/2022

Walking through the historic center of Palermo, but also in the other Sicilian historic centers, it is not uncommon to come across some curious metal tools planted on the ground, usually near the entrances of the oldest buildings. What are these little sheets attached to sidewalks or to the walls of buildings?

That's what the so-called shoe cleaners were for.

As the name implies, these curious objects, also known as "boot scratchers", can be considered as the ancestors of doormats. They were therefore used to clean their shoes before entering a building.
To understand their actual usefulness, one must think that at the time of their diffusion (from the end of the 18th century to the beginning of the 20th century) many of the city streets did not have asphalt or paving, so the earth that covered them tended to stick to shoes, especially during rainy days.

Moreover, the mud was not the worst thing that could be trampled, since the roads busiest by carriages were often covered with the dung of the horses that crowded them.

It was therefore necessary to pass the soles on the shoe cleaner, to remove most of the mud (and the rest) before entering a palace, especially if to go in the presence of a noble.

However, these tools, usually made of cast iron or iron, were not only in use in noble palaces. Even the poorest houses had one at the entrance, especially among peasant families for whom it was very convenient to be able to scrape off the mud from their boots after a day in the countryside, indeed in some countries some still use them today.

Obviously the wealthiest houses could afford more elaborate shoe cleaners, in some cases real artistic masterpieces. But even the poorest and "classic" ones performed their function very well, which was usually completed by the use of a scraper and a brush.

Unfortunately, with the modernization of cities, many of these little pieces of history are disappearing forever. Fortunately, some intelligent restorations decide to keep the shoe cleaners as a testimony of past life. Just be careful not to trip over it.

29/08/2022

The Best car ever🤩

25/08/2022

Levanzo, the smallest of the Egadi Islands, as well as the other two of the Eguseo archipelago, Favignana and Marettimo, involves and fascinates.

Levanzo, la più piccola delle Isole Egadi, così come le altre due dell’arcipelago Eguseo, Favignana e Marettimo, coinvolge e affascina.

24/08/2022

Saline di trapani e museo del sale

24/08/2022

Something GREAT is happening in Sicily😉

Start 01.01.2023

24/08/2022

Quanto é bello a 🤩

23/08/2022

23/08/2022

22/08/2022

The scents and flavors of Sicily, a magical and magnetic land, sunny and beautiful from North to South and from West to East This recipe comes from the East: Pasta alla Norma. It is one of the symbols of the island's cuisine, this specialty was made as a culinary tribute to the most beautiful work of the famous composer Vincenzo Bellini: the Norma. A first course of tasty pasta seasoned with fresh tomato sauce and fried aubergines, sliced ​​according to tradition. But it wouldn't be Pasta alla Norma without the addition of garlic cloves, fresh basil leaves and, of course, a generous grater of strictly Sicilian ricotta salata, added straight to the dishes.

Also discover other variations of Pasta alla Norma, like the light, the white and the cold pasta version, perfect for the summer!
And if you are an aubergine lover, try also the caponata, a typical Sicilian side dish!

21/07/2022

25/06/2022

Where do you think this place is?😉🤗🤭

20/06/2022

Have you seen anything like this before? a cart more than 22 meters high and shaped like a boat that goes up and down the city's main street? This is the float of Gesù Nazareno, celebrated this year on June 25th and 26th. If you are staying between Palermo, Agrigento, Enna and Caltanissetta, we recommend you to attend this festival. It is considered one of the most beautiful festivals in Sicily.😍

Info on:
https://en.unamontagnadieccellenze.com/festa-gesu-nazareno-san-giovanni-gemini

16/06/2022

What could be better than having breakfast in the morning with a brioche and a coffee granita and then going directly to the port and buying fresh fish directly from the boat, today shrimp, octopus and other fish for a few euros🥰

30/05/2022

Did you know that "Simbolo di Lipari" is a baroque decor that was used particularly in the 17th century as a decorative element to the wrought-iron balconies.

It consists of two Norman swords the cut four wind directions in order to keep weather, as well as from the central umbo, which as a more powerful talisman against how any

Disaster was estimated. He should keep the evil spirits from the houses. Even today, the Simbolo di Lipari has retained its protective and disaster-resistant function in popular belief.

Why Simbolo di Lipari?

Because it reflects the island in it and is embodied since time immemorial it. Although it is a decorative element of the Sicilian Baroque, as found on all of Sicily again, but only to Lipari it is to be mounted in front of the bars of the balconies.

05/05/2022

It is always a joy to see this show again in

18/04/2022

The "magic" dish that saved the life of a king: the "masculini" of Catania, between flavor and legend. The best place to find them is the well-known "Piscaria" of Catania.

As many will already know, fish is one of the most loved and consumed foods by the people of Catania. For some time now, it has almost become a distinctive feature of the local culinary tradition; Proof of this is the large quantity of recipes that have radically developed and consolidated in the Etna area.

Just to give a good example of what has just been said, one of the most popular and appreciated delights are the so-called “masculini”, also known as anchovies. In fact, there is no Catania that at least once in their life has not tasted its irresistible taste; the best place to find them is the well-known "Piscaria" of Catania.

Here are a myriad of shoals full of fresh fish; in every corner of the fishmonger, moreover, there are fishmongers who, in addition to dealing with the sale of the fish, delight in entertaining people with nice anecdotes related to fishing, cooking and ancient popular sayings.

Believe it or not, even the "masculini" have a really interesting history; in fact, there is an ancient legend about them that has as protagonists the famous kings Arthur and Morgana. According to ancient testimonies, Arthur stayed for a while time in the woods of Etna; apparently, it seems that he lived with his half-sister Morgana in an enchanted cave.

In this regard, it is said that the latter wandered through the woods in the hope of finding healing herbs capable of saving her sick brother. In fact, he was seriously injured following the battle fought against Mordred. Therefore, Morgana, worried about her health, never stopped looking for some natural remedy that could restore his strength.

So it was that she, by pure chance, she one day she ran into a farmer to whom she told about her dying brother and the vain attempts made to heal him. Involved by her upset, he stood there listening to her the whole time.

Seeing her afflicted, he also told her that the next day he would return to her with a "medicine" with special ingredients. So, keeping his word, the following day he appeared in front of her with a canestrello of masculine that also contained a fair amount of "Finocchiu rizzu" and a piece of stale bread.

Tradition reports some words that the peasant would have pronounced before giving it to him: “They are the fruits of our land, our sea and the hands of our women; for centuries and centuries they have been the food of our people, who are strong, healthy and are reborn every day, challenging the storms of the sea and the hardships of the earth ”.

Full of gratitude, she promised him that she would honor with her what she had been generously dispensed; then he took the basket and went to prepare the concoction for Arthur, who woke up strong as a lion the next morning.

This is why we often hear about Morgana's bucatini; but in reality there is more: in fact, it is common opinion that this "delicacy" is a specialty that women prepared by skilfully mixing land and sea foods.

Not coincidentally, the dish includes the same ingredients that are reported in the legendary episode. In any case, to make it tasty and flavorful, you need to follow very specific steps: first of all you need to chop the onion, frying it together with the anchovies in a pan with a fair amount of extra virgin olive oil inside.

Then, the saffron is added to the same pot of water in which the fennel was previously boiled and the raisins softened. Finally, continue by inserting the bucatini which, halfway through cooking, must be dropped and browned together with the sauce until they are completely cooked.
Enjoy your meal.

14/04/2022

Easter in Sicily is a truly wonderful thing.
We have found in this blog a nice collection of traditions and feaststhat deal with this event.
👇👇👇👇👇
https://www.albaincoming.net/easter-in-sicily

06/04/2022

In the hope of a greener future, in the sense of hope, in the sense of environment, in the sense of zones and freedom, the 2022 chocolate egg could only be a pistachio Easter egg!

With a silicone mold and a little delicacy, making a chocolate egg at home is simple, even more than writing the recipe! Are you ready to try the taste that drives everyone crazy?

Ingrediants
150 g white chocolate
45 g pistachio butter (or pure pistachio paste purchased)
to taste chopped pistachios
Instruments
Silicone mold for chocolate eggs
Preparation
In a small bowl in a bain-marie, melt all the white chocolate into small squares, until 2/3 of the total has liquefied. Then we remove the bowl from the heat and mix with a spatula until it is all dissolved.

Add pistachio butter or pure pistachio paste to the chocolate and mix until the chocolate has turned completely green.

Pour a third of the chocolate into the two cavities of the 10 × 7 cm Easter egg mold and let it rotate so as to cover the entire surface well.

Let it harden a bit at room temperature, then refrigerate for 10 minutes.

how to make pistachio egg
We still heat the remaining chocolate, in order to make it softer, and we proceed with another layer of pistachio chocolate on the previous one, to strengthen the shell. We rotate the mold and let it harden in the fridge for 20 minutes.

When the chocolate has completely hardened, gently remove it from the mold.

Melt the chocolate again, if it has hardened, and pour a spoonful into a small cone of parchment paper, covering the edges of one of the egg halves with a chocolate belt. We join the two halves and let it all solidify.

Fill a deep saucer with chopped pistachios, brush the egg with the remaining pistachio chocolate and roll it in the chopped pistachios. We wait for it to dry.

homemade pistachio easter egg
Our pistachio egg is ready!

02/04/2022

PLACES TO SEE IN SYRACUSE
1. Archaeological Park Neapolis of Syracuse
The Archaeological Park was built in the 1950s, impressively predating the area before the urban expansion that Syracuse had in those years. It is certainly one of the largest and safest parks in the world and mainly monuments of great depth from Greek and Roman times.. It is one of the must-see things in Syracuse.

Entry times:
Mon - Sat 8/30/17; I know 08:30-12:30

Prices:
€13.50 However, there are age-related discounts
Free admission every first Sunday of the month

Tip: Every year between May and June, theatrical performances are organized in the Greek Theater staging Greek tragedies. It is truly a sight NOT to mark YOU, YOU are sitting in the same spot where the Greeks admired their shows millennia ago. You can find more information here: https://www.indafondazione.org/

30/03/2022

Today we will give you a little advice about the bus station (via fazzolo) which is conveniently located next to Palermo Central Station. From here all the buses that connect the main Sicilian cities leave, but not only, there are also buses that go outside the region such as Calabria, Puglia and even Rome. Here are the main companies, each also has its own website from which it is convenient to book by phone, or there are also the ticket offices.
Prestia e comandé
Bus center Interbus and Segesta
Sais transporti
Autoservizi Salemi
Just google it😉

28/03/2022

17/03/2022

The foundation of the ancient Greek colony of Tauromenion, that is Taormina, probably dates back to 358 BC. The ancient past of the city still has many testimonies today. From the Odeon, a small theater with about 200 seats built in the 1st century BC, to what are improperly called Naumachie. These are the remains of a large brick building, 122 meters long and 5 meters high, which was probably used as a gymnasium, i.e. a place for gymnastic games and exercises.The most famous monument is undoubtedly the Ancient Theater. Its unique position, with a view that sweeps from the sea of ​​the bay of Schisò to Etna certainly makes it one of the most beautiful places in all of Sicily. Foreign interest in Taormina was born in the eighteenth century, when Sicily and Taormina became the new essential destinations of the Grand Tour. The first modern traveler to arrive was Goethe who exalted the beauty of Taormina in his Journey to Italy. From 1890 several English personalities arrived in the city who introduced the Anglo-Saxon passion for parks and gardens. The most famous are the neo-Gothic garden of Lady Hill in the ancient convent of Santa Caterina, that of Florence Trevelyan and that of Robert Hawthorn Kitson at Casa Cuseni. The painter Otto Geleng and the photographer Wilhelm von Gloden contributed decisively to the international success of Taormina. The first through an exhibition in Paris of his paintings depicting the scenic beauty of the city. The second is by spreading his artistic nudes all over the world using local boys garlanded as ephebes as models.

14/03/2022

When around 733 BC some Corinthian colonists founded the city of Syrakousai (Syracuse), they would never have imagined how far it would go. Two centuries later the city is the most important in Sicily and contends an undisputed cultural and artistic primacy with the Athens of Pericles itself. The splendor achieved in that era is still clearly visible today with a visit to the Archaeological Park of Neapolis. Here is the Ancient Theater of Syracuse, where every year the tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides or the comedies of Aristophanes are relived. In the Neapolis Park there is another symbol of Syracuse: the Ear of Dionysus. The name is one of the legacies left by Caravaggio's passage through the city. The canvas of the Burial of Santa Lucia also remains of the famous painter, preserved in the Church of Santa Lucia al Sepolcro. Syracuse is also the city of the Catacombs. Here Christians founded one of the largest communities in the Western world. The evidence of this period can be found in the Catacombs of San Giovanni, in those of Vigna Cassia, Santa Lucia and Santa Maria di Gesù. The historic center of Syracuse is Ortigia, an islet today connected to the mainland by a bridge. Walking through its streets is like living a daydream. There are ruins of Greek temples, Arab quarters, ancient Jewish baths and Baroque churches. The most amazing, among the latter, is certainly the Cathedral of Syracuse, an ancient Greek temple, dedicated to Athena, transformed into a Catholic church in the 6th century AD. The immense beauty of Ortigia also enchanted Unesco which in 2005 included it among the World Heritage Sites together with the Necropolis of Pantalica.

09/03/2022

What to see in Trapani:
1️⃣The salt road
Among the things to see in Trapani at the first there are certainly the salt pans. The best way to do this is to take La via del Sale, an itinerary along the provincial road 21 that connects Trapani and Marsala. The first essential stop is Nubia, a small fraction of Trapani famous for its red garlic, a Slow Food presidium, where the Salina Maria Stella is located, seat of the Visitor Center of the Saline Integral Nature Reserve of Trapani and Paceco. Also in Nubia is the Salina Culcasi in an old beam from the seventeenth century. Inside is the Nubian Salt Museum where the ancient work of salt workers and the traditional methods, still used, for the collection of salt are illustrated through various tools that are exhibited. In Marsala, on the other hand, there is the Salina Ettore and Infersa, one of the two points from where ferries leave for Mozia and where it is possible to book guided tours of the salt pan and the mill. This is also one of the most spectacular places to have an aperitif during the spectacular sunset over the salt pan.

01/03/2022

Monreale Cathedral and the adjoining monastery and cloister were built between 1174 and 1184 at the behest of the Norman King William II. According to legend, the origin of this decision was a vision of the Madonna who, as king, showed him the place where the treasure was hidden in order to build the holy temple in his honor.
In fact, the reasons that prompted the monarch to build the cathedral are rooted in his relationships with Pope Lucius III. who declared Monreale to be the seat of the archbishop in 1183, in contrast to the Archdiocese of Palermo, the only one in Sicily up to that point in Italy. This rivalry was fought in building the most beautiful and majestic cathedral. Thus, the Archbishop of Palermo, Gualtiero Offamilio, had the Cathedral of Palermo remodeled, emphasizing the external facade of the church, in contrast to William II, who concentrated on the external part of the Cathedral of Monreale.
Over the centuries, Monreale Cathedral has been enriched with some new chapels that have been integrated into the original structure. In 1595 the then Cardinal Ludovico II had the chapel of San Castrense built to house the relics of the patron saint of Monreale. Between 1687 and 1690, Monsignor Roano had the Chapel of the Crucifix built, in the sacristy of which the Treasury of the Cathedral is kept. While the decorations of the chapel of San Benedetto date back to the 18th century, you can admire the precious marble reliefs made by Giovanni Marino and inspired by scenes from the saint's life. The grandiose high altar of the cathedral also dates from the 18th century and was made entirely of silver by the Roman goldsmith Luigi Valadier. Restoration work has been required over the years, the most important of which was carried out due to a fire that broke out in 1811 and destroyed much of the wooden ceiling, the organ, the choir and some of the mosaics.

The exterior of Monreale Cathedral
The relative external architectural simplicity of Monreale Cathedral was a choice expressly desired by William II, who attributed to it an important symbolic value: inner beauty should always be preferred and privileged to outer beauty. The main facade of the cathedral is enclosed between two bell towers placed at the corners. One of the two, partially struck down by lightning in 1807, is now much lower than the other. Between the two towers is a three-arched portico, remodeled in the Baroque style in the 18th century, which leads to the main entrance of the church. Of particular beauty is the double-winged bronze portal by Bonanno da Pisa, dating from 1186. Inside you can admire 42 panels on which figures in bas-reliefs depict various episodes from the Old and New Testaments.
On the left side of the Cathedral, on the other hand, is the oldest portico with eleven arches, built between 1547 and 1569 according to a project by Giovanni Gagini. Below is the bronze door built by Barisano da Trani in 1190. This is the entrance currently used by worshipers and visitors to enter the Duomo. The back part of the cathedral, the area of ​​the three apses, is very impressive and beautiful. It keeps intact all the charm of Arab-Norman art. The apses on the outside are in fact entirely decorated with a harmonious play of false arches of different heights that intertwine and with round structures that imitate blind rosettes. The use of different materials of different colors used for decoration completes the harmony of the overall design.

The interior of Monreale Cathedral
The plan of Monreale Cathedral is a Latin cross with three naves. The central nave is 102 meters long and 40 meters wide and almost three times the size of the smaller aisles. The three naves are separated by two rows of granite columns and culminate in the imposing central dome dominated by the image of the glorious Christ Pantocrator. The three apses that accompany and support the dome are enriched with representations linked to the cult of the Madonna to which the temple is dedicated. The faithful who went to the cathedral in antiquity had to turn their attention to the Christ Pantocrator of the main altar, as a path that would lead him to blessing through the luminous path of Byzantine mosaics, capable in their constructive and glorifying compositional Splendor of Scripture.
The walls, covered with 6,400 square meters of Byzantine mosaics in golden matrix, tell and glorify fate and the Catholic faith, a real open one Book of visual narrative of the most important passages of the Old and New Testaments and some passages from the Libo of the Apocalypse. Dating back to the 12th century, this mosaic creation is a superb work by master craftsmen of the Byzantine school. From one wall to the other of the walls, the visitor is struck by the magnificence of this biblical story, which from the beginning wanted to have catechetical purposes. From Genesis to Noah, from the Tower of Babel to S***m and Gomorrah, from the sacred acts of Christ to his death and resurrection, the gaze sweeps across an immense sacred and peerless narrative.

The Treasure of the Cathedral
The Treasure of Monreale Cathedral, commissioned by Archbishop Giovanni Roano in the 15th century, is kept in the sacristy of the Chapel of the Most Holy Crucifix. The Treasury of the Cathedral contains silver filigree sacred furnishings and other artifacts of Sicilian use, made by Sicilian goldsmiths. A monstrance, a crosier and a palm grove are particularly worth admiring: the archbishop's precious liturgical furnishings. Both the monstrance and the crozier are decorated with precious stones. The embroideries of the robes are made of silk threads of excellent craftsmanship.
PRICES IN PHOTO.

21/02/2022

Cefalù is one of the destinations in Sicily with a very special charm and in fact it is one of the 19 Sicilian cities that are part of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy circuit. Its medieval aspect is visible above all in the district called "crucidda". Crossing it on foot is like taking a dip in the past. Such a beautiful place could only unleash the imagination of the ancients by giving birth to myths and legends. That of Dafni and Naide is linked to two different places in the city: the Rocca and the Cefalino river, which feeds the ancient medieval wash house. Another symbolic place of Cefalù is also linked to a legend. It is the Cathedral, which since 2015 is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site within the site: Arab-Norman Palermo and the cathedrals of Cefalù and Monreale. In fact, it is said that the church was built at the behest of Roger II of Altavilla as a form of thanksgiving to God for having survived a storm. In 1920 Cefalù was chosen by Aleister Crowley as a destination to recover from bronchitis and asthma. A very ambiguous character, he chose as his home a house in the Santa Barbara district where he founded the so-called "Thelema Abbey". In the Mandralisca Museum there is instead one of Antonello da Messina's masterpieces that can be seen in Sicily. This is the Portrait of the Unknown, whose enigmatic expression fascinates anyone who meets his gaze. If you are also a sea lover, the beaches of Lido di Cefalù or those of Mezzoforno, Salinelle and Capo Playa will certainly be able to meet your needs.

15/02/2022

Cubaita is basically a sublime crunch. Its origins are clearly Middle Eastern: I personally found it in Turkey, Greece and Cyprus, but - so at least Jasmina, my friend of Lebanese origins assures me - it is also in Lebanon. It is the one to munch on while playing cards or bingo during party evenings to be spent at home with family and friends. It is found a little throughout Sicily also prepared with almonds alone, but the original one is prepared with sesame seeds (giugghiulena or juggiulena) and - at least in the province of Ragusa - almost exclusively with the famous honey of the Iblei Mountains. Here is the recipe.

Method
Melt the honey or sugar on the stove in a pan and pour in the sesame seeds and almonds.
Stir continuously with a wooden spoon until the mixture reaches a boil.
When the mixture is well blended, pour it onto a well damp surface (usually marble, but a common pastry board is fine) and roll it out immediately with a rolling pin, which is also damp, to form a layer about 1 cm thick.
Before the crunchy can set freezing, cut it into regular shapes (rhombuses, squares, rectangular strips).
The cubaita should be stored in a cool and dry place: like all crunchy products, in fact, it is the enemy of humidity.

09/02/2022

We are talking about the imposing palace of the Normans.
(ALL INFO BELOW)
The Royal Palace of Palermo, also called Palazzo dei Normanni, is one of the most extraordinary monuments in all of Sicily. It is able to tell the story of Palermo starting from the first Punic settlements until today. Among the various rooms and rooms that can be visited, there is also the Palatine Chapel. Its sumptuous decorations are a true manifesto of Arab-Norman art and since 2015 it has been part of the heritage of humanity. The Palermo Astronomical Observatory and the Specola Museum are located inside the ancient Torre Pisana, while temporary exhibitions are often set up in the Sale del Duca di Montalto.

History of the Norman Palace from the Phoenicians to the Angevins
The Palazzo dei Normanni in Palermo stands on an area where the Arabs had already built a first fortification which was then transformed during the reign of the Normans. In 1130, Roger II, the first of the Norman kings of Sicily, decided to use the building as his residence. Thus began work to adapt the defensive fortress to the new purpose and these will also be carried out by the successors William I and William II. The construction of the Palatine Chapel and the transformation of the architectural layout of the building date back to this period. The structure is thus divided into a system of towers (Pisana, Ioaria, Chirimbi, Greca) connected to each other by walkways. With the death of Frederick II in 1250 begins a period of decline of the building. This will continue also in the following years when the Angevins and then the Aragonese ruled in Sicily. The rulers of these dynasties will in fact prefer other locations such as Palazzo Chiaramonte Steri, which will become the new seat of the Inquisition and the Castello a Mare.

History of the Norman Palace from the Aragonese to today
From 1415 in Sicily they will rule Viceroys, directly appointed by the King of Aragon. These will restore the Royal Palace considerable importance and, starting from the mid-sixteenth century, they decided to use it as their headquarters. Thus began new renovations of the building that led to the demolition of some towers and the construction of new bastions. Between 1569 and 1571 the demolition of a large part of the Norman structures also took place to build a new wing of the building with three elevations. The first level will be used as an ammunition depot and then further transformed into the current Sale del Duca di Montalto. On the second level, a floor will be created with five rooms used for bureaucratic functions. The third level, equipped with a large hall, will be used as the seat of the Parliament of Sicily and corresponds to the current Hall of Hercules. Further changes to the layout of the building will continue throughout the nineteenth century. In 1790 Ferdinand IV had an astronomical observatory built on the Pisan Tower which still exists today while some decorations in the Hall of Hercules date back to 1811.

The rooms of the Norman Palace

Palatine Chapel
On the first floor of the Royal Palace there is the most fascinating environment of the whole building: the Palatine Chapel (that is, of the Palace). In the monument the Byzantine, Latin and Islamic traditions blend harmoniously. Built by Roger II in 1132 and consecrated in 1140, it became the private chapel of the royal family. The church is divided into three naves, separated by Corinthian-style marble and granite columns. In the central nave there is a wooden ceiling with precious Arab-style inlays depicting animals and dancers. The walls and the dome are entirely covered with golden mosaics in the Arab-Norman style. In the dome the Christ Pantocrator is represented while blessing with the three fingers of his right hand, clearly of Byzantine inspiration. Biblical episodes from the Old and New Testament are represented on the walls of the chapel.

The Hall of Hercules
The name of this room, which was the ancient hall of the General Parliaments of the Kingdom, is due to the decorations on the ceiling and walls. They are the work of the Sicilian painter Giuseppe Velasco who, between 1811 and 1812, represented various scenes related to the Greek hero Hercules including: the Apotheosis and some Labors. The latter were painted in monochrome and inserted within particular ornamental bands called "a grotesque" and created by the painter Benedetto Cotardi. Since 1947 the Sala d’Ercole has been the seat of the Sicilian Regional Parliament.

Curiosity: The Sicilian Parliament is the first Italian Parliament and one of the oldest in Europe.

The Halls of the Duke of Montalto
This wing of the palace was built during a transformation project of the Norman Palace between 1565 and 1575 and initially used as an ammunition depot. In 1637 these rooms were transformed into rooms for summer audiences. For this reason the President of the Kingdom. don Luigi Moncada, duke of Montalto, asked the best artists of the time to fresco them. They worked on it: Pietro Novelli who created The Viceroy Moncada, winner of the Moors, Gerardo Astorino (The Sicilian Parliament), Vincenzo La Barbera and Giuseppe Costantino. In 1788, based on a project by Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia for King Ferdinand of Bourbon, the Sale del Duca di Montalto became stables. Today they are used for temporary exhibitions.

The Hall of the Viceroys
This wing of the Palazzo dei Normanni is named after the 21 portraits, affixed to the walls, of viceroys, lieutenants and presidents of the Bourbon kingdom of Sicily in office from 1747 to 1840. Among the characters represented are: Domenico Caracciolo di Villamaina, who abolished the Inquisition tribunal in 1782 and Francesco D'Aquino prince of Caramanico, who established in 1790 the astronomical observatory which is still located today on the Torre Pisana of the Royal Palace. Around the vault there is a frieze with symbols and allegories concerning Sicily, including the Trinacria, by Salvatore Gregorietti (1901).

The Pompeian Room
Inside an environment known as the Pompeian Gallery, we find the so-called Sala Pompeiana commissioned by Leopoldo di Borbone. The name derives from its neoclassical style decorations, made by Giuseppe Patania around 1835. The painter, inspired by the archaeological discoveries of Herculaneum and Pompeii, represented some mythological scenes such as Eros and Aphrodite on a chariot. It is also called the "queen's room" because it was the personal room of Queen Maria Carolina of Habsburg.

The Chinese Room
A very particular environment of the Royal Palace of Palermo is the Chinese Room. This reflected a widespread fashion in all European courts between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The paintings are by the brothers Salvatore and Giovanni Patricolo and represent men and women dressed in "Chinese" style. In the choice of subjects, the painters were inspired by the scenes created by Giuseppe Velasco, a few decades earlier, in the interiors of the Chinese building.

The Room of the Winds
Of the ancient medieval tower Ioaria or Jaaria only the Hall of the Four Columns or Hall of the Winds remains. This was a sumptuous setting where the king devoted himself to idleness and quiet. The name Ioaria derives from the Arabic Gawhariyya and means "precious". The room has a painted wooden roof, built between 1713 and 1720, and has a compass rose in the center. On one of the walls there is a Denial of Peter, oil on canvas made by Filippo Paladini in 1613

The Sala di Ruggero
The Hall is so called because it was created by the will of Roger II. The mosaics that cover the walls are, however, commissioned by his son William I. The peculiarity of these decorations lies in the type of subjects depicted which are pagan and not religious. There are in fact represented a hunting scene, a fight between centaurs, and various animals such as leopards, peacocks, deer and swans in an environment with rich vegetation. The decoration of the vault dates back to the period of Frederick II and in fact the Swabian eagle, symbol of the Swabians, is represented.

The other rooms of the Royal Palace: the Punic-Roman Walls, the Maqueda Courtyard, the Royal Gardens
Other very interesting environments of the Royal Palace of Palermo are: the remains of the Punic-Roman Walls, the Maqueda Courtyard and the Royal Gardens. On the lower floor of the Duca di Montalto Rooms you can see the remains of the ancient Punic city walls of the city of Palermo. These architectural elements date back to the 5th century BC. C. and were discovered in 1984 during an archaeological campaign. The Cortile Maqueda is a work in 1600 and takes its name from the Spanish viceroy Maqueda Bernardino de Cardenas y Portugal. It has a structure consisting of three Renaissance-style arcades, the intermediate level of which is the highest. Inside the Bastion of San Pietro, there are the gardens of the Royal Palace. There are flower beds with curvilinear edges and various tree species of subtropical origin. Inside, three Ficus macrophylla stand out, one of which embraces a large Pinus pinea.

The purchase of the ticket also allows access to the Palatine Chapel, the exhibition in progress in the Rooms of the Duke of Montalto and other rooms with the exception of the Sala Pio La Torre and Sala Piersanti Mattarella. The Norman Palace is also the seat of the Sicilian Parliament. For this reason, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays it is not possible to access the Royal Apartments (Sala d’Ercole, Sala dei Viceroy, etc.) while the Palatine Chapel remains open to visitors, except when religious services are celebrated there.

Address
Independence Square, 1, 90129 Palermo

Phone
+39 091 7055611

Site
https://www.federicosecondo. org

Timetables
From Monday to Thursday: 8.30 - 14.30 (last admission);
Friday and Saturday 8.30 - 16.30 (last admission);
Sundays and holidays from 8.30 to 9.30 and
from 11.30 to 12.30 (last admission).