Palazzo dei Normanni, Royal palace in Palermo, Italy
Palazzo dei Normanni stands on the highest point of Palermo, above Punic foundations found in 1984 beneath the Duke of Montalto Halls. Its core was marked by four towers and once held workshops and textile laboratories, the nobiles officinae or tiraz. The Cappella Palatina on the first floor has mosaics, a painted wooden roof and marble incrustation; the Sala Normanna survives from Roger II's work.
Construction began after 1072 when rulers from Normandy took Sicily and established their seat here. King Roger II added the palace chapel in the following decades and expanded the building with additional halls and towers.
The name refers to the rulers who established their residence here after conquering Sicily and hired Arab craftsmen to decorate the interiors. Today the building houses the Sicilian regional parliament, while visitors walk through halls adorned with multicolored mosaics and carved wooden ceilings.
The palace opens Monday through Saturday from 8:15 AM to 5:45 PM and Sunday until 1:00 PM, with wheelchair access throughout the building. Visitors should allow time for the chapel and upper floors, as the rooms cover large areas and staircases connect the levels.
The palace stands on the city's highest point, above a Punic structure found in 1984 beneath the Duke of Montalto Halls. Its foundations also hold traces of Phoenician-Punic fortifications from between the 8th and 5th centuries BC, which reappear in the dungeons and basements.
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