The Norman Palace of Palermo, also called the Royal Palace, is one of the symbolic monuments of the city and is the oldest Royal residence in Europe.
It stands on an area formerly used by the Arabs as a defensive fortification.
In 1130 Roger II, the first Norman King of Sicily, decided to transform it into his official residence.
The structure is divided into a system of towers (Pisana, Ioaria, Chirimbi, Greca) connected to each other by walkways.
The Palace was decommissioned at the end of the Norman reign but in 1415, thanks to the Viceroys of Aragon, the residence returned to its role as the main seat.
Between 1569 and 1571 a large part of the Norman structures was also demolished to build a new wing of the palace.
The Palace houses numerous rooms inside, but the most important are only the Hall of Hercules, the Rooms of the Duke of Montalto, the Hall of the Viceroys, the Pompeian Room and the Room of Roger.
Hercules Room
The name of this room is due to the decorations on the ceiling and walls. Since 1947 it has been the seat of the Sicilian Regional Parliament, one of the oldest European parliaments.
Rooms of the Duke of Montalto
This wing of the Palace was built during a transformation project between 1565 and 1575 and initially used as an ammunition depot. Today they are used for temporary exhibitions.
Viceroys’ Hall
This place in the Norman Palace is named for the 21 portraits of viceroys, lieutenants and presidents of the Bourbon Kingdom of Sicily in office from 1747 to 1840.
Pompeian Room
The name derives from its neoclassical style decorations, made around 1835, inspired by the archaeological discoveries of Herculaneum and Pompeii.
Roger’s Room
The mosaics that cover the walls represent pagan and non-religious subjects. In fact, a hunting scene, a fight between centaurs, and various animals such as leopards, peacocks, deer and swans are represented 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.
Other very interesting rooms of the Royal Palace of Palermo are the Maqueda Courtyard and the Royal Gardens. On the lower floor of the Palace there are the remains of the ancient Punic walls of the city of Palermo. These architectural elements date back to the fifth century B.C. and were discovered in 1984 during an archaeological campaign.
Inside the Norman Palace there is also the Palatine Chapel, one of the most beautiful churches in the world and a symbol of Norman-Arab architecture in Palermo.
