Tag: architettura
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A Palace in Palermo
Palazzo (i.e. Palace) Galletti di San Cataldo on Piazza Marina in Palermo was constructed for an aristocratic family in 1866.
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Lace Up
Yesterday, I discussed a church without a ceiling (Lo Spasimo in Palermo). Today, I show you a church with an unforgettable ceiling–the Chiesa Matrice, or Mother Church, of Erice. Outside, this Norman-era building that was first constructed starting in 1314 is modest, yet elegant. Inside, the vaulted, neo-Gothic ceiling that was reconstructed during the 19th…
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Floor as Status Symbol
In January, when my cousin Giulia and I visited the private museum Stanze al Genio in Palermo, we learned that many of the majolica works of art that decorate churches and palazzi throughout Sicily are from Naples. Between the 16th and 20th centuries, for noble families and wealthy churches that could afford such decor, it…
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A Palace Reflective of a Kingdom
La Zisa palace was commissioned by Norman King William I (1153-1166) and finished by his son, William II (1172-1189) in 1175. The name Zisa is derived from the Arab word “El Aziz,” or The Splendid. The palace was originally surrounded by gardens. Today, it still is the focal point of a public park, but the…
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Arab-Norman Design: Give Credit Where Credit is Due
Feeling somewhat like a miniature of a basilica 3 or 4 times as large as it is, the 32 meter long Cappella Palatina inside Palermo’s Royal Palace (Palazzo dei Normanni) is, simply put, spectacular. As soon as you enter, you’ll become lost in the dozens of stories depicted by dizzying mosaic scenes. Constructed between 1132…
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Persia in Palermo
Illustrating the Persian-Middle Eastern influences on Arab-Norman architecture, the mosaic designs of the Sala di Re Ruggero (King Roger’s Salon) inside Palermo’s Royal Palace (Palazzo dei Normanni) are splendid. Unlike their siblings in the Cappella Palatina (just downstairs in the palace), these mosaic designs are secular in nature, depicting hunting and natural scenes featuring trees,…
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The Royal Palace of Palermo
The Royal Palace in Palermo, better known as il Palazzo dei Normanni, is today the seat of Sicily’s regional parliament. However, since the middle of the 16th century, it was the seat of the Spanish viceroys and then the Bourbons who built it to its (more or less) current state. Its hodgepodge of architectural styles…
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The Admiral’s Seven Arches Bridge
This seven-arched bridge once crossed the Oreto River (now dried up or relegated to flow underground) on the south-east side of Palermo’s historic center. Known as the Ponte dell’Ammiraglio, or Admiral’s Bridge, it was built in 1113 by Roger II’s emir of emirs, George of Antioch. Today, this wonder of Arab-Norman architecture sits in a…