Norman king Roger II established the Cappella Palatina in 1130. The chapel, located inside Palermo’s Palazzo dei Normanni, is in and of itself a treasure chest of extraordinary mosaics. This is one example, the dizzying, inlaid stone and marble floors.
Tag: Palazzo dei Normanni
A Woman with a Vision
A working woman with a vision: detail from a painting in the chambers at Palermo’s Palazzo dei Normanni, the house of Sicily’s parliament.
Watch Your Step
Every inch of the Cappella Palatina is embellished with intricate mosaics of inlaid marble, colorful stones, and golden glass tiles. This floor detail illustrates the multi-cultural mix (Norman, Arab, Greek, and Byzantine) that existed during Roger II’s 12th-century rule, when the Palazzo dei Normanni’s chapel was built.
Curious Gate
Palermo’s Porta Nuova (or New Gate), is adjacent to the Palazzo dei Normanni and at the south end of the city’s principal north-south boulevard, Corso Vittorio Emanuele. When entering Palermo from the south (i.e., by land versus by sea), it welcomes you with its four atlases depicting Moors–two with their arms amputated and two with…
An Arab-Norman-Greek-Byzantine Star
Every inch of the Cappella Palatina is embellished with intricate mosaics of inlaid marble, colorful stones, and golden glass tiles. This detail illustrates the multi-cultural mix (Norman, Arab, Greek, and Byzantine) that existed during Roger II’s 12th-century rule, when the Palazzo dei Normanni’s chapel was built.
Beautiful Tarantella Dancer
This marble depiction of a tarantella dancer takes my breath away. It’s housed behind velvet ropes (that didn’t stop me!) in the Palazzo dei Normanni in Palermo, and that’s really all I know about it. She exudes beauty and emotion.
Music is Everywhere
Nymph with tambourine, from a fresco in Palermo’s Palazzo dei Normanni, the house of Sicily’s parliament.
Snippets that Reveal Treasures
This is a snippet of a larger painting that hangs in the chambers of Palermo’s Palazzo dei Normanni, the house of the Sicilian Parliament. I love it for two reasons: it shows pre-twentieth century traditional dress of the women working in the field and one of them is holding a traditional Sicilian, woven basket.