Frommer's Review
This is Palermo's greatest attraction and Sicily's finest treasure trove. Allow 1 1/2 hours and visit just this site if your time is really limited.
The history of the palace can be traced to the 9th century and the days of the Arab emirs and their harems, but probably goes back even further: The Arabs built the palace on an older Roman and Punic fortress. Over time it was abandoned by the Arabs, and the conquering Normans restored it into a sumptuous residence. The Normans came and went, and by the mid-16th century the palace was in serious decay until discovered anew by Spanish viceroys, who in 1555 began its rescue and once again turned it into a royal residence. Today it is the seat of Sicily's semiautonomous regional government.
If you enter from Piazza Indipendenza, you'll be directed to the splendid Cappella Palatina (Palatine Chapel), representing the apex of the Arabo-Norman collective genius and built by Roger II from 1130 to 1140, when it was adorned with extraordinary Byzantine mosaics. You'd have to travel to Istanbul or Ravenna to encounter mosaics as awe-inspiring as these. The whole cycle constitutes the largest array of Islamic paintings to survive to the present day. Your appreciation of them, however, may be dimmed by the guardians trying to move people on their way, especially on days when too many tour-bus hordes arrive at the same time.
The chapel features a nave and two aisles divided by oval arches. The central area is surmounted by a hemispheric dome set on corner niches over a mosaic floor with walls of marble wainscoting. At the entrance to the nave is a mammoth royal throne encrusted in mosaics. Note the towering Paschal candelabrum carved with figures, wild animals, and acanthus leaves, a masterpiece that has come down from the 12th century.
Covering the central nave is a honeycomb stalactite wooden muqarnas ceiling, a true masterpiece and the creation of Arab artisans brought from North Africa. They depict scenes from daily life, including animal hunts and dances. Our favorite? The depiction of a "picnic" in a harem.
The mosaics were installed to teach the story of the Bible to an illiterate people. We're especially fond of Adam and Eve, each with the "forbidden fruit" in their mouths and greedily reaching for a second luscious piece. Ah, the symbolism.
There is no one set of mosaics to seek out: It is the sum total that adds to a miraculous artistic statement. Biblical scenes decorate the walls, with the image of Christ Pantocrator, surrounded by angels, on the cupola. The colors of the mosaics are vivid, the style realistic, the effect sometimes achieved by gold-backed tesserae and silver mosaic tiles. This mixed inlay makes the surfaces gleam in the soft light.
The mosaics in the nave are evocative of those at Monreale's Duomo. If you don't have time to visit Monreale, you'll have seen the essence of this brilliant art here. Almond-eyed biblical characters from the Byzantine world create a panorama of epic pageantry, illustrating such Gospel scenes as the Nativity. The effect is enhanced by inlaid marble as well as by pillars made of granite shipped from the East.
Expect tight security as you wander around the Royal Apartments above, as this is still a seat of government. (On some days, visitors may not gain entrance at all.) You'll first enter Salone d'Ercole, from 1560, the chamber of the Sicilian parliament. The salon is named for the mammoth frescoes, created by Giuseppe Velasquez in the 19th century, depicting the Twelve Labours of Hercules. Only six panels are visible (the others are concealed behind the gallery). The most dramatic scene is the slaying of the multiheaded Hydra of Lerna. You definitely won't want to adopt the three-headed dog, Cerberus, as your pet.
The most intriguing room of the apartments is the Sala di Ruggero II, where King Roger himself slumbered. It's decorated with 12th-century mosaics. Look for depictions of the peacock; it was said, symbolically, that the flesh of the peacock would never rot. A charmer is the Hall of Mirrors, sometimes called the "Yellow Hall" because of all its stunning candelabra.
One of the most splendid courts of Europe once held forth in other rooms of the Royal Apartments. Here the Western world met the mysteries of the East, as Latin scholars conversed and exchanged ideas with Arab astronomers. Regrettably, little is left of those golden days, when this was the most magnificent of European medieval courts.
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