ITS22 Historical and naturalist walking tour by the old harbour of Palermo

Students went to Palermo to visit many highlights places of the city. We had guide to explain in English the historical places. She shows them different aspects at different times in its history, and learn about the old harbor. 

Palazzo real e cappella palatina: The Royal Palace of Palermo (Ith-12th century) is an ancient Islamic Castrum, the Palace was the residence of the sovereigns. The Palatine Chapel was founded in 1130. It represents the non plus ultra of the cultural and artistic syncretism produced in the norman Palermo, with the Byzantine mosaics; the wooden ceiling with mugarnas, with paintings, of Islamic culture; the floor in opus sectile of byzantine matrix. The monumental complex is a component part of the UNESCO. Collectively, they are an outstanding example of a socio-cultural syncretism between Western, Byzantine and Islamic cultures.

Cathedral de Palermo is located in an area near the ancient Punic-Roman walls. The Archbishop Gualtiero was responsible for the reconstruction of the Norman building, between 1169 and 1185. The decorative system with lava inlaid and ornamental Islamic motifs that covers the external walls of the cathedral is largely the original one of the twelfth century. The monument is a component part of the UNESCO too with same example of multi influences.

Church di Santa Maria dell ammiraglio: The church founded around 1140, was built as a private chapel dedicated to the Virgin and constitutes the symbol of the purity of the orthodox Byzantine genius. The Norman age structure is characterized by a Greek cross plant inscribed in a square and overlapped in the center by a dome. In the interior, the church is decorated with Byzantine mosaics (1143-1148), among the most amazing in the panorama of the production of Komnenos age. The monument is a component part of the UNESCO serial property "Arab-norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalú and Monreale": a series of nine religious and civic buildings dating back to the era of the Norman kingdom of Sicily (1130-1194).

Palazzo Butera: overlooking the sea, we visited Palazzo Butera, an eighteenth-century noble palace, purchased by Massimo and Francesca Valsecchi in 2016. The new owners have financed a complete structural and artisticrestoration of the building with the intention of opening the property. monumental to public use. We saw the first complete installation of the collection by Valsecchi. All the rooms are exhibition spaces, house works from the collection. Along the exhibition path you will encounter contemporary works of art, ancient paintings, monochrome porcelain, iridescent glass, furniture and English objects from the era of the Industrial Revolution.

It was a fantastic discovering of Palermo with beautiful historical buildings