Punic fortress, emirs' castle, Norman royal palace and today the seat of the Sicilian Parliament: nine centuries of power under one roof.
Distance
Area
Albergheria
Visit
90 min
Entry
Ticketed
The story
This is Palermo's most layered building. The foundations are Punic, the core is the 9th-century qasr of the Arab emirs, and the decisive transformation is Norman: Roger II made it the centre of the richest Mediterranean kingdom of the 12th century. Inside are the Palatine Chapel, the Roger Room with its hunting mosaics, the Pisan Tower and the Astronomical Observatory. Today it houses the Sicilian Regional Assembly, making it the oldest royal residence in Europe still in institutional use.