Palazzo dei Normanni e Cappella Palatina

Sehr beeindruckend. Der Palazzo ist also Parlamentssitz von der Polizei bewacht und man muss anfangs durch eine Schleuse an böse guckenden Wachleuten vorbei. Egal, die tun nix.
Entweder kann man nur die Capella Palatina besuchen oder das Kombiticket nehmen, wo man auch die anderen Räume besichtigen darf, allerdings geht das nur wenn das Parlament gerade nicht tagt. wobei letztere nur zu sehen sind, wenn das Parlament nicht tagt. Man sollte sich auf jeden Fall für das Kombiticket entscheiden, denn hier lässt sich einiges entdecken.
Der Parlamentssaal ist mit seinen Wandgemälden schon beeindruckend.
Sensationell ist allerdings die Kapelle. Alles in Gold gehalten mit wunderbaren Mosaiken, ein Zusammentreffen aus christlicher byzantinischer und islamischer Kultur.
Im Untergeschoss finden wechselnde Ausstellungen statt, zur Zeit meines Besuchs waren hier Werke von Fernando Botero zu sehen.

What stands out most vividly in my mind about the former 800-​year-​old palace and current Sicilian Parliament building were all the busts of governors, mayors and various other politicians who met their end by being assassinated by the Mafia. No, thank you. The palace is now essentially a bunch of offices for heads of state, ministers and the like that has almost imperial apartment-​like rooms for ministerial meetings or to engage with foreign dignitaries. During the summer it is open to the public for tours but if Parliament is in session you are out of luck.
The most memorable part of this place was the church (it’s called a chapel) within the palace, the Cappella Palatina. The walls and ceilings look to have Spaniard and Arabic influences such that you realize that Sicily has been invaded by a multitude of different countries that influenced their artwork. The walls of the chapel look straight up Byzantine with almost mosque-​like influences, such that even though religious figures were being portrayed in mosaics they had a heavy Arabic influence overlaid on seemingly gold paint. I could not have paid more than $ 10 American but those mosaics alone were well worth it. If you have very little time, the chapel is the most worthwhile part of this place so head their first.