Entrance leading to the Capella Palatina
The Palatine Chapel was the royal chapel of the Norman kings of Sicily.
Italy 2001
Palermo
Capella Palatina
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Entrance leading to the Capella Palatina The Palatine Chapel was the royal chapel of the Norman kings of Sicily. |
Palermo was founded in 734 BC by the Phoenicians as Ziz. Sicily itself ended up divided between Greece and Carthage, with some cities for one or the other power. Palermo ended up on the side of Carthage. When the Roman Empire gained influence and military might, it changed the balance of power in the Mediterranean by defeating both Greece and Carthage and ended up in control of Sicily. Later, after the division of the Empire into East and West Rome, East Rome being the Byzantine Empire, Palermo became a possession of Byzanz and remained thus for over 1000 years. From 831 to 1072 it was the capital of the Arab Emirate of Sicily. It still puzzles me why it would be worth conquering for the Normans, but they created the Kingdom of Sicily with Palermo as its capital from 1130 - 1816. In 1816 Palermo was part of a union with the Kingdom of Naples. That union became known as the Two Sicilies. Italian unification in 1860 brought Sicily into modern Italy. |
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A lovely marble plaque of the Norman Court |
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There is little one can say in the face of such beautful and elaborate work |
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Segesta
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The next day I took a train ride to Segesta, about an hour outside of Palermo |
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Possibly the most exquisite Greek temple ruin anywhere |
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You see what I mean. The roof is gone, and the one in Athens agora does have a roof, but this one is simply perfect in this setting. |
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The temple was part of a complex that included an amphitheater high above it. |
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You have to admit, these guys had an eye for the dramatic |
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A group of visiting monks |
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