Italy Palatine Chapel (Chiesa Interiore della Cappella Palatina)

When the Norman King Roger II ruled Sicily, he respected the Islamic and other indigenous cultures. He even used them in his armies, and to help create and his government. This harmony can also be seen in the various Byzantine churches around Sicily. One of the most spectacular in the Palatine Chapel in the Norman Palace of Palermo. This one, built in the early 1100s (around the same time as England’s Norwich Cathedral), is certainly one of the most spectacular. The mosaic is original and shows blended Christian and Islamic artwork, with Latin text in some parts and Greek in others.

If you’re only going to visit one Byzantine spectacular, this is the easiest to access, although Monreale, which has about 4000 square metres of mosaic, is only a few kilometres from Palermo.

Firstly, if you take a tripod, you have to leave it with Security and collect as you leave. Image stabilising lenses and more ISOs seem to work OK but, as can be seen here, White Balance is “interesting”. Super or even ultra-wide lenses are certainly useful.

Its walking distance from the old part of the city, as are many other photo locations. You can get a taxi or a horse-drawn carriage if you prefer.