Italy
participants
With the aim of uncovering the city's cultural heritage, it was decided to devote an entire event to visiting the Palatine Chapel and the Royal Palace, one of the most important Arab-Norman style monuments in the city. The event also made it possible to foster acquaintance among Erasmus students as well as to foster intercultural exchange.
In 2015, UNESCO recognized the universal value of Palermo's Arab-Norman heritage by including on the World Heritage List a group of nine buildings and structures representative of this period, all of which were visited during events held during the Erasmus period. Among them undoubtedly the Norman Palace and Palermo Cathedral are the two most representative examples. The visit began by starting at Porta Nuova, one of the main access roads to the ancient walled city. It then continued by visiting the Royal Palace and the Royal Rooms and especially the Palatine Chapel considered one of the most impressive examples of the cultural synthesis that characterized Sicily under Norman rule. The combination of Byzantine, Islamic, and Latin architectural and decorative styles reflects the plurality and religious tolerance that were promoted by the Norman kings.
