San Giorgio in Kemonia

San Giovanni degli Eremiti (St John of the Hermits) is an ancient former monastic church located on Via Benedettini #19 in the ancient quarter of Albergaria of the city of Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy. It is about two blocks south from the Palazzo dei Normanni, adjacent to the church of San Giorgio in Kemonia. While the interior is virtually devoid of decoration or furnishings, the red Norman-Byzantine domes, the medieval cloister ruins, and garden make this small church a symbol of ancient Palermo.

The Oratorio di San Mercurio is a Baroque chapel or prayer room located adjacent to the former Benedictine convent and church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti, in the quarter of the Albergaria, within the historic centre of Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy.

Giacomo Serpotta (10 March 1656 – 27 February 1732) was an Italian sculptor, active in a Rococo style and mainly working in stucco.

The Palatine Chapel (Italian: Cappella Palatina) is the royal chapel of the Norman Palace in Palermo, Sicily. This building is a mixture of Byzantine, Norman and Fatimid architectural styles, showing the tricultural state of Sicily during the 12th century after Roger I and Robert Guiscard conquered the island. Also referred to as a Palace church or Palace chapel, it was commissioned by Roger II of Sicily in 1132 to be built upon an older chapel (now the crypt) constructed around 1080. It took eight years to build, receiving a royal charter the same year, with the mosaics being only partially finished by 1143. The sanctuary, dedicated to Saint Peter, is reminiscent of a domed basilica. It has three apses, as is usual in Byzantine architecture, with six pointed arches (three on each side of the central nave) resting on recycled classical columns. The muqarnas ceiling of the nave and the chapel's rectilinear form show the Fatimid influence in the building's construction.

The Palazzo dei Normanni (Norman Palace) is also called Royal Palace of Palermo. It was the seat of the Kings of Sicily with the Hauteville dynasty and served afterwards as the main seat of power for the subsequent rulers of Sicily. Since 1946 it has been the seat of the Sicilian Regional Assembly. The building is the oldest royal residence in Europe; and was the private residence of the rulers of the Kingdom of Sicily and the imperial seat of Frederick II and Conrad IV.

Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale is a series of nine religious and civic structures located on the northern coast of Sicily dating from the era of the Norman Kingdom of Sicily (1130-1194): two palaces, three churches, a cathedral, and a bridge in Palermo, as well as the cathedrals of Cefalù and Monreale. They have been designated together as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This dedication took place in 2015.The new Norman rulers built various structures in what has become known as the Arab-Norman style. They incorporated the best practices of Arab and Byzantine architecture into their own art. Although a different builder constructed each of the sites, they are linked together because of their shared architecture and time period. These sites work to create a shared identity among the areas that they are built in. This is because many people chose to visit the sites together, not just one at a time. Providing not only a steady revenue of tourism, but also a revenue of tourists that have visited each of the sites and bring that experience with them. Currently all of the buildings are under continuous restoration and care. This care varies from site to site but most often consists of topical restoration (cleaning, maintaining murals, etc), research (what the building might have looked like originally and what was done there), and structural restoration (making sure the building is safe and structurally sound).

The Sicilian Regional Assembly is the legislative body of Sicily. While it has a long history as an autonomous entity, the modern Region of Sicily was established by Royal Decree on 15 May 1946, before the Italian Republic. The Regional Assembly has the widest legislative power in Italy and is the only regional assembly to have the title of "parliament" whose members are called "deputies" as are those in Rome. Seventy deputies are elected every five years in the nine provinces.

The Giuseppe S. Vaiana Astronomical Observatory is an astronomical observatory located in Palermo, Sicily, Italy, housed inside the Palazzo dei Normanni. It is one of the research facilities of the National Institute of Astrophysics. The observatory carries out research projects in the field of astronomy and astrophysics including the study of solar and stellar coronas, stellar evolution (including the birth of stars) and of the supernova remnants.

Victory Square (Italian: Piazza della Vittoria) is a square of Palermo. It is located between the Royal Palace and the Palermo Cathedral, down the Cassaro street, in the quarter of the Albergaria, within the historic centre of Palermo. The square is dominated by the great garden of Villa Bonanno.

The Church of Saint Francis Xavier (Italian: Chiesa di San Francesco Saverio or simply San Francesco Saverio) is a Baroque church of Palermo. It is located on the Street of the same name in the quarter of the Albergaria, within the historic centre of Palermo. The building is considered the masterpiece of the Jesuit architect Angelo Italia.

Palazzo Sclafani is a medieval former aristocratic palace located on Piazza della Vittoria #14, in Palermo, region of Sicily, Italy. Across the Piazza della Vittoria park rises the Palazzo dei Normanni and the street along the park leads in a block to the cathedral.

The siege of Panormus or siege of Palermo took place in late 535 AD, where the Byzantine forces captured the city controlled by the Ostrogoths. It was the first engagement of the Gothic War (535–554). Part of the Byzantine plan to reclaim the Italian peninsula from Gothic control was to open with a sudden two-front attack, one in Dalmatia and one in Sicily. The Byzantine general Belisarius arrived in Sicily and swiftly took control of major towns due to a lack of resistance. Panormus refused to surrender because the Gothic garrison had confidence in the strength of the city's fortifications. Belisarius laid siege to the city, but did not approach by land as the defenses were strong. Instead, he ordered his fleet to sail into the harbor and anchor beside the wall. The Byzantine ships had archers hoisted on top of the ships' masts, which surpassed the height of the parapet. The Goths tried to protect the walls, but they had little protection against the archers, which led to their surrender. The fall of Palermo completed the conquest of Sicily.