Cappella Palatina

Lonely Planet review

Downstairs in the Palazzo dei Normanni, just off the three-tiered loggia, is Palermo's premier tourist attraction, the Cappella Palatina, designed by Roger II in 1130. The chapel was under restoration at the time of research, with the ceiling and most of the walls covered by scaffolding, but the work is meant to be finished in the summer of 2008, when you should be able to see the mosaics in renewed shiny splendour.

This is one of the busiest tourist sites in Palermo, so be prepared to queue. Once in possession of your ticket you will have to queue once again outside the chapel as minders limit the number of people. The whole process is often badly managed, but don't let yourself be hurried through one of Sicily's finest sights.