The Norman palace stands at the centre of a series of squares, in gardens laid out at the end of the 19C. Previously seat of the emir of Palermo, the old qsar was enlarged and improved by the Norman kings, then abandoned before being restored under the 17C Spanish viceroys. The palace is now the home of the Sicilian Parliament, based in the former Royal apartments (retaining the chamber of Roger II with 12C mosaics).