The Normans in Southern Italy

Confusing online course from the London Art History Society on Norman influence on architecture and material culture in Southern Italy.

I say confusing because the history and many of the architectural terms were new to me. I think some people on the course had already done others with the speaker John McNeill so were more familiar with some of the background. It would have really helped to have a glossary of terms and an outline of the people and dates involved in the handout for reference. I know my English Norman architecture of the 11th and 12th century quite well so it might have helped me to make comparisons or say more about why they were different.

McNeill had some great illustrations, I suspect many of which he had taken himself, which gave a good sense of the buildings many of which were now ruins. He made good use of floor plans but I’m afraid I did confuse them over time and they were very similar.

That said I discovered some wonderful sites and have definitely added Sicily of my wish list of places to go. I particularly loved the Capella Palatina in Palermo which I show here, an almost complete 12th century interior.

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