Second intense day for Prince Albert II in Palermo
Monaco is one of the 23 CIESM member States © Axel Bastello/Prince's Palace
The Sovereign will remain in Sicily until October 18, the last day of the CIESM Congress.
Prince Albert II is currently in the Sicilian capital for the 43rd Congress of the Commission Internationale pour l’Exploration Scientifique de la mer Méditerranée (CIESM – Mediterranean Science Commission), which he chaired at the opening ceremony on Monday 14 October. The conference was held in the renovated Scuderia Reale hall in the Palazzo dei Normanni, the headquarters of the Sicilian Regional Assembly. 400 researchers, political decision-makers and representatives of civil society were gathered to discuss the environmental and scientific challenges facing the Mediterranean and Black Seas.
Advertising
The opening ceremony was followed by a tour of an exhibition on red corals, showcasing pioneering research by the Centre Scientifique de Monaco (CSM – Monaco Scientific Centre), which has succeeded in artificially reproducing the endangered marine species.
Emblematic sites in Palermo
A little later, the Sovereign and his delegation were able to explore two of the city’s most remarkable monuments: the Palazzo del Normanni, also called the Royal Palace of Palermo, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the famous Palatine Chapel.
Over an official lunch, Prince Albert II discussed several collaboration topics with local authorities, in particular Renato Schifrani and Gaetano Galvagno, respectively Presidents of the Sicilian region and the Sicilian regional assembly.
The Sovereign’s day concluded with a visit to two more remarkable Sicilian heritage sites, the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and the church of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio.