Ice breaker – 24 June

EWRA2025 Ice Breaker Event

Royal Gardens – Palazzo dei Normanni (Palazzo Reale), Palermo
June 24th, 2025
Starting at 19:00

The Ice Breaker will take place in the charming Royal Gardens of Palazzo dei Normanni (also known as Palazzo Reale, https://www.federicosecondo.org/), one of the most iconic and historically rich sites in Palermo.

The origins of the palace date back to the 6th century BC, when the Carthaginians established a trading base here. This marked the birth of the city of Palermo, whose name derives from the Greek Panormos (meaning “all-port”), as confirmed by the ancient city walls uncovered through recent excavations.

Over time, this site evolved through various dominations, Roman, Byzantine, and Arab, resulting in layered structures as much as 8 meters thick. In the 9th century AD, the Arab Aghlabids built a fortress (qasr, from which the name “Cassaro” is derived) over the existing foundations to defend the city from the west. A counterpart fortress, the Castello a Mare, was later built to the east.

The Royal Gardens, located within the Bastione di San Pietro (part of a 1560 defensive reorganization project by architect Antonio Ferramolino), are home to elegant curved flowerbeds and various subtropical tree species, including three impressive Ficus macrophylla.

Important Notes

  • As the venue is an institutional and historically significant site, a respectful dress code is required. Shorts, flip-flops, beachwear, and similar informal clothing are not permitted.
  • As the venue is the institutional seat of the Sicilian Regional Assembly, security screening procedures will be in place. All participants will be required to pass through metal detectors and may be subject to bag checks. We kindly ask for your cooperation and patience.
  • Due to security limitations, bringing luggage is strongly discouraged. However, shoulder backpacks and handbags of standard size will not pose any issue and can be brought to the event.

Attendance at the Ice Breaker event is free of charge for all participants who have expressed their interest in attending during the registration process and registered under the following categories:

  • Early/Regular registration for EWRA/non-EWRA members
  • Early/Regular registration for students (with GALA dinner/no GALA dinner)
  • Early/Regular registration for accompanying persons

Participants registered under the “Early/Regular registration for 1-day participation (no GALA dinner)” category may attend only if presenting a contribution on June 24th, the first day of the conference.

All other participants who wish to attend the Ice Breaker are kindly asked to contact the organizing committee at ewra2025@ewra.net no later than 15 June 2025, in order to check for availability and receive further information regarding participation fees.

Each registered participant will receive a personal invitation ticket at the conference registration desk.
Please do not lose this personal invitation, as it will be required to enter the event.
The EWRA2025 staff will monitor access to ensure only authorized attendees are admitted.