Castello della Zisa

Castello della Zisa rises in Palermo as a Norman palace from the late twelfth century, with three horizontal levels and royal wings flanking the entrance. Arab designers and craftsmen shaped its North African Fatimid style, while Islamic, Roman and Byzantine influences meet across the façade and interiors.

King William I began the building, and William II completed it around 1189 as a summer residence. A rectangular pool once cooled air before it entered the palace, while hidden channels linked the outdoor fish pool, roof cisterns and central fountain. The marble Sala della Fontana contains a shadirwan, mosaics, inlaid columns and muqarnas niches beneath a two-storey Gothic vault. Mosaics show plants, animals and hunting scenes, and spiral staircases rise on both sides through three floors. Giovanni Sandoval added Baroque decoration in 1635, including the Diavoli della Zisa fresco above the entrance arch, while restoration began after the Sicilian regional government took over in 1968. The Museum of Islamic Art now occupies the palace with artefacts from across the Mediterranean.

Look closely at the floor in the Fountain Hall: its channel forms two square pools outside and two octagonal pools inside.