Zisa Castle
The Castello della Zisa in Palermo is an Arab-Norman castle started by William I and finished by William II in 1167. Together with the Castello della Cuba, it is an example of Fatimite architecture in Sicily.
The Zisa is a masterpiece of engineering and sustainable architecture : it is exposed towards the sea to take in the cool of the breeze and had a ventilation system with holes in the floor that allowed the circulation of air, cooled by a water system partially visible even today.
The Castello della Zisa was part of the circuit of buildings known as Solazzi Regii , splendid palaces of the Norman court located around Palermo. The circuit of the Regi palaces also included the Cuba soprana, now incorporated in the eighteenth-century Villa Di Napoli, the Cubula, located in the ancient Genoardo royal park, the Castle of Cuba and the palace of Favara.
One of the most famous and ancient legends of Palermo is linked to the castle of the Zisa: the legend of the Zisa's Devils . La Zisa today houses the Museum of Islamic Art with finds from all over the Mediterranean.
