Zisa Palace

The Zisa (Italian: [ˈdziːza], Sicilian: [ˈtsiːsa]) is a grand 12th-century Norman hunting lodge and summer palace in the western area of Palermo, in the region of Sicily, Italy. The edifice was started around 1165 by Arab craftsmen under the rule of the Norman conqueror of Sicily, king William I. It was not finished until 1189, under the rule of William II. It is presently open to the public for tours.

The name Zisa derives from the Arabic term al-ʿAzīza (العزيزة), meaning 'the Dear one' or 'the Splendid one'. The same word, in Naskh script, is impressed in the entrance, according to the usual habit for the main Islamic edifices of the time. The structure was conceived as a summer residence for the Norman kings, as a part of the large hunting resort known as Genoardo (Arabic: جنة الأرض, romanized: Jannat al-Arḍ, lit. 'Earthly Paradise') that included also the Cuba Sottana, the Cuba Soprana and the Uscibene palace, and extensive gardens, of which no traces remain. Joan of England, widow of William II, was once confined to the palace by the new king Tancred of Sicily due to her backing Princess Constance aunt of William II to ascend the throne.

At the end of the 15th century the building fell into disrepair while in private hands. In 1635, a new owner, Giovanni de Sandoval, cousin to the Viceroy of Sicily, acquired the palace for free due to its poor state. The palace remained in the hands of the Sandoval family until 1808, when it eventually fell again to ruin. From 1808 to the 1950s the building was used a residence by the princes Notarbartolo di Sciara. In the 1990s, the building was picked up for restoration by the Region of Sicily. In July 2015 it was included in the UNESCO Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalù and Monreale World Heritage Site.

Text adapted from “Zisa, Palermo” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Zisa Palace ranks #917 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #68 of the 452 mapped in Italy. Founded c. 1165, it is older than 81% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 544 atlas entries founded in the 12th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 5,177 times in the last 60 days, more than 85% of the atlas. Wikidata records about 43,000 visitors in 2022. 7 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. It is one of the 22 landmarks on the atlas's regional map of Sicily. See how Italy compares in the castle statistics.

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