Palermo, the Zisa Castle will be restored

Palermo’s Zisa Castle, which dates back to 1165, is to be restored some 30 years after the last intervention, and the Regional Department of Cultural Heritage and Sicilian Identity is earmarking one million euros for the work.

“The palace of the Zisa, beyond its unquestionable historical-monumental importance,” says Alberto Samonà, councillor of Cultural Heritage and Sicilian Identity, “still represents an innovative and modern example of bioclimatic architecture. Created as a summer residence, in fact, the Zisa was built following the arrangements known at the time to ensure a natural refrigeration system; systems and methods that are still highly innovative today. The intervention on the Zisa, in which as the regional government we are investing, comes almost thirty years after the last restoration, carried out in 1972 on a project by architect Giuseppe Caronia, and aims at the preservation and enhancement of the monument.”

The Zisa Castle, from the Arabic Al-Aziza, meaning “the splendid,” stood outside the walls of Palermo, inside the royal park and stretched with lush gardens, fountains and water basins, from Altofonte to the walls of the Royal Palace.

The restoration work will involve work on the structure and the entire surrounding garden, with external landscaping of the green areas and the construction of water and lighting systems. In addition, work will be carried out with the removal of ruined parts and the restoration of structures that make the site inaccessible, the restoration of glazed ceramic floors, marble coverings, frescoes and mosaics on the walls.
Significant interventions will be related to the water flow system. In particular, it is planned to waterproof the fishpond and create a recirculation system that will ensure the quality of the water used, removing it from mold and microorganisms that would alter the marbles on which it flows.
On the roof terrace, the protection system will be improved with the insertion of glass panes for greater visitor safety.
Finally, the area of the archaeological excavation will be the subject of a deepening and protection intervention that will be followed by the Archaeological Section of the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage of Palermo, directed by Lina Bellanca.

Palermo, the Zisa Castle will be restored

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