Maredolce Castle

F.Lo Valvo · CC BY-SA 4.0

Palermo, PA

Maredolce Castle, also called Favara, is an Arab-Norman pleasure palace, built around the 10th century in an oasis with a large artificial lake that has since disappeared. It was a leisure residence of the emirs and then of the Norman kings.

The palace still shows its layout, with the large courtyard and the arches over the old stretch of water. For centuries the building remained swallowed up in the fabric of a working-class neighbourhood, until it was recovered and restored.

It is one of the least visited places in Palermo, but it conveys well the taste of medieval courts for water and gardens.

• 1 hour
• Spring and autumn
• Visit at ground level; the ground around is uneven.
• It is a little outside the centre: get there by car or taxi. Combine the visit with the other Arab-Norman stops in Palermo.