La Zisa

This Norman-era palace on the western edge of old Palermo was built in the 12th century as a summer pleasure residence for the kings of Sicily, its name derived from an Arabic word for splendour. Designed with Islamic craftsmanship, it used clever devices to keep cool, including a fountain hall where water once flowed down a carved channel to circulate air through the rooms. Now restored, it houses a museum of Islamic art with carved screens, ceramics and metalwork behind its plain, blocky exterior.