{"id":67835,"date":"2015-06-16T08:57:00","date_gmt":"2015-06-16T07:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sicile-sicilia.net\/?p=67835"},"modified":"2026-10-12T21:52:03","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T20:52:03","slug":"villa-di-napoli-and-cubula","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sicile-sicilia.net\/en\/villa-di-napoli-and-cubula","title":{"rendered":"Villa di Napoli and Cubula"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Cubula and Genoardo Park<\/h2>\n

The building of the Cubula<\/strong> was probably linked to the palace of the “Cuba Soprana” (or Torre Alfaina), a 12th-century structure located 200 metres further west.
Built in 1184 by North African architects and workers, this monument also called “Little Cuba” stands 500 metres west of the Palace of the Cuba<\/strong><\/a>, within the vast Genoardo Park<\/strong> where the waters that fed a basin flowed, a park that originally contained numerous kiosks, orchards, pavilions, fountains and basins.<\/p>\n

\"Cubula,<\/a>

Cubula<\/p><\/div>\n

It was a secondary pavilion integrated into a vast palatial and landscape system, organised along a visual and hydraulic axis linking several Norman constructions.<\/p>\n

This very well-preserved monument was used as an agricultural tower in the 15th century, then incorporated into the park of the 18th-century Villa Napoli.
It has a square shape, with a pointed arch opening on each side, covered by a red dome.<\/p>\n

\"cubola-barberis-1892\"<\/a>

The Cubola in 1892<\/p><\/div>\n

Inside the dome one can notice corner squinches with niches that are typical elements of Arab-Norman architecture. Traces of plaster and interior polychromy have been recorded, suggesting that the interior was originally richly decorated, unlike its current sober appearance<\/p>\n

Cuba Soprana (Villa Napoli)<\/h2>\n

200 metres west of the Cubula, the Cuba Soprana<\/strong> was bought back in the 18th century by Don Carlo Napoli, who completely remodelled it to create the present Villa Napoli<\/strong>, a private palace of aristocratic character, which rests on the earlier medieval structure.<\/p>\n

\"Villa<\/a>

Villa di Napoli<\/p><\/div>\n

It is identified by medieval sources as a Norman royal palace distinct from the Palace of the Cuba, serving as a secondary residence or reception pavilion.<\/p>\n

Of the original construction, only a pointed arcade and walled-up openings are preserved in the eastern facade of the Villa (which may have been the main facade of the Norman building).
Above all, a complex system of water channels from the Gabriele springs has been discovered in the basement of the villa, which appears to feed a fountain of the palace and an external basin on the eastern side.<\/p>\n

The Cubula (little Cuba) stands in the axis of the eastern facade of the villa, within a planned landscape composition.<\/p>\n

Gallery<\/h2>\n\n\n