{"id":67845,"date":"2015-07-15T14:05:06","date_gmt":"2015-07-15T13:05:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sicile-sicilia.net\/?p=67845"},"modified":"2026-10-12T21:52:06","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T20:52:06","slug":"cuba-palace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sicile-sicilia.net\/en\/cuba-palace","title":{"rendered":"Cuba Palace"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It was in the middle of the vast park called Genoardo<\/strong> \u2013 from the Arabic “Jannatt al-ard” meaning “paradise on earth” \u2013 that King William II<\/strong> had the Cuba Palace<\/strong> built around 1180. Its name comes from the Arabic “Qubba,” which means “dome.” It is also known as Cuba Sottana or Cuba Castle.
It was surrounded by a basin. Today partially restored, it was a leisure pavilion for the king and his court, also used for official receptions and ceremonies, notably banquets and royal festivities. The Spanish viceroys also later used it as a residence.
One of the stories in The Decameron<\/em><\/a> by Boccaccio, written in the 14th century, is set in the park around the Cuba, with the love story between Gian di Procida and Restituta.<\/p>\n

\"Cuba<\/a>

Cuba Palace<\/p><\/div>\n

The Genoardo was a royal park of the Islamic-Norman type, with terraced gardens, basins and shaded avenues, inspired by the Fatimid and Zirid gardens of North Africa. Historians moreover consider that Fatimid workers took part in the construction of the palace.<\/p>\n

Architecture of the Cuba and art<\/h2>\n

The palace is rectangular in shape, measuring 31.5 meters in length and 16.80 meters in width, with in the middle of each facade a projecting tower-shaped body, the most important of which was the only access, with a passage over the lake.
This arrangement recalls Islamic palatial models, combining defensive and decorative functions, with towers serving both as loggias and as elements of architectural symmetry.
Its construction with thick walls and few openings helps maintain a moderate temperature in summer. This thermoregulation technique is characteristic of Mediterranean and Islamic architecture.<\/p>\n

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