the Zisa
the Zisa over the centuries

The senses tell the Zisa over the centuries

hearing
An event to remember

The collapse of the Zisa caused such a loud roar that it was heard throughout most of the city. It’s almost as if we can still hear the cries of dismay of the local inhabitants, who were shaken by this serious event.

sight
Changing visions

The image of the Zisa, which had been intact for centuries and reproduced in drawings and prints, changed appearance several times in the last thirty years of the 20th century, first as a building still intact but in a state of neglect, then collapsed, then encased in scaffolding and finally restored in all its austere, compact form.

The senses tell the historical context

Intertwining of knowledge in Norman Palermo

The Royal Throne

The senses tell the interior

The ancient convent of the Martorana, a history of devotion and tradition

The flooring: shapes, motifs and iconography

The senses tell the historical context

The mosaics of the naves

The architectural appearance and transformations over time

The Norman conquest of Sicily and the birth of a new Latin kingdom

The senses tell the ceiling

The senses tell baroque decoration

From oblivion to the recovery of memory

The senses tell restorations

The beautiful Zisa and its garden: solacium regi among sounds, colours and scents

The senses tell the flooring

The interior of the church

The Admiral’s dedication

The Cassaro

Different styles and transformations of “one of the most beautiful monuments in the world”

A building constructed in a short space of time

The senses tell the architecture and decorations

The senses tell the historical context

the Baroque exterior

The architectural space

The opus sectile floor of the Palatine Chapel

The Palace of Kings

The senses tell the architecture

The architectural envelope: the Greek cross layout oriented towards the light

The mosaic cycle, an ascending path towards the light

Saint Peter’s Chapel in the Royal Palace

the Baroque interior

the roof of Paradise: one of the most representative works of medieval art

The senses tell the external architecture and the original layout

The loca solatiorum: dwellings for recreation, well-being and hunting

The mosaics of the transept and the apses

The Genoard Park, the garden of pleasures and wonders

The birth of the Norman kingdom

The return of water

Restorations

Gold and light: the splendour of the mosaics in the Royal Chapel

The decorations on the bell tower

The senses tell the mosaic cycle

Decorations

Shapes and colours of the wooden ceiling

The senses tell the Zisa over the centuries

From earthquake to collapse

An architectural crescendo

The rediscovered palace