Description: Fairly near to the Catacombs is Castello Zisa, another Norman castle that must have looked fantastic in its day with its blend of solid no nonsense Norman architecture and ornate Moorish styling.
Unfortunately by the time the city realised just what a treasure it was sitting on, the Castle had got into a very dilapidated state, and today much of what remains is reconstructed, and conjecture from the main Palermo Castle in the city which is in much better condition.
To be honest, the 6 Euros entrance fee is rather steep, as it allows you access to a small area of rather dilapidated garden, and the best view is of some painted plaster work and the remains of a fountain and water pond in one of the courtyards leading away from the castle. You also get some grainy photos of the castle before it was rescued so you can see how run down and close to collapse it had become.
There is a modern staircase which leads up to a number of largely reconstructed rooms and a small number of treasures – there are some Moorish jugs, some window shutters along with a few bits of original and ornate stonework. The displays are sparse giving a distinctly minimalist look to the displays and the rooms – often as few as one item per room.
It is also a little disconcerting that all the pots are on one floor and all the window shutters on another – the museum has a one way system with separate up and down stairs and a circular through room arrangement. We got most disorientated as our knowledge of Moorish pots and shutters was not advance to the point of recognising many differences between one example from another. We almost had a comedy moment (using the term in its loosest form) by going the wrong direction on the stairs.
While the space in the Castello Zisa might afford a suggestion of its heyday, it must have looked far more fantastic in its day; where is here now is no Granada. Another lost opportunity is that you can't actually get out to the top of Zisa Castle to see the view from the top of the tower very well. While I'm not keen on heights I always enjoy a good vantage site across the city, and after climbing the false steps to view the few pots and window shutters I did feel somewhat cheated. I am of an age where I need a reward for climbing so many steps.
To sum up, Castello Zisa might be one to visit if it's raining in Palermo, although on second thoughts the Castle is a couple of miles out from the city and so you would get soaked getting here in the first place... just skip it unless you have very a keen interest in Norman and/or Moorish architecture.
Close