The vault is a type of architectural roof with a thrust structure. It can be as simple as a barrel vault, which is a semi-circular roof made of brick, stone or stuccoed lintel, usually used as a ceiling for rectangular rooms. The vault can also be composed like the cross vault, a characteristic ele...

The Belice earthquake occurred on the night of 14-15 January 1968. With a magnitude of 6.4, it struck the entire Belice Valley and the provinces of Trapani, Agrigento and Palermo. There were around 200 victims, with almost a thousand injured and 90,000 displaced. The towns most affected and almost c...

A feudal family of the Sicilian aristocracy, the Notarbartolo di Sciara family settled in Zisa in 1808, after the death of the last Sandoval heir. The palace remained in the hands of the Notarbartolo family until the middle of the 20th century, when it was expropriated by the Sicilian Region....

The word solarium comes from solis, meaning sun. In Roman villas and houses, it was the open space, exposed to sunlight or air. Therefore, it could take the form of an open terrace or loggia....

A Spanish family of royal origin, the Sandovals were descended from the kings of León. At the end of the 14th century, one branch settled in Naples while another settled in Sicily. The Sandoval family acquired the Zisa Palace in the 17th century and carried out a series of transformations and renov...

Tuff is one of the most widely used pyroclastic rocks as a building material since ancient times. Under the name "tuff", various soft limestone rocks with similar characteristics are combined. One of the special features of tuff is its lightness and its ability to be easily worked, sawn and moulded....

Muqarnas is an ornamental decoration typical of Islamic architecture, mostly found in the vaults of buildings. Also known as the alveoli or stalactite decoration, they were also used in the domes, niches and doorways. They became more widespread from the 12th century onwards and could be made of a v...

Capital, from the Latin capitellum, diminutive of caput , i.e. head, is an architectural element placed as the end of a load-bearing structure, such as a pilaster or a column. The capital is usually decorated according to the canons of the Classical period and the relevant styles: Doric, Ionic, Cori...

The mosaic ornaments on the western side of the fountain room are an original example of secular mosaics, which do not deal with themes related to ecclesiastical life. Of Byzantine type and with Islamic iconography, the mosaic panels, with a gold background, show two facing archers, in the centre of...

The pointed arch, or ogival arch, consists of two circular arches intersecting at the apex. It was used in Islamic and Byzantine architecture and was revived in Sicily (in Cefalù, Palermo and Monreale) during the Norman-Swabian period. It also appeared in Cluny in 1088, with the construction of the...