Leandro Alberti was born in Bologna in 1479. After undertaking humanistic and theological studies, he entered the Dominican order in 1493. A man of refined historical and philosophical knowledge, he was an inquisitor in Bologna and vicar of the Roman convent of Santa Sabina. His most important work ...

Romualdo Guarna, also known as Romualdo Salernitano, was born in Palermo between 1110 and 1120. He was Archbishop of Salerno from 1153 to 1181, the year of his death, and is best known for having written a universal history, called Chronicon sive Annales, which recounted the events of the world from...

William II was called the Good, unlike his father who was called the Bad. Born in Palermo in 1153, he assumed the throne at the age of 12 after the death of William I, protected by his mother Margaret of Navarre. Crowned in 1171, he became of age and devoted himself to strengthening relations with t...

William II was called the Good, unlike his father who was called the Bad. Born in Palermo in 1153, he assumed the throne at the age of 12 after the death of William I, protected by his mother Margaret of Navarre. Crowned in 1171, he became of age and devoted himself to strengthening relations with t...

Son of Henry VI of Hohenstaufen and Constance of Hauteville, Frederick II was born in Jesi on 26 November 1194. He was King of Sicily (1198), King of Jerusalem (1225) and Emperor (1220). Orphaned at the age of four, he was entrusted to the guardianship of Pope Innocent III before being crowned Emper...

From the Arabic word “saqiya”, saie were used for channelling water and took the form of a very dense network of pipes and channels that brought water up to the surface. The saie were also required for irrigation....

Collection systems that were used to create artificial water sources. They took the form of a series of underground tunnels draining, transporting and distributing water from the water table to the surface. Qanāt are also present in the Altofonte Park and the Genoard Park. ...

The chapel attached to the palace in Altofonte Park was dedicated to the Archangel Michael. Currently, it remains partially in its original appearance after being restored in the 1930s by architect Valenti. The small dome stands at the centre of the chapel, supported by round arches and a cylindrica...

The palace in Altofonte Park, built by Roger II as a summer residence and hunting lodge, was architecturally very similar to the Favara Palace, where the sovereign resided in winter. The Altofonte palace is actually composed of a series of rooms, all arranged around a porticoed courtyard, embellishe...

The origin of the Favara castle is controversial. It may have been a new building commissioned by Roger or simply a restoration of pre-existing architecture. In fact, the palace is stylistically similar to the Fatimite architecture of North Africa, with the exception of the Byzantine-style chapel....