Castello della Cuba is the last monument that Normans built in the city of Palermo. The name Cuba derives from the Arabic Qubba (dome)
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The building dates back to 1180: William II called in Arab architects to create a large pavilion in the magnificent Parco Genoardo, the same location as the Castle of Zisa and the Cubula, where visitors can enjoy festivities and find refreshment during the hottest days. Rectangular in shape, it has thick walls and few openings, so as to be better protected from the heat. Internally, it is divided into three communicating rooms. In the centre of the building, an eight-pointed star-shaped impluvium conveyed rainwater. The middle room was adorned with stalactites called muqarnas, of which only one specimen remains.
The arrival of the Angevins marked the oblivion of Cuba and the end of the idyllic park, which was left in ruins.
Castello della Cuba was also the setting for the sixth novella of the fifth day of Boccaccio’s Decameron. Between 1575 and 1576, the structure became a lazaret, while during the Bourbon period it housed the cavalry. Only recently did the monument pass from the Italian State to the Region of Sicily, which restored it to its magnificence.