Castello di Maredolce

The Castello di Maredolce, also known as the Palazzo della Favara, was a historic seat of the Norman kings in Palermo. It stands in the Parco Vecchio, the older section of the royal park south of the medieval old town. The name comes from a nearby spring that fed an artificial freshwater lake. This lake, which was made of fresh water, unlike the Tyrrhenian Sea, originally surrounded the castle on three sides. The complex thus combines architectural history with local geography and the importance of water sources in shaping the royal park.