Parco della Favara, Urban park in Brancaccio, Palermo, Italy

The park is a 25-hectare green space in Palermo with walking paths running through planted areas and open sections. Medieval castle ruins sit within its boundaries, part of what was once a royal residence complex.

Roger II built the park before 1153, removing large amounts of earth to create an artificial lake with a palace on its shore, as Romuald of Salerno records. Michele Amari linked it to the Kalbid emir Ja'far II, who ruled Sicily from 998 to 1019, and Ibn Jubayr may have seen it as Qasr Ja'far in 1184. It belonged to the Sollazzi Regi, the royal pleasure residences east of the walls that Arab writers called Jannat al-Ard, and it was opened to the public in 2011 through the FAI.

The name Favara comes from the Arabic al-fawwāra, "the spring". The garden followed the Islamic model of orchards and water, like the agdal of the Maghreb, with citrus and fruit trees and exotic animals. The basin's centre held an island of palms and citrus groves reachable only by boat.

The park is reachable by local bus, with stops nearby and opening hours that change with the seasons. Wear sturdy shoes as paths may be uneven, and bring water, especially on warmer days when sun exposure is greater.

The name Favara comes from Arabic 'al-fawwāra' meaning 'the spring', reflecting the water fountains that once defined this royal garden. Water was central to how the space was designed and used by those who ruled here.