The Duke of Maqueda, Bernardino de Cárdenas y Portugal, Viceroy of Sicily from 1598 to 1601, initiated a major urban development project in the city of Palermo: the transversal cut of the Cassaro. He significantly contributed to the enhancement of the Royal Palace with the construction, in 1600, of the Maqueda Courtyard—a structure consisting of three loggias, with the middle level being the tallest.