Palazzina Cinese
This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2016) |
Chinese Palace | |
---|---|
Palazzina Cinese | |
Alternative names | Real Casina alla Cinese |
General information | |
Status | now used as a museum |
Type | Palace |
Architectural style | Eclecticism |
Location | Palermo, Italy |
Construction started | 1799 |
Completed | 1806 |
Client | Ferdinand III of Bourbon |
Technical details | |
Floor count | 3 |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia |
The Chinese Palace (
History
The building was designed in 1799 by the architect Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia on commission by the King Ferdinand III of Sicily.[1] The ruler had previously bought land and a house that was Chinese in design, belonging to the Baron Benedetto Lombardo and designed by Marvuglia himself.[1] The architectural complex and its garden were completed between 1800 and 1806.
In 1860, as a result of the Unification of Italy, the residence passed to the House of Savoy. Then, it became the property of the Comune of Palermo and has been converted into a museum.
Description
The apartments of the Palace are distributed on three floors. On the first floor, there is the entry hall, a small office, a dining room (with a "magical" table) and the King's bedroom. The second floor was dedicated to the servants and has a much lower ceiling and no frescos: male workers on one side and female workers on the other. The third floor contains the apartments of the Queen Maria Carolina of Austria.[1] including a reception room and her private chambers. The Queen's floor is entirely surrounded by an open-air terrace giving a view of the gardens, accessible either from the interior or from two external circular staircases. The 4th and uppermost floor is an octagonal terrace covered like a pagoda.
The grand reception hall (or ballroom), bathing room, and magical table room are found semi-underground, beneath the king's living quarters.
The building is decorated with paintings and frescoes of
Gallery
-
Frescoes with Chinoiserie, Giuseppe Velazquez
-
Fresco, Giuseppe Velazquez
-
The garden
-
Pitrè Museum
See also
- Parco della Favorita
- Riserva naturale orientata Monte Pellegrino
- Museo Etnografico Siciliano Giuseppe Pitrè
References
- ^ a b c "Storia della Palazzina Cinese - Official site of the La Favorita Park". Archived from the original on 2018-05-16.
External links
- (in Italian) Image gallery
- (in Italian) History of the palace - Provincia Regionale di Palermo