Description
Stunning, prestigious, noble palace built in Napoleon III style around 1875.
Facade entirely in carved white stone with richly decorated jambs (ovates, acanthus leaves, regular Greek keys, geometric segments) and central balcony bearing the noble coat of arms of the Pennisi di Floristella family, who commissioned the building, at the top.
Large original door in solid wood, surmounted by a wrought iron cornice with floral decorations in classic volutes and Robbian styles.
Majestic entrance staircase made of various marbles and stucco of unprecedented elegance.
Original railing with a classic and floral theme.
Three flights and three landings: low, intermediate and terminal. Bright environment thanks to the central windows placed high up and the balcony (with railing and antique fixtures) that overlooks the internal cloister.
Double entrance with original doors. Capodimonte floors and frescoes depicting the Pennisi coat of arms in the first room on the left and decorations with a faunal theme and volutes in pure gold in the second room.
Entering, on the right, we find an immense reception room of about ten meters by ten richly decorated. Stupendous floor in Capodimonte relief majolica made specifically for the palace and its patrons. Unique work, with a faunal, geometric and floral theme. Central rosette depicting the Greek God Pan and the Maenads (procession of the god Dionysus) symbol of fertility, harmony with nature and regeneration.
Colossal vault decorated to deceive the eye simulating an open space in classical style populated by various characters and symbols.
The Arts. The greatest poets of all time. Philosophers. And then vases of flowers, cherubs, still lifes, birds and geometric figures finished in pure gold. Repeated themes on the beautiful decorative inserts above the doors.
The palace is on two floors, all divisible according to one's tastes and the most diverse needs. Large internal terrace, both from the upper floor and from the second terrace/attic, spectacular view of the sea and Etna, as well as the dome of the basilica of San Sebastiano.
From a stylistic point of view, to better frame this beautiful residence aesthetically and iconographically while also giving it the right commercial value, it should be remembered that the Napoleon III style, or Second Empire, was born in France during the empire of Napoleon III, and characterized art and architecture between 1852 and 1870 (and well beyond, especially in the rest of Europe and in Italy). During the reign of Napoleon III, France experienced a period of extraordinary economic prosperity, which allowed it to return to being a war power, as in the era of Bonaparte.
The wealth and euphoria of grandeur were reflected in the furnishings and architectural works that flourished in that period: there we find the taste for luxury, pomp, self-celebration of aristocratic and monarchical power;...--c3dedad7b872ab52ae660e2734899c31!
