Villa Spedalotto

The villa Spedalotto is a building of classicism in Santa Flavia, Sicily.

Architectural History

The Birth and moneyed aristocracy of Palermo followed especially in the 18th century the general trend, to create a summer residence outside Palermo in Bagheria. Was it at the beginning of the 18th century only about twenty villas, so there were more than sixty prestigious country houses towards the end of the century. The villa Spedalotto 1783 given by Don Barbaro Arezzo on a hill in Bagheria in order. The architect Giovanni Emanuele Incardona, a pupil of Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia built the neoclassical construction 1784-1793. Failure unfinished villa was purchased in 1790 by the Marchese di Paternò Spedalotto. Even today, there is the listed building owned by the Spedalotto family. From this villa Karl Friedrich Schinkel made ​​during his trip to Italy in 1803-1805 to a sketch.

Specifications

Original plans foresaw a two-storey building. Because of the slope of the piano nobile was with its enclosed courtyard garden laid out as a single-storey facility in the style of a Pompeian villa country. On sloping terrain to the sea floor was created with a barrel vault, so that you can enjoy a two-storey sight here with a wide terrace. The classical main façade was preceded in the late 19th century a porch with six Doric columns. In largely preserved the building's interior walls and ceilings with frescoes and classical gouache paintings by Elia Interguglielmi are provided, some of which are clearly inspired by Simon Vouet. In addition to the grotesque in octagonal medallions and the Grisailles with mythological content in particular the allegorical "Four Seasons" and the "Four Continents " worth mentioning.