The Chinese Palace ( it, Palazzina Cinese), also known as ''Real Casina alla Cinese'', is a former royal residence of the
House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies
The House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies is a cadet branch of the Spanish royal family, Spanish Bourbons that ruled Southern Italy and Sicily for more than a century in the 18th and 19th centuries. It descends from the Capetian dynasty in legitimate ma ...
designed in the style of ''
Chinoiserie
(, ; loanword from French ''wikt:chinoiserie#French, chinoiserie'', from ''wikt:chinois#French, chinois'', "Chinese"; ) is the European interpretation and imitation of China, Chinese and other East Asia, East Asian artistic traditions, especial ...
''. It is located in
Palermo
Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...
, inside the park of
La Favorita
''La favorite'' (''The Favourite'', sometimes referred to by its Italian title: ''La favorita'') is a grand opera in four acts by Gaetano Donizetti to a French-language libretto by Alphonse Royer and Gustave Vaëz, based on the play ''Le comte ...
. The
Ethnographic Museum of Sicily, named after
Giuseppe Pitrè
Giuseppe Pitrè (22 December 184110 April 1916) was an Italian folklorist, medical doctor, professor, and senator for Sicily. As a folklorist he is credited with extending the realm of folklore to include all manifestations of popular life. He is ...
, is located in one of the Palace's guesthouse.
History
The building was designed in 1799 by the architect
Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia on commission by the King
Ferdinand III of Sicily
Ferdinand I (12 January 1751 – 4 January 1825) was the King of the Two Sicilies from 1816, after his restoration following victory in the Napoleonic Wars. Before that he had been, since 1759, Ferdinand IV of the Kingdom of Naples and Ferdinand I ...
.
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.
The architectural complex and its garden were completed between 1800 and 1806.
In 1860, as a result of the
Unification of Italy
The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century Political movement, political and social movement that resulted in the Merger (politics), consolidation of List of historic stat ...
, the residence passed to the
House of Savoy
The House of Savoy ( it, Casa Savoia) was a royal dynasty that was established in 1003 in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, the family grew in power from ruling a small Alpine county north-west of Italy to absolute rule of ...
. 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 are the reception hall, a dining room and the bedroom of the King. On the second floor there is the apartment of the Queen
Maria Carolina of Austria
Maria Carolina Louise Josepha Johanna Antonia (13 August 1752 – 8 September 1814) was List of consorts of Naples, Queen of Naples and List of Sicilian consorts, Sicily as the wife of King Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies. As ''de facto'' ruler ...
.
On the third floor there's an octagonal terrace covered like a pagoda.
The building is decorated with paintings and frescoes of
Giuseppe Velazquez,
Vincenzo Riolo and other artists.
Gallery
File:Palazzina cinese 0017.JPG, Frescoes with ''Chinoiserie'', Giuseppe Velazquez
File:Palazzina cinese 0009.JPG, Fresco, Giuseppe Velazquez
File:Palazzina cinese 0006.JPG, The garden
File:2012-11-03 Museo Pitre Ingresso 2560x1920.jpg, Pitrè Museum
See also
*
Parco della Favorita
La Favorita Park (Italian language, Italian: Parco della Favorita or Real Tenuta della Favorita) is a large city park in Palermo, Italy. Established in 1799 by Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies, Ferdinand III of Sicily, it has an overall area of , ...
*
Riserva naturale orientata Monte Pellegrino
*
Museo Etnografico Siciliano Giuseppe Pitrè
References
External links
*
Image gallery*
{{Coord, 38.1666, N, 13.3304, E, source:wikidata, display=title
Cinese
Royal residences in the Kingdom of Sicily
Eclectic architecture
Chinoiserie