Palazzo Isnello (also known as Palazzo Termine d'Isnello or Palazzo Sant'Antimo al Cassaro) is an historic

palazzo A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

situated between the ancient via del Cassaro and Piazza Borsa, in the

Kalsa Kalsa or Mandamento Tribunali is a historical quarter of the Italian city of Palermo in Sicily. It is sometimes referred to as la Kalsa or the Kalsa. Names The common name of the quarter, ''Kalsa'', derives from the district's historic Arabic n ...

quarter of

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 ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. On the ''

piano nobile The ''piano nobile'' (Italian for "noble floor" or "noble level", also sometimes referred to by the corresponding French term, ''bel étage'') is the principal floor of a palazzo. This floor contains the main reception and bedrooms of the hou ...

'' of the house, the vault of the ballroom is frescoed with an ''

Apotheosis of Palermo The ''Apotheosis of Palermo'' is a fresco by Vito D'Anna in the Palazzo Isnello, Palermo, Italy, considered one of the most representative works of the Sicilian Baroque painting. It is one of the seven monumental representations of the Genius of ...

'', one of seven monumental representations of the

Genius of Palermo The Genius of Palermo (in Italian ''Genio di Palermo'', also called ''Genio'' or ''Palermo'') is one of the city symbols and the lay patron of Palermo. He was the ancient numen and genius loci of the Sicilian city. The Genius is the emblem of ...

, ancient

numen Numen (plural numina) is a Latin term for "divinity", "divine presence", or "divine will." The Latin authors defined it as follows:For a more extensive account, refer to Cicero writes of a "divine mind" (''divina mens''), a god "whose numen ever ...

of the city. There is also a fresco depicting an allegory of The Four Seasons, painted by

Francesco Sozzi Francesco Sozzi (26 October 1732 – 1795) was an Italian painter, active in style characteristic of the Rococo period in Palermo. He is distinguished from other fellow painters for his graceful, delicate, and elegant style. He was the son of Oli ...

History

The house, constructed during the 18th century and completed circa 1760, was designed by an anonymous architect for the

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

s of Isnello and

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

s of Baucina. The palazzo was built incorporating six existing

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

houses. In the 19th century the historian

Michele Amari Michele Amari (7 July 1806 – 16 July 1889) was a Sicilian patriot, historian and orientalist. Biography Born at Palermo son of Ferdinando and Giulia Venturelli, he devoted a great part of his life to the history of Sicily. Amari was also a ...

lived in the palace until 1843, when he became unwelcome to the

Bourbons The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spanish ...

Two Sicilies The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies ( it, Regno delle Due Sicilie) was a kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1860. The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by population and size in Italy before Italian unification, comprising Sicily and a ...

for his autonomist and revolutionary ideas expressed in a published article on the

Sicilian Vespers The Sicilian Vespers ( it, Vespri siciliani; scn, Vespiri siciliani) was a successful rebellion on the island of Sicily that broke out at Easter 1282 against the rule of the French-born king Charles I of Anjou, who had ruled the Kingdom of S ...

war,

''La Guerra del Vespro Siciliano''
on the Italian

Wikisource Wikisource is an online digital library of free-content textual sources on a wiki, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Wikisource is the name of the project as a whole and the name for each instance of that project (each instance usually rep ...

. and was forced into exile in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the building was hit by a

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

bomb. Since the 1980s the ballroom and other halls and rooms may be hired for functions; the remainder of the house remains a private residence. In 2006, for the bicentennial of the birth of

, the city of

placed a commemorative plaque on the east facade.

References

Bibliography

*Citti Siracusano, ''La pittura del Settecento in Sicilia''. Rome, De Luca, 1986. *Giuliano Briganti (editor). ''La Pittura in Italia. Il Settecento'' (volume 2). Milan, Electa, 1990. *Sergio Troisi, ''Vito D'Anna''. Palermo, «Kalos», issue 4, July/August, 1993. *Rita Cedrini. ''Repertorio delle dimore nobili e notabili nella Sicilia del XVIII secolo''. Palermo, Regione Siciliana BBCCAA, 2003. *Giulia Sommariva. ''Palazzi nobiliari a Palermo''. Palermo, Flaccovio, 2004.

Notes

External links

Palazzo Isnello
on

Flickr Flickr ( ; ) is an American image hosting and video hosting service, as well as an online community, founded in Canada and headquartered in the United States. It was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and was a popular way for amateur and professional ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Isnello

Palazzo Isnello Palazzo Isnello (also known as Palazzo Termine d'Isnello or Palazzo Sant'Antimo al Cassaro) is an historic palazzo situated between the ancient via del Cassaro and Piazza Borsa, in the Kalsa quarter of Palermo, Sicily. On the '' piano nobile'' o ...

Palaces in Palermo Houses completed in 1780