The Palazzo Paternò del Toscano, also known as the Palazzo del Toscano, is an notable palace in

Piazza Stesicoro Piazza Stesicoro is a rectangular city square in the historic center of the city of Catania, in Sicily, Italy. The piazza is frequently host to markets. The circumvalent street is bisected by Via Etna and at the eastern end opens to the modern bo ...

, in the center of

Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...

, region of

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

, southern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. The building now houses many shops, but is also used by schools, and for cultural programs. The white stone facade stands before the Monument to Vincenzo Bellini and rises in contrast to the palace across via Aetna, the white and black

Palazzo Tezzano The Palazzo Tezzano is a monumental palace in Piazza Stesicoro, in the center of Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. The via Etnea, with prominent shops, bisects the Piazza; this palazzo rises at the northwest intersection with this via, across fro ...

History

The construction of a palace at this site was commissioned by family of the Tedeschi Bonadies, Barons of Villermosa, in the 18th-century during the urban renewal occurring after the 1693 earthquake. The architect

Giovanni Battista Vaccarini Giovanni Battista Vaccarini (3 February 1702 – 11 March 1768) was a Sicilians, Sicilian architect, notable for his work in the Sicilian Baroque style in his homeland during the period of massive rebuilding following the 1693 Sicily earthquake, ea ...

, who designed many of the Baroque structures in the city, was engaged, but his work only achieved a first floor. In 1858 the palace was acquired by the aristocrat Antonino Paternò, first Marquis of Toscano, and mayor (''sindaco'') of Catania. Much of Vaccarini's work is obscured by long-standing scaffolding. With new ownership, continued construction and refurbishment was performed by Luigi Poletti and finally

Enrico Alvino Enrico Alvino (1809–1872) was an Italian architect and urban designer, particularly active in Naples in the mid-19th century. He was born in Milan, and died in Rome. Works Among his important works in Naples are: *façade of the church of San ...

in 1870. To the latter architect, we owe the neoclassical lines, and he guided the interior decoration of the palace. Construction was complete by 1873.

Architecture

The main entrance to the internal courtyard faces the Piazza. The monumental portal is flanked by columns, and has a balcony above the arch. The piano nobile is accessed via a grand staircase decorated with marble and stucco, leading to richly decorated salon. The first floor decoration has touches of Italian art nouveau style, called ''

Liberty style Liberty style ( it, Stile Liberty) was the Italian variant of Art Nouveau, which flourished between about 1890 and 1914. It was also sometimes known as ''stile floreale'', ''arte nuova'', or ''stile moderno''. It took its name from Arthur Lasenby ...

''. It was promulgated by the son of Antonino, Giovanbattista Paternò, who had married an aristocrat of the Caracciolo family of Naples. Giovanbattista also served as city mayor, and commissioned the interior decoration from Alessandro Abate and Giuseppe Scionti in the first decade of the twentieth century. In later decades some of the rooms were used as movie sets.Information cited in itCatania website
they attribute information fro
turismoctgirasiciliawww.virtualsicily.it Cataniablog
Obiettivo Catania; and the Enciclopedia di Catania, a cura di Vittorio Consoli, Catania, Tringale, 1987.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Paternò del Toscano Buildings and structures completed in 1870 Buildings and structures completed in 1910 Palaces in Catania 19th-century architecture in Italy