Palazzo Rocca is a civil building located in
Alcamo, in the
province of Trapani.
History
This imposing palace was built in 1629 by the
nobleman Salvatore Rocca and was completed by Vincenzo Rocca.
[Giovanni Battista Bembina: Storia ragionata di Alcamo, manoscritto presso la Biblioteca Civica di Alcamo, in appendice] It is considered one of the most important buildings in Alcamo. Today, part of it is used as a
clergy house of the
Church of Saints Paul and Bartholomew and
orphanage
An orphanage is a Residential education, residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the Childcare, care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parent ...
, and another part as a residential building.
Description
The
façade
A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a Loanword, loan word from the French language, French (), which means 'frontage' or 'face'.
In architecture, the façade of a building is often t ...
, still intact, is made with pieces of
ceramics and has
corbel
In architecture, a corbel is a structural piece of stone, wood or metal jutting from a wall to carry a superincumbent weight, a type of bracket. A corbel is a solid piece of material in the wall, whereas a console is a piece applied to the s ...
s and portals of carved stone. On the ground floor there are four shops and three more doors. The main one has a portal realized with very solid
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
travertinoide. Above it is a smooth
pediment
Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape.
Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds.
A pedimen ...
, some
cornice
In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...
s and an open
tympanum ending with two
volutes.
[Roberto Calia: I Palazzi dell'aristocrazia e della borghesia alcamese; Alcamo, Carrubba, 1997]
Above the ground floor is a
mezzanine
A mezzanine (; or in Italian language, Italian, a ''mezzanino'') is an intermediate floor in a building which is partly open to the double-height ceilinged floor below, or which does not extend over the whole floorspace of the building, a loft ...
floor with six small balconies having marble corbels and a
wrought iron
Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag Inclusion (mineral), inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a ...
railing. On the first floor there are two balconies with stone galleries and corbels. On the second floor there is a long balcony, with stone galleries and corbels, and a wrought iron railing.
Finally, the façade is surmounted by a denticulated
eave
The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural styl ...
.
[
From the ]gate
A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word derived from old Norse "gat" meaning road or path; But other terms include ''yett and port''. The concept originally referred to the gap or hole in the wall ...
in the northern part of the building one can enter a magnificent garden, about 1,500 square metres large. Inside are palms, lemons, oranges
An orange is a fruit of various citrus species in the family Rutaceae (see list of plants known as orange); it primarily refers to ''Citrus'' × ''sinensis'', which is also called sweet orange, to distinguish it from the related ''Citrus × ...
, cedars of Lebanon trees and two fountains; one has an octagonal
In geometry, an octagon (from the Greek ὀκτάγωνον ''oktágōnon'', "eight angles") is an eight-sided polygon or 8-gon.
A '' regular octagon'' has Schläfli symbol and can also be constructed as a quasiregular truncated square, t, whi ...
shape, with an iron dome
A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...
in the middle of it. The other one is round and has small columns supporting an iron dome.[
The main entrance leads into a large hall. On the left is a small front door leading to the premises of the clergy house of the Chiesa dei Santi Paolo e Bartolomeo, a gate to the sacristy through a corridor, and a front door leading to the ''Orphanage Sant'Antonio'', with its premises on the first and second floor.][
From the southern side one can enter a mezzanine belonging to the Amodeo family, and a second floor of the Coraci family. On the left of the hall is a room which was used as a ]stable
A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...
, and another entrance with an arch
An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it.
Arches may be synonymous with vaul ...
leading to a flat belonging to the families Benenati-Amodeo, with eight rooms and various accessories.[
The premises of the building have undergone different changes, so some ]fresco
Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...
es, ancient tile
Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, walls, edges, or o ...
s and stone portals have been lost.
See also
* Villa Luisa
* Palazzo Pastore
* Palazzo De Ballis
References
Sources
*
*
*Gian Battista Bembina: Storia ragionata di Alcamo, manoscritto presso la Biblioteca Civica di Alcamo, in appendice
*Roberto Calia: I Palazzi dell'aristocrazia e della borghesia alcamese; Alcamo, Carrubba, 1997
*P.M. Rocca: Di alcuni antichi edifici di Alcamo; Palermo, tip. Castellana-Di Stefano, 1905
External links
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{{Authority control
Buildings and structures in Alcamo
Buildings and structures completed in the 17th century
17th-century establishments in Italy