The Palazzo Butera is a

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

-style aristocratic palace located facing the Mediterranean in the ancient quarter of

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 ...

of central

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , 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 province. The ...

, region of Sicily, Italy. On the shoreside, the long facade has a wide terrace, built atop the base of the former walls and called Passeggiata delle Cattive, in front of this is the park

Foro Italico Foro Italico is a sports complex in Rome, Italy, on the slopes of Monte Mario. It was built between 1928 and 1938 as the Foro Mussolini (literally Benito Mussolini, Mussolini's Forum (Roman), Forum) under the design of Enrico Del Debbio and, lat ...

, in front, rising just south of

Porta Felice Porta Felice is a monumental city gate of Palermo, Sicily; the gate is located in the zone of the Foro Italico and the Castellammare quarter. It represents the water-side entrance into Via Vittorio Emanuele (formerly the Cassaro), the most anci ...

and Via Vittorio Emanuele (the Cassaro); the access to the palace is from the land-side street of Via Butera.

History

Affresco di Giovacchino Martorana Palazzo Butera Palermo

The privileged site, located at a welcome point from the port into the town, was previously the site of a large home of the Imperatore family. In 1692, it was acquired by Girolamo

Branciforte Branciforte, originally named Villa de Branciforte, was the last of only three secular ''pueblos'' founded by the Spanish colonial government of Alta California. The pueblo was established in 1797 on the eastern bluff of the San Lorenzo River, ...

, Marquess of Martini, who commissioned a small palace or casino at the site. In 1718, the son of Girolamo, Ercole Michele Branciforte e Gravina, married Caterina Branciforte e

Ventimiglia Ventimiglia (; , ; ; ) is a resort town in the province of Imperia, Liguria, northern Italy. It is located west of Genoa, and from the French-Italian border, on the Gulf of Genoa, having a small harbour at the mouth of the Roia river, w ...

, daughter of the prince of Butera and Duke of Santa Lucia, Nicolò Placido. This family gained the hereditary title of Prince of Butera. Ercole Michele commissioned designs refurbishment and enlargement of the palace from the architect Giacomo Amato. By 1735, the palace had acquired the roofline balustrade. In 1760, and the palace belonging to the Moncada and adjacent to the Butera palace was incorporated. This allowed for the creation of a large ballroom. The main entrance to the piano nobile is through marble stairs. The coat of arms of the Branciforte with the lion is prominently displayed. Much of the interior fresco decoration was completed by

Gioacchino Martorana Gioacchino Martorana (19 August 1736 – 27 November 1779) was a Sicilian painter. He was the son of Pietro Martorana and a member of an extended family of decorators and artists from Palermo. Martorana was born in Palermo, in the Medit ...

and

Olivio Sozzi Olivio may refer to: * Olivio (restaurant), Dutch Michelin starred restaurant People * Olívio Dutra Olívio de Oliveira Dutra (; born 10 June 1941 in Bossoroca, Rio Grande do Sul) is a Brazilian politician. He is a founding member of the W ...

. Some of the interior decorations were designed by

Ferdinando Fuga Ferdinando Fuga (11 November 1699 – 7 February 1782) was an Italian architect who was born in Florence, and is known for his work in Rome and Naples. Much of his early work was in Rome, notably, the Palazzo della Consulta (1732–7) at the Quir ...

during 1728 al 1741, and the stucco and artisan construction led by Giuseppe Li Gotti. In 1759, a large fire destroyed a large portion of the palace, leading to a new refurbishment under the patronage of prince Ercole Branciforte. The architect Paolo Vivaldi was used for some of the designs. The refurbishment was carried on by Ercole's son, prince Salvatore Branciforti. Some of the fresco decorations were pursued by

, Emanuele and

Elia Interguglielmi Elia Interguglielmi (1746 – 16 May 1835) was an Italian painter of the Neoclassical style, active in Naples and Palermo. Biography Elia Interguglielmi was born in Naples in 1746. He initially worked under Gaspare Fumagalli in Palermo. He is ...

, Gioacchino and Pietro Martorana, and the quadraturista Gaspare Fumagalli. Francesco Alaimo completed some of the stuccowork. In 1773, Ercole Michele Branciforti e Pignatelli, prince of Pietraperzia, aligned with a local rebellion in Sicily and was jailed by the viceroy Caracciolo. He appears to have been a scholarly fan of the new sciences and enlightenment, seeing a

Montgolfier The Montgolfier brothers – Joseph-Michel Montgolfier (; 26 August 1740 – 26 June 1810) and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier (; 6 January 1745 – 2 August 1799) – were aviation pioneers, balloonists and paper manufacturers from the Communes o ...

-type hot air ballon released from the terrace in 1784. He also hosted at the palace visitors like Goethe, Hackert,

Dominique-Vivant Denon Dominique Vivant, Baron Denon (; 4 January 1747 – 27 April 1825) was a French artist, writer, diplomat, author, and archaeologist. Denon was a diplomat for France under Louis XV and Louis XVI. He was appointed as the first Director of the Louv ...

, Jean-Pierre Houel and

Friedrich Münter Friedrich Christian Carl Heinrich Münter (14 October 1761 – 9 April 1830) was a German-Danish scholar, theologian, and Bishop of Zealand from 1808 until his death. His name has also been recorded as Friederich Münter. In addition to his pos ...

. Upon the death of Stefania Branciforte, last princess of Butera, the titles were transferred to the

Lanza family Lanza are an Italian noble family that originated in Sicily in the 15th century. Derived from a cadet branch of the ''Lancia family'', Longi, barons of Longi, it represents one of the major dynasties of the Sicilian aristocracy. Over the centur ...

, princes of Trabia and Dukes of Camastra. The prince Pietro Lanza Galletti and his wife Giulia Florio d’Ondes still resided in the palace during World War II; two of their sons died during the war. After 1950, the palace had various owners of local government institutions, housing a tourism institute. In 2016, the palace was purchased by the gallery owner Massimo Valsecchi and his wife Francesca, who have led a restoration of the structure for use as museum and cultural events.Palermo Viva website
entry by Nicola Stanzione.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butera Palermo Palaces in Palermo

Butera Butera ( Sicilian: ''Vutera'') is an Italian town and commune in the province of Caltanissetta, in the southern part of the island of Sicily. It is bounded by the communes of Gela, Licata, Mazzarino, Ravanusa and Riesi. It is located from ...