Bagheria: Villa Palagonia Guided Tour

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Discover the Villa Palagonia in Bagheria, Sicily, on a guided tour. Explore the villa's many rooms, including the chapel and the billiard room, and see the famous "Gallery or Hall of Mirrors."

Highlights

  • Marvel at the Villa Palagonia, a baroque masterpiece in Bagheria, Sicily
  • Admire the villa's unique architecture and its many statues and frescoes
  • Learn about the history of the villa and its many illustrious visitors
  • Explore the villa's many rooms, including the chapel and the billiard room
  • See the villa's famous 'Gallery or Hall of Mirrors' and its many paintings

Description

Explore the Villa Palagonia in Bagheria, Sicily, on a guided tour. Admire the villa's unique architecture and learn about its history from your guide. Meet your guide and set off to explore the villa. Hear about the villa's construction, which began in 1715 at the behest of Don Ferdinando Gravina and Crujllas, 4th prince of Palagonia. Learn about the Dominican friar Tommaso Maria Napoli, who was commissioned to design the holiday residence. Hear about the construction of the lower bodies that surround the villa and the completion of the entire monumental complex of Villa Palagonia with the internal and external decorations and furnishings. Admire the villa's extraordinary unitary planimetric design, with all the elements that develop and act in coordination with the barycentric axis of the avenue. See the villa's double flight staircase, under the magnificent princely coat of arms of the Gravina family. Access the main floor by an elliptical vestibule frescoed with scenes depicting the labors of Hercules, in homage to the new taste of the late eighteenth century. To the right, see the 'Gallery or Hall of Mirrors,' with the ceiling entirely covered with mirrors, with paintings depicting a balustrade with the sky above and fantastic birds. Admire the walls of this large room, adorned with fine marble, with colored glass and marble high-reliefs representing the founder of the villa and the grandson who commissioned the 'monsters' with their respective wives, ancestors of the Gravina house and illustrious personalities of the ruling houses of Europe. On the floor, see an accurate drawing in polychrome marble of the Sicilian eighteenth century. From this large hall, enter the chapel room and, in front of it, cross the 'Hall of mirrors' to reach the billiard room. From the oval entrance hall, reach the private apartments of the villa, which can now be visited only with guided tours, which consist of a series of posed rooms in 'enfilade.'

Includes

Guided tour with official guide Access to the main floor and private apartments of the Villa

Important Information

  • The construction of Villa Palagonia began in 1715 Famous for its unique decoration with statues depicting fantastic animals and various caricatures, earning it the nickname 'Villa dei Mostri' The villa is a notable example of European Baroque civilization in Sicily Owned by the Castronovo family since 1885

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