Villa Palagonia

Bagheria, Italy

The Villa Palagonia is a patrician villa in Bagheria, 15 km from Palermo. The villa itself, built from 1715 by the architect Tommaso Napoli with the help of Agatino Daidone, is one of the earliest examples of Sicilian Baroque. However, its popularity comes mainly from the statues of monsters with human faces that decorate its garden and its wall, and earned it the nickname of 'The Villa of Monsters' (Villa dei Mostri).

This series of grotesques, created from 1749 by Francesco Ferdinando II Gravina, Prince of Palagonia, aroused the curiosity of the travellers of the Grand Tour during the 18th and 19th centuries, for instance Henry Swinburne, Patrick Brydone, John Soane, Goethe, the Count de Borde, the artist Jean-Pierre Houël or Alexandre Dumas, prior to fascinate surrealists like André Breton or contemporary authors such as Giovanni Macchia and Dominique Fernandez, or the painter Renato Guttuso.

In 1885, the villa was bought by private individuals, who are still in its possession, and is partially open to the public.

Villa Palagonia has been one of the venues for music concerts held within the framework of the Concert Season of Bagheria (Stagione Concertistica Città di Bagheria) initiative since 2017, with free entrance.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 1715
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in Italy

Rating

4.2/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

gonzalo (4 months ago)
What a remarkable and unusual place! Totally worthwhile visiting. Quite unique in many different ways. Very quiet in the mornings so you have the whole Villa for yourself which adds to the experience.
Karl Gercens (14 months ago)
This is a fantastic place to check out a little history! The garden is lovely and the house is wonderful! Be sure to plan your visit to fit within the times they’re open!!
Marianna Stavinga (2 years ago)
Beatifully preserved building with statues, wall paintings, nice garden. I went in April and had the whole place for myself.
Justina Klybaitė (2 years ago)
Great experience. Very beautiful palace. Really worth to visit.
Tina Mercer (3 years ago)
Visited this museum in Bagheria. Very beautiful and interesting past.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Visby Cathedral

Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.

Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.