Palazzina Cinese

History

The building was designed in 1799 by the architect Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia on commission by the King Ferdinand III of Sicily. The ruler had previously bought land and a house that was Chinese in design, belonging to the Baron Benedetto Lombardo and designed by Marvuglia himself. The architectural complex and its garden were completed between 1800 and 1806.

In 1860, as a result of the Unification of Italy, the residence passed to the House of Savoy. Then, it became the property of the Comune of Palermo and has been converted into a museum.

Description

The apartments of the Palace are distributed on three floors. On the first floor, there is the entry hall, a small office, a dining room (with a "magical" table) and the King's bedroom. The second floor was dedicated to the servants and has a much lower ceiling and no frescos: male workers on one side and female workers on the other. The third floor contains the apartments of the Queen Maria Carolina of Austria. including a reception room and her private chambers. The Queen's floor is entirely surrounded by an open-air terrace giving a view of the gardens, accessible either from the interior or from two external circular staircases. The 4th and uppermost floor is an octagonal terrace covered like a pagoda.

The grand reception hall (or ballroom), bathing room, and magical table room are found semi-underground, beneath the king's living quarters.

The building is decorated with paintings and frescoes of Giuseppe Velazquez, Vincenzo Riolo, and other artists.