Palazzo Biscari

September 13, 2020

Palazzo Biscari

London, 13th of September 2020

Early in the morning I found myself behind the Piazza Duomo, on a quiet backstreet away from the hustle and bustle of people and traffic. Hiding from the sun in the shadow of a palm tree, I looked down a rather narrow street with on one side a tall and somewhat crumbling building, I started to wonder if I was in the right place. I found my way there through the wonders of Google Maps visiting some churches and little shops along the way.

I had but one reason for being here namely, Palazzo Biscari. In the middle of this street was a rather large double door crowned by a coat of arms. We were the only people in the street and at the door. I started to doubt if they were open at all. Luckily once we entered the large courtyard a man appeared, looking at me rather puzzled. But after telling him our reason for being there he told us to wait in the main building.

Palazzo Biscari is Catania's most famous palazzo. Belonging to the Paternò Castello family who are the Princes of Biscari. Today the palazzo is still largely inhabited by descendants of the Paternò family albeit another branch who inherited the palazzo in the late 19th century. They live in their private quarters whilst the state rooms are open to the public. We were shown around the palazzo by a charming and very knowledgeable guide and rather a dish too! Telling us how the palazzo was built after the great earthquake of 1693 with permission of the Duke of Camastra who was responsible for redesigning Catania. Passing through a few broody and beautiful salons each decorated in a typical 18th century Sicilian style, hung with various portraits of generations of Princes of Biscari and dramatic vistas of Napels (the capital of the kingdom at the time) and mount Etna erupting just to name a few. One can't help but wonder and think about the people who lived here and still do. Adding another layer and stories to the already rich history of Palazzo Biscari.

There are is a enfilade of beautiful rooms but one of the most beautiful is the richly decorated ballroom with its cupola for musicians, which was specifically built to keep them out of sight but still being able to hear them whilst in the ballroom, comme il faut. The ball room designed in a lavish Rococo style with various portraits and lit by a grand and rather 'pale' Murano chandelier. The ballrooms anti chambre is equally impressive not because of its size but because how it was decorated. Leading to a long terrace with seven magnificently decorated windows looking out on what used to be the sea. The sea was forced to retreat after they built a small harbour in the 1920's somewhat spoiling the vista from this terrace. The only reminder of the having the sea this close is found in what is probably my favorite room, the anti chambre of the ballroom. The musicians stairs was designed to replicate a crashing wave, leading up to the cupola. The same waves which could be seen from the terrace. For me its reflects the opulent and eclectic Sicilian style in the 18th century. The floor of the ballroom and most rooms in the palazzo are covered with beautiful hand glazed Sicilian tiles from Caltagirone, giving it a distinctive Sicilian touch a look that really can't be found anywhere else.

The palazzo also features a intimate salon and library completely paneled with French 18th Century boiserie and floor made of Roman tiles. Palazzo Biscari made a lasting impression on me. Not only because of its beauty, the dishy guide or the fabulous stairs and ballroom. It's the mood of the palace, listening to the stories of the people who lived there and its history and what you feel when you walk its corridors.

Love,