Palazzo Villarosa, also called Villa Villarosa, is a villa in Bagheria designed and built at the wish of Placido Notarbartolo, duke of Villarosa. Work began around 1763, to a design attributed to Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia, one of the leading figures of eighteenth-century Sicilian architecture.
What to see
The building has a rectangular two-storey body, with basement, raised ground floor and main floor, and is regarded as the only villa in Bagheria in neoclassical style: it stands out for the sobriety of its lines and the balance of its proportions, in contrast with the late-Baroque villas around it. The main front, facing Bagheria, is marked by a colonnaded portico with eight Corinthian columns. Inside, a large central salon is the fulcrum of the ground floor, with side rooms converging on it; on the upper floor a series of rooms opens onto a gallery overlooking the salon, and the reception rooms are linked by flights of steps and loggias.
The villa stands at the foot of Monte Giancaldo and was set in a vast agricultural estate of more than six hectares. The gardens, with century-old trees and panoramic glimpses over the gulf of Palermo, complete the whole. Over time the building changed use: in 1911 it was rented to a college of Jesuit Fathers, who altered the original layout, and for a period the Sicilian painter Nino Garajo lived there. Today it is private property, traceable to the Aiello family of Messina, who have owned it for several generations.
Visiting
The sources indicate that today the villa is used for receptions, ceremonies and events: it does not therefore appear to be regularly open to the public. Visiting possibilities and hours must be checked; the sources also cite an official website, palazzovillarosa.com.
Our editors' tip
According to the sources, the villa, overseen by the young Marvuglia, was modelled directly on neoclassical designs published by Jean-François de Neufforge in 1760.
