Villa Lampedusa Resort - La Villa del Gattopardo del Principe Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

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Villa Lampedusa Resort - La Villa del Gattopardo del Principe Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa

Villa Lampedusa, known throughout the world as the "Villa del Gattopardo", is an example of a splendid rural residence, adhering to the idea of ​​a court that gathered around the Chinese house in Palermo, the summer residence of King Ferdinand IV of Bourbon. The Villa was founded by Don Isidoro Terrasi at the beginning of the 18th century. The current version, after the intervention in 1756 by the architect Giovanni Del Frago, is the result of the classical changes made in the eighteenth century by the Alliata di Villafranca princes. The villa stands out for its stylistic choices and architectural solutions, such as the affectation of the Louis XVI decorations, the aedicule close to the pincer staircase according to late 18th century schemes, the valuable frescoes on the noble floor and the remarkable tempera paintings on the lower floor by the Roman painter Gaspare Fumagalli, Serpottian stuccoes, frescoed coffered ceilings. In 1845 the house was purchased by Giulio Tomasi IV, Prince of Lampedusa, with the compensation that the Bourbon government had paid him following the expropriation of the island of Lampedusa. An astronomical observatory was also set up IN the Villa to support his astroscopic passion. Originally, the large park also housed a pavilion (Caffe Haus) frescoed by Fumagalli in 1784 In the façade, very fine solutions stood out for the multicolored decorations adopted in the precious green squares and festoons that gave lively movement to the facade, unique among the villas of the hills. The interior decoration is the triumph of the illusion of perspective: tromp l'oeil in gray monochromatism, frescoes of vaults, walls and over-doors in a gentle Rococo style, enriched with stucco, often bend to neoclassical influences. In the last century the Villa became the property of the Dragotto and Pitruzzella families, who took care of the return to the primitive patterns of some environments, such as the Guest House and the Stables, in the spirit of the integral recovery and enhancement of a symbolic place. Villa Lampedusa is really the villa of the Leopard, that of Prince Giulio Fabrizio Maria Tomasi di Lampedusa, and IX Duke of Palma, protagonist of the famous novel by Giuseppe Lanza Tomasi, who spent long periods, even in winter. The villa, in the novel, is described as villa Salina, immersed in the nuptial scent of orange flowers, surrounded by a harmonious landscape that is well suited to a delicate sensitivity and the attitudes of an introverted and introspective thinker.

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