Villa Malfitano Whitaker

Villa Malfitano Whitaker
Villa Malfitano Whitaker, façade
General information
Status	Headquarters of the Whitaker Foundation
Type	Villa
Architectural style	Neo-Renaissance and Eclecticism
Location	Palermo, Sicily, Italy
Address	Via Dante, 167
Construction started	1886
Completed	1889
Client	Joseph Whitaker
Technical details
Floor count	3
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Ignazio Greco

Villa Malfitano Whitaker is a 19th-century villa in Via Dante, in the quarter of Politeama of Palermo, Sicily. It is presently a museum displaying Whitaker's natural history and archaeological collections, as well as his artwork.

History

The villa was built between 1886 and 1889 for the Anglo-Italian businessman Joseph Whitaker and his wife Tina Whitaker. It was designed by the architect Ignazio Greco and represents a synthesis of Neo-Renaissance and Eclecticism styles. The state rooms were frescoed with a rich floral trompe-l’oeil decoration by Ettore De Maria Bergler. Other smaller rooms have Flemish tapestries with scenes from the Aeneid and frescoes by Rocco Lentini and stuccoes by Salvatore Valenti. ^[1]

The garden of the villa was designed by Emilio Kunzmann and covers about seven hectares. Many rare plants from Tunisia, Sumatra, Australia and South America are located in it.

During the Belle Époque age the villa was the venue for lavish parties. The Whitaker family knew artists like Richard Wagner and the imperial dynasties of Great Britain, Germany and Russia.

The villa is currently the headquarters of the Whitaker Foundation.

References

1. Tourism site for Palermo.

External links

• Official site of the Whitaker Foundation

38°07′23.88″N13°20′29.04″E / 38.1233000°N 13.3414000°E / 38.1233000; 13.3414000