Villa Sofia - Whitaker
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Villa Sofia - Withaker

Salerno square. The villa, built by the Marquises Mazarin, was purchased in 1850 by Joseph Whitaker, who enlarged it and gave it the name of his wife Sophia. This was followed by the interventions of the architect Beaumont Gardner who in 1885 enriched it with a medieval-style tower, and of Ernesto Basile who designed the vestibule and the main staircase by adding a low body with neo-Renaissance mullioned windows and an outbuilding.

It was at the center of the social life of the Anglo-Saxon community but not only, as was Villa Malfitano. It welcomed some important personalities, such as the King of England Eduardo VII, his wife Alexandra and Princess Victoria on April 24, 1907. The event is commemorated by a plaque affixed to the wall of the terrace which reads "HERE, ON APRIL 24, 1907, KING EDWARD VII, QUEEN ALEXANDRA, AND PRINCESS VICTORIA, HAD TEA AND STAYED FOR A SHORT HOUR. "

In 1953 the estate was sold to the Italian Red Cross who transformed it into a hospital. Those were the years of the sack of Palermo: the new intended use led to the urbanization of the park with the construction of new pavilions, the villa and its annexes were transformed without regard for their architectural and historical value.

The villa has an elegant southern elevation. The ground floor is marked by classic pilasters while the first floor is formed by a large terrace (L-shaped) with an Ionic portico.

Inside some rooms have remained intact after the transformation of the villa into a hospital ward. A carved wooden staircase leads to the first floor, where in an antechamber whose ceiling, designed by Salvatore Gregorietti, is made up of wooden beams and painted red, brown and green leaves. This antechamber leads on one side to a large rectangular hall connected to the terrace, and on the other to a vestibule.

Another staircase, with an iron railing with floral designs, the work of Ernesto Basile, leads to the second floor. It is lit by a long vertical window with painted polychrome glass depicting Robert S. Whitaker in Renaissance costume. This stairwell is covered by a wooden ceiling. (Source: wikipedia9

Property bound under the law 1089/1939 (DA n. 984 of 20/06/81)

Card insertion: Ignazio Caloggero) 

Photo: web

Information contributions: Web, Region of Sicily

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