Palazzina Cinese

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Chinese Palace
Palazzina Cinese
Palazzina Cinese, façade
Map
Alternative names	Real Casina alla Cinese
General information
Status	now used as a museum
Type	Palace
Architectural style	Eclecticism
Location	Palermo, Italy
Construction started	1799
Completed	1806
Client	Ferdinand III of Bourbon
Technical details
Floor count	3
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia

The Chinese Palace (Italian: Palazzina Cinese), also known as Real Casina alla Cinese, is a former royal residence of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies designed in the style of Chinoiserie . It is located in Palermo, inside the park of La Favorita. The Ethnographic Museum of Sicily, named after Giuseppe Pitrè, is located in one of the Palace's guesthouse.

History

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The building was designed in 1799 by the architect Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia on commission by the King Ferdinand III of Sicily.^[1] The ruler had previously bought land and a house that was Chinese in design, belonging to the Baron Benedetto Lombardo and designed by Marvuglia himself.^[1] The architectural complex and its garden were completed between 1800 and 1806.

In 1860, as a result of the Unification of Italy, the residence passed to the House of Savoy. Then, it became the property of the Comune of Palermo and has been converted into a museum.

Description

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The apartments of the Palace are distributed on three floors. On the first floor, there is the entry hall, a small office, a dining room (with a "magical" table) and the King's bedroom. The second floor was dedicated to the servants and has a much lower ceiling and no frescos: male workers on one side and female workers on the other. The third floor contains the apartments of the Queen Maria Carolina of Austria.^[1] including a reception room and her private chambers. The Queen's floor is entirely surrounded by an open-air terrace giving a view of the gardens, accessible either from the interior or from two external circular staircases. The 4th and uppermost floor is an octagonal terrace covered like a pagoda.

The grand reception hall (or ballroom), bathing room, and magical table room are found semi-underground, beneath the king's living quarters.

The building is decorated with paintings and frescoes of Giuseppe Velazquez, Vincenzo Riolo, and other artists.