Grand Hotel Villa Igiea
1908
The Grand Hotel
Villa Igiea in Palermo, which is certainly one of the most
famous places in Sicily and in Italy, overlooks, for more than
a century, on the sea, so dear to Goethe. Born from the
intuition of the Florio family at a time of magical splendour of
the cultural life in Palermo. Designed in 1908 by the architect
Ernesto Basile, one of the greatest exponents of the liberty,
preserves its original structure. The Basile placed it to an
existing building, inspired by the" sicilian '400 period" ,
whose owner was an english gentleman Downviller.
It is impossible not letting be conquered from the beauty of the
halls of Villa Igiea and from decorations and furnishings
liberty, made on the design of the same Basile in 1898. The
exceptional frescoes belong to the painter E. De Maria Von
Bergler, in collaboration with L. of Giovanni and M. Cortegiani.
The architectural
wooden decorations and furnishings were made by the company ' C.
Golia' then ' Ducrot'; the illumination of company by ' Caraffa';
the ceramic company by ' Florio; the wrought iron by the craftsman
' Salvatore Martorella'.