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€6m Acireale, ITALY.  Neo-Gothic Sicilian Castle For Sale

This Castle is For Sale with Danila Addario of Sotheby's International Realty.

 

Built at the end of the 19th century, the castle of the noble Pennisi family of Floristella located in Acireale, is a fine example of eclecticism, characteristic of the architecture of the time, the neo-Gothic style. Its main entrance, from Piazza Pennisi, opens onto a boulevard surrounded by a double row of Washingtonian palms that reveals its striking grandeur. At the end of the avenue the sculptural marble bust of Baron Pennisi (the one who built the castle), stands on a column surrounded by palm trees.

The peculiar facade rotated about 55 ° clockwise, captures the attention for its beauty and its relevant architectural features. The elegant drapery of Guelph battlements on the top and the ogival arches typical of Gothic art give it a fairytale image.

The castle consists of three joint buildings on two levels, with two rectangular towers in a symmetrical position; on the sides of the towers there are two bodies at a single elevation, in a medieval style of Norman inspiration. The elegant three-arched portico opens up the access to the beautiful monumental staircase of precious marble that forks at the sides and leads to the first floor where, on the central wall, the authoritative portrait of the Baron stands out. The ceiling of the staircase is wooden coffered with the initials of the family last name and the coat of arms with alternating motifs. The whole floor is defined by comfortable bedrooms and large halls with high ceilings that follow one after the other up to the opposite ends facing the two terraces each of approx. 130 square meters. An imposing fireplace with the initials of the family's surname dominates the reception hall illuminated by five large mullioned windows decorated with columns, which overlook the elegant park of approx. 8500 square meters full of trees and bushes in the typical essences of the Ionic flora. The pictorial art swarms in the apartment through the paintings of the famous painter Paul Pennisi. Its geometric landscapes and Byzantine backgrounds in the colors of gold and blue convey intense emotions.

The mezzanine floor consists of a single apartment also defined by bedrooms, services and reception halls, twelve rooms in all. The imposing bulwark preserves inside a chapel of particular architectural value dedicated to the Baptist, embellished with frescoes by Giuseppe Sciuti. Its vaults with the blue of the starry sky and the saints depicted create an atmosphere of great spirituality and the silence that reigns inside invites us to transcendence. The fascinating manor has not only hosted illustrious characters from all over the world, but has also been chosen several times as the location of well-known films such as “A beautiful November” by Mauro Bolognini, played by the wonderful Gina Lollobrigida and “The Godfather III” by Francis Ford Coppola, played by the great Al Pacino.

The charm of his years steeped in history and emotions is still alive today, with his superb royalty he resisted the earthquake of 1908 and the bombings of the Second World War by the British whose intent was to hit the German army which shortly before the war he had requisitioned it to make it a logistic and representative settlement where many of his senior representatives were present. Located in a town, on the southern slopes of Etna, almost overlooking the Ionian Sea, known for its Baroque, for its naturalistic beauties, for its lava coast, Acireale, rich in water sources and greenery, preserves this bulwark suitable to become an important hotel de charme and a location for events or representation, but also an exclusive private residence. It is almost 18 km from Catania airport and 42 km from Taormina.

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