Fondazione "Giuseppe Whitaker" - Palermo

The Villa covers approximately 8 hectares and consists of a mansion and a park .

The mansion was built between 1886 and 1889 for the Whitaker family, prominent English merchants who made their fortune with 'Marsala' , the excellent Sicilian wine, and many other Sicilian companies, for example in the naval sector, according to a neo-Renaissance design by architect Ignazio Greco.

The villa is in 16th century neoclassical style, with Doric columns forming a loggia and is surrounded by an extensive park; Particularly interesting is the summer hall , decorated with plants and flowers in a realistic style, so much so that it seems to be an extension of the garden.

Inside you can find Louis XV and with pictures, a late 18th century Russian sleigh and collections of porcelain, fans, Trapani corals from the 17th and 18th centuries, Sicilian 19th century paintings and a rare Venetian mirror from the 17th and 18th centuries.

Today the villa is owned by the Whitaker Foundation, which was founded in 1975 under the auspices of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, with the aim of expanding cultural activities in Sicily , especially related to Phoenician-Punic civilization and conservation of the historical and artistic heritage preserved on the island of Mozia and in the Villa Malfitano , a real house museum.

Willem Vandenameele