When Neoclassical and Liberty styles meet
The art of Palazzo Melissari-Musitano
Built between 1912 and 1924, Palazzo Melissari-Musitano is one of the buildings in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, better known as Piazza Italia, along with the Province, the Prefecture, and the Town Hall.
Diverse sides, one unique style
Although the building’s facades, which are in a neoclassical style with liberty influences, appear unified, they are divided into two parts and were designed at different times. The right side was built in 1912 as part of a project by the Engineer Fabrizio, who was replacing the old palace from the 700s owned by the Melissari family that was destroyed by the 1908 earthquake. The one on the left, owned by the Musitano family, was built in 1924 by the Engineer Lazzarino, who confined himself to continuing with the Melissari designs, according to what was laid out in the 1911 master plan.
The two architectural orders of the facade
The ground floor features a smooth ashlar with a succession of round arched portals, framed by a diamond-shaped ashlar, while the door is flanked by two columns with Ionic capitals supporting the corbels of the central balcony on the main floor. The first floor is marked by large pilasters with Ionic capitals that divide the facade vertically with beamed French windows decorated with floral motifs.
