Palazzo Beneventano del Bosco
In front of the Vermexio Palace stands the Palazzo Beneventano del Bosco, one of the most outstanding examples of Syracuse Baroque. Originally belonging to the Arezzo family, the building dates back to the fourteenth century and was the seat of the Royal Chamber, the city Senate and the Command of the Order of the Knights of Malta. In 1778 the ancient medieval structure, of which traces are left on the ground floor, was purchased by Baron Guglielmo Beneventano and renovated. The works were entrusted to the architect Luciano who completed them ten years later. On the facade the monolith with the noble weapons of the Benevento and the epigraph that commemorates the visit of King Ferdinand of Bourbon (April 25, 1806) stand out. In 1798 Admiral Horatio Nelson also stayed there, when he landed with his fleet in Siracusa, to refuel before the battle of Abukir.
The palace is characterized by an elegant inner courtyard with Baroque elements. Beyond the entrance there is an atrium composed of a vault with stuccoes and from here there are two other portals that finally reach the inside of the building. Continuing straight ahead one finds oneself in front of a wrought iron gate, bearing on its top the noble coat of arms of the Benevento family. The paving of the courtyard is given by an elaborate black and white cobblestones, which draws on the ground an imaginative stone carpet, the only example left intact in Ortigia. Inside, the rooms are richly decorated with polychrome frescoes and stuccoes; the furnishings are original and the crystals come from Malta and Venice. The collection of ancient prints depicting maps of the city of Syracuse, Sicily and Italy deserves particular attention.
OPENING HOURS AND PRICES
Location: Piazza Duomo – Isola di Ortigia – Siracusa
Contacts.: +39 0931 464079
