{"id":235,"date":"2026-08-24T16:07:46","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T14:07:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.villamanganellibiscari.it\/?page_id=235"},"modified":"2026-09-22T12:43:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T10:43:09","slug":"la-villa","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.villamanganellibiscari.it\/en\/la-villa\/","title":{"rendered":"The Villa"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\t\t\t
\n
\n \t\t\t

The Villa<\/h1>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n \t\t\t

Dimora storica dove il tempo si fa incanto<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Villa Manganelli Biscari dates back to the eighteenth century, during the reconstruction work following the earthquake of 1693 that struck a large part of eastern Sicily.<\/p>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n \t\t\t

History and structure<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t

The site hosted a single building set in the middle of a vast agricultural estate. In the first half of the 18th century, as was the custom of the nobility of the time, Ignazio Patern\u00f2 Castello, 5th Prince of Biscari, chose this residence as a personal place of \u2019retreat\u201c, where he could dedicate himself to scientific experimentation on plants, animals and minerals, but above all surround himself with testimonies of the past unearthed during excavations promoted by him and on his travels in search of traces of antiquity. He collected the description of his archaeological discoveries in the volume Journey through all the antiquities of Sicily <\/em>(1781). This passion resulted in the founding of one of the most important archaeological museums of the era<\/strong>, whose collections are now housed in the Castello Ursino Civic Museum in Catania.

As the historian Denis Mack Smith writes in his work \u201cHistory of medieval Sicily and<\/em> moderna<\/em>
\u201cThe name of the Patern\u00f2s appears almost every year on the list of the city's Senators...In Catania <\/em>the Prince of Biscari<\/em><\/strong>, of the Patern\u00f2 family, by virtue of being the most eminent citizen and the chief employer, was more important than any royal judge\u2026 He not only enjoyed a reputation for being generous to his servants and peasants, but he built up one of the finest private museums in the world.\u2026 He brought in foreign artisans to encourage the linen and rum manufacturing, and on one occasion of emergency practically fed the entire city of Catania at his own expense for a month.   <\/p>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n

\n \n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n
\n \t\t\t
Villa Manganelli Biscari<\/h5>\n\t\t
\n \n<\/div>\n
\n \t\t\t

Probably the surname \u201cManganelli\u201d derives precisely from the textile tool, the mangle, used in the production of fibres such as silk and linen. Riding the wave of love for the ancient civilisations of the Mediterranean, illustrious foreign travellers of the eighteenth century undertook journeys to Sicily; among these was also Goethe<\/strong>, who visited the Biscari museum in Catania and, admiring our land and its extraordinary classical heritage, wrote:<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\u201cItaly without Sicily leaves no image in the spirit whatsoever: Sicily is the key to everything.\u201d<\/em>
(Italian Journey, 1787)<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t

emphasising that the country's essence, history and classical beauty can only be fully understood on the island, described as a unique combination of light, nature and art.<\/p>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n \t\t\t

Villa Manganelli Biscari, a love story<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t

In the rooms of the villa echoes a love story, that between the V Principe di Sperlinga<\/strong> e Manganelli<\/strong>, Giuseppe Alvaro Patern\u00f2 Alliata <\/strong>e Angela Torresi<\/strong>, una viagrandese di straordinaria bellezza; i due si innamorano, lasciano i rispettivi coniugi e si rifugiano a Firenze.  Rientrati da Firenze si sposano nel 1881, quando Il principe ha gi\u00e0 assegnato all\u2019architetto Carlo Sada<\/strong> l\u2019incarico di rendere preziosa la nuova dimora della famiglia allargata, infatti ciascuno porta con s\u00e9 i propri figli, undici in tutto. Viagrande<\/strong>, paese natio della Torresi e sito di una delle tenute pi\u00f9 importanti dei principi, diviene la loro residenza elettiva.<\/p>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n

\n \n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n \t\t\t

The Project of Carlo Sada
<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t