Villa Whitaker, 19th-century Gothic Revival villa in Politeama district, Palermo, Italy
Villa Whitaker is a 19th-century country house combining Neo-Renaissance and Gothic Revival elements located in Palermo. The building features intricate floral decorations, Flemish tapestries depicting scenes from the Aeneid, and frescoes throughout its state rooms and smaller chambers.
Joshua "Joss" Whitaker (1849–1926) had the villa built from 1884 to designs by Henry Christian, his family's trusted architect, after his marriage to Euphrosyne Manuel. From 1946 to 1972 it housed the Circolo Artistico; it then became the operational seat of the Prefecture of Palermo, while the prefect's residence is Villa Pajno on Via Libertà.
From 1946 to 1972 the villa housed the Circolo Artistico, an artists' circle that used its rooms for meetings and exhibitions. The building later became the operational seat of the Prefecture of Palermo, while the prefect's residence is Villa Pajno on Via Libertà. The villa itself is not open to visitors.
The villa stands at Via Cavour 6 and is the operational seat of the Palermo Prefecture; the prefect's residence is Villa Pajno on Via Libertà. The building is not open to visitors, so the interiors cannot be seen. The park was laid out by the family gardener Emilio Kuzmann.
Joseph Whitaker's collection included finds from Motya, an ancient Phoenician city on an island off the coast of Sicily. These archaeological pieces still remain in the rooms today, telling the story of the region's earliest inhabitants.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,308 contributors worldwide.