Museum of Palazzo Bellomo (Museo di Palazzo Bellomo) description and photos - Italy: Syracuse (Sicily) (Topic)

Museum of Palazzo Bellomo (Museo di Palazzo Bellomo) description and photos - Italy: Syracuse (Sicily). Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Museo di Palazzo Bellomo.

Photo and description

The Palazzo Bellomo Museum is located on the island of Ortigia, the historic center of Syracuse. It was opened in 1948, but only in the 1970s was it finally completed. Today, among the exhibits of the museum, it is especially worth noting two sarcophagi of the rulers of the so-called Chamber Reginale - a type of fiefdom that was inherited by the queens of Sicily. The sarcophagi are owned by Giovanni Cabastida and Giovanni Cardenas. And the rich Pinakothek contains the painting "Annunciation" painted in 1474 by Antonio da Messina and a collection of silver items.

Palazzo Bellomo itself is a splendid palace built in the 13-14 centuries. The structure of the building clearly shows two stages of its construction: the first belongs to the era of the Zveva family and is represented by a massive ground floor with a Gothic portal. The upper floor was added in the 14th century, and it is strikingly different from the lower one. In 1365, the palazzo became the property of the Bellomo family - a noble Roman family who moved to Sicily after King Federigo III of Aragon. It was then that the upper floor of the palace appeared, in the architecture of which you can see the noticeable influence of Catalan art.

In 1722, monks from the adjoining convent of San Benedetto bought the Palazzo and adapted it for use as a storage room and a dormitory. Then, with the expropriation law of 1866, the building was restored to its original functions. And in 1901, the Palazzo became the property of the Fine Arts Administration, which initiated the first restoration work.

In 1948, it was decided to adapt the majestic palace as a museum, since the National Archaeological Museum decided to separate the collections dedicated to the Middle Ages and modern times from the collections of prehistoric and antiquity, and a new building was required. After lengthy restoration work in October 2009, the Palazzo Bellomo Museum opened its doors to the public with renewed exhibitions.

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Topic: Museum of Palazzo Bellomo (Museo di Palazzo Bellomo) description and photos - Italy: Syracuse (Sicily).