The original palazzo was erected in about 1605 by the Spanish nobleman Ximenes of Aragon in Leccio, a hamlet of Reggello in the Province of Florence. In the 19th century, Ferdinando Panciatichi Ximenes d'Aragona inherited the property and remodelled it into one of the largest examples of Moorish Revival architecture between 1853 and 1889. During this period, King Umberto I of Italy even visited Ximenes at the property in 1878.
Following World War II, the palazzo served as a luxury hotel before eventually being vacated and closed. In 2012, a committee called FPXA 1813–2013 was organized to attempt to restore and preserve the building. The palazzo is notable for having 365 rooms, each featuring its own unique Moorish revival decoration.
The castle has also featured in popular culture, serving as a filming location for the 1989 television horror film Dinner with a Vampire and the 2025 Sandokan series. In the latter production, the architecture was used to represent the residence of the Sultan of Brunei.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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