The Royal Palace of Ficuzza, also known as the Real Casina di Caccia, was commissioned by Ferdinand IV of Naples and III of Sicily during his exile in Sicily starting after the establishment of the Parthenopean Republic in 1798. The king had the palace built near the royal hunting reserve.
The palace was constructed between 1802 and 1810. The designers included the engineer Carlo Chenchi and later the Neoclassical architect Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia. Among those completing the fresco decoration were Giuseppe Velasco and B. Cotardi. The palace was built during the age of the Napoleonic Wars while the king ruled an impoverished kingdom from a crumbling monarchy.
Today, the palace is open to visitors, including the tunnels that lead into the surrounding forest. The austere exteriors of the palace harmonize with its role as a hunting lodge, while some of the interiors feature decorative flourishes such as Egyptian-style columns. The entire ensemble reflects a spirit of wasteful frivolity, created by a king in exile.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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