VILLA PALAGONIA

This eccentric private villa that can be visited is known as "the villa of the monsters", as "the most original place in the world and famous throughout Europe", often described by famous travelers who stayed there, including Goethe. It was built by the architect T. Napoli, a Dominican friar, in 1715, for Prince Francesco Ferdinando Gravina. The latter, a notorious original, had the external walls of the lower buildings, formerly used for staff and stables, decorated with figures, each more astonishing than the last. These stone statues represent fantastic animals, anthropomorphic figures, statues of ladies and knights, musicians and various caricatures. A majestic white limestone staircase with double banisters leads to the entrance under the Gravina family coat of arms. The elliptical hallway is frescoed with scenes representing the labors of Hercules, in homage to the new taste of the late ^18th century. The most impressive room is the hall of mirrors, the "Hall of Mirrors", whose ceiling is entirely covered with colored mirrors representing a sky full of fantastic birds. The walls of this dark room are covered with marble contrasting with the decor. A really daring and artistic decoration for the time! The other rooms open to the public are the chapel and the former billiard room. The wings of the villa contain other rooms in a row that are now private apartments.