View allAll Photos Tagged CastelloDiDonnafugata
Visuale dal giardino del castello.
www.comune.ragusa.gov.it/turismo/castello/index.html
con Nikon D3200 f/3.5 1/320sec. ISO-200 18mm
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La distruzione dei siti archeologici da parte dell’autoproclamato Stato Islamico si può paragonare come ad una forma dall’alzheimer dell’umanità dove le cellule cominciano a dimenticare “chi sono” e “cosa ci fanno nel cervello”
- contrada Donnafugata (RG) -
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Copyright © 2011 Federico Patti. All rights reserved.
Please, do not use my photos without my written permission.
Sicily, the largest Mediterranean island, has a long history, that starts around 8000 BC, but later there were Phoenician, Carthaginian, Greek and Roman periods. After the Roman Empire had fallen apart the Vandals tried to take over the island but failed. Finally, the Ostrogoths took possession.
Mid of the 6th century Sicily was conquered by troops of the Byzantine Empire. After the advent of Islam, Sicily got attacked by the Arab forces. Raids seeking loot continued until the mid-8th century.
A Muslim army was sent to the island in 827 but met with much resistance. So it took a century to conquer it and even later revolts constantly occurred
In 1038 the Byzantines invaded the island supported by Norman mercenaries, led by Roger. In 1072, after the siege of Palermo, most of Sicily was under Norman control. Roger´s son Roger II raised the status +of the island to a kingdom in 1130. During this period, the Kingdom of Sicily was prosperous and powerful,
The court of Roger II became melting out of culture from Europe and the Middle East. This attracted scholars, scientists, artists, and artisans. Muslims, Jews, Greeks, Lombards, and Normans cooperated and created some extraordinary buildings.
In 1186 the last descendant of Roger, Constance of Sicily married Emperor Henry VI, the second son of Barbarossa. So the crown of Sicily was passed on to the Hohenstaufen Dynasty. Frederick II, the only son of Constance, was crowned King of Sicily at the age of four in 1198. He became "Stupor Mundi", one of the greatest and most cultured men of the Middle Ages.
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The "Castello di Donnafugata" is located about 10 kms west of Ragusa. It can be traced back to the 14th century, but all buildings seen now, are much younger. Corrado Arezzo Barone di Donnafugata (1824-1895) built the present palace building on the foundations of the previous one. The palace has 122 rooms on a floor space of 2500 m².
Donnafugata is very well known for its wine and different restaurants. One of them serves simple, authentic Sicilian food.
Donnafugata Castle is about 15 kilometers from Ragusa. Contrary to what the name might suggest it is not a real medieval castle but a sumptuous noble of the late '800. The house towered over those who were the possessions of the rich family Arezzo De Spuches. Since the arrival of the castle reveals its splendor. The building covers an area of about 2500 square meters and a large Neo-Gothic facade, crowned by two towers side welcomes visitors.
This shot was taken in the labyrinth of the castle "Donnafugata" in the palace garden. When I was walking through the maze I sometimes lose the sight to the exit. But fortunately I found the exit right in time ;-)
FujiFilm Fine Pix s6500fd - f/3 - exposure time: 1/420 sec.
The selective coloring was edited with PhotoImpact!
Don't use this image on any media without my permission.
© All rights reserved.
The name. which is Arabic in origin, is misleading. It does not, in fact, refer, as first appearances might suggest, to a woman fleeing some tyrannical husband or father, nor to one of the legends lingering in some popular memory, but is a free interpretation and transcription of Ayn as Jafat (meaning Fountain of Health) which in Sicilian dalect became Ronnafuata and so was corrupted to its modem form.The origins of the building, furthermore, are more recent than the name. The oldest part (which includes the square tower) dates back to the mid-17C when the Donnafugata fiefdom was acquired by Vincenzo Arezzo La Rocca. The building was continuously altered until the early 20C, when Corrado Arezzo transformed the façade into what can be seen today.What is striking about the exterior of the castle is the elegant Venetian Gothic loggia which dominates the central section of the main facade. The trefoil arches become a recurrent motif repeated in the two-light windows throughout the building.The large garden, shaded first by large Ficus magnolioides trees then by other Mediterranean and exotic species (succulents and cluster pines) conceals various follies intended to charm and bemuse its visitors. Like the round temple and a Coffee House (where refreshments could be taken), the stone maze and several artificial caves encrusted with fake stalactites (below the temple).The first floor is open to the public. At the top of the black stone (pietra pece in Italian) staircase, ornamented with Neo-Classical statues, is the Salone degli Stemmi named after the armorial crests of great Sicilian noble families painted on the walls. Among the suites of rooms are some with delicately painted trompe l’oeil ceilings. These include the stucco-decorated Salone degli Specchi (namely the Hall of Mirroms), the Billiard Room and Music Room, each with painted landscapes projecting out beyond the walls, and the bedroom of the Princess of Navarre, paved in black pietra pece (a bitumous limestone mined locally from which pitch is made) and white limestone, where, it is said, Princess Bianca was kept segregated from Count Cabrera (an anachronistc legend, given that the princess lived in the 14C). The Stanza del Signore and the Fumoir are beautifully furnished; the decoration of the latter, a smoking room, being perfectly appropriate to its function. It is papered with pipe motifs while the ceiling is painted with medallions filled with cards and beautiful peacocks at the corners.
Il Castello di Donnafugata dista circa 15 chilometri da Ragusa. Al contrario di quanto il nome possa far pensare non si tratta di un vero e proprio castello medievale bensì di una sontuosa dimora nobiliare del tardo '800. La dimora sovrastava quelli che erano i possedimenti della ricca famiglia Arezzo De Spuches. Fin dall'arrivo il castello rivela la sua sontuosità. L'edificio copre un'area di circa 2500 metri quadrati ed un'ampia facciata in stile neogotico, coronata da quattro torri laterali accoglie i visitatori.
The name. which is Arabic in origin, is misleading. It does not, in fact, refer, as first appearances might suggest, to a woman fleeing some tyrannical husband or father, nor to one of the legends lingering in some popular memory, but is a free interpretation and transcription of Ayn as Jafat (meaning Fountain of Health) which in Sicilian dalect became Ronnafuata and so was corrupted to its modem form.The origins of the building, furthermore, are more recent than the name. The oldest part (which includes the square tower) dates back to the mid-17C when the Donnafugata fiefdom was acquired by Vincenzo Arezzo La Rocca. The building was continuously altered until the early 20C, when Corrado Arezzo transformed the façade into what can be seen today.What is striking about the exterior of the castle is the elegant Venetian Gothic loggia which dominates the central section of the main facade. The trefoil arches become a recurrent motif repeated in the two-light windows throughout the building.The large garden, shaded first by large Ficus magnolioides trees then by other Mediterranean and exotic species (succulents and cluster pines) conceals various follies intended to charm and bemuse its visitors. Like the round temple and a Coffee House (where refreshments could be taken), the stone maze and several artificial caves encrusted with fake stalactites (below the temple).The first floor is open to the public. At the top of the black stone (pietra pece in Italian) staircase, ornamented with Neo-Classical statues, is the Salone degli Stemmi named after the armorial crests of great Sicilian noble families painted on the walls. Among the suites of rooms are some with delicately painted trompe l’oeil ceilings. These include the stucco-decorated Salone degli Specchi (namely the Hall of Mirroms), the Billiard Room and Music Room, each with painted landscapes projecting out beyond the walls, and the bedroom of the Princess of Navarre, paved in black pietra pece (a bitumous limestone mined locally from which pitch is made) and white limestone, where, it is said, Princess Bianca was kept segregated from Count Cabrera (an anachronistc legend, given that the princess lived in the 14C). The Stanza del Signore and the Fumoir are beautifully furnished; the decoration of the latter, a smoking room, being perfectly appropriate to its function. It is papered with pipe motifs while the ceiling is painted with medallions filled with cards and beautiful peacocks at the corners.
Il Castello di Donnafugata dista circa 15 chilometri da Ragusa. Al contrario di quanto il nome possa far pensare non si tratta di un vero e proprio castello medievale bensì di una sontuosa dimora nobiliare del tardo '800. La dimora sovrastava quelli che erano i possedimenti della ricca famiglia Arezzo De Spuches. Fin dall'arrivo il castello rivela la sua sontuosità. L'edificio copre un'area di circa 2500 metri quadrati ed un'ampia facciata in stile neogotico, coronata da quattro torri laterali accoglie i visitatori.
Nella millenaria cultura siciliana la pigna posta agli ingressi è un sinonimo augurale.Frutto del pino, da sempre ed in diverse civiltà ha racchiuso in sé i significati simbolici di forza vitale, immortalità, divinità, legati all’albero che la genera, insieme a quelli di fecondità e forza rigeneratrice per i semi che contiene. Dei suoi valori traslati vi sono ancora tracce evidenti in Sicilia: la pigna non solo troneggia spesso sui pilastri dei cancelli d'ingresso, ma viene utilizzata come soprammobile di ogni misura e materiale, o, ancora, come elemento ornamentale dei quattro spigoli nei letti matrimoniali in ferro di sapore ottocentesco.
The name. which is Arabic in origin, is misleading. It does not, in fact, refer, as first appearances might suggest, to a woman fleeing some tyrannical husband or father, nor to one of the legends lingering in some popular memory, but is a free interpretation and transcription of Ayn as Jafat (meaning Fountain of Health) which in Sicilian dalect became Ronnafuata and so was corrupted to its modem form.The origins of the building, furthermore, are more recent than the name. The oldest part (which includes the square tower) dates back to the mid-17C when the Donnafugata fiefdom was acquired by Vincenzo Arezzo La Rocca. The building was continuously altered until the early 20C, when Corrado Arezzo transformed the façade into what can be seen today.What is striking about the exterior of the castle is the elegant Venetian Gothic loggia which dominates the central section of the main facade. The trefoil arches become a recurrent motif repeated in the two-light windows throughout the building.The large garden, shaded first by large Ficus magnolioides trees then by other Mediterranean and exotic species (succulents and cluster pines) conceals various follies intended to charm and bemuse its visitors. Like the round temple and a Coffee House (where refreshments could be taken), the stone maze and several artificial caves encrusted with fake stalactites (below the temple).The first floor is open to the public. At the top of the black stone (pietra pece in Italian) staircase, ornamented with Neo-Classical statues, is the Salone degli Stemmi named after the armorial crests of great Sicilian noble families painted on the walls. Among the suites of rooms are some with delicately painted trompe l’oeil ceilings. These include the stucco-decorated Salone degli Specchi (namely the Hall of Mirroms), the Billiard Room and Music Room, each with painted landscapes projecting out beyond the walls, and the bedroom of the Princess of Navarre, paved in black pietra pece (a bitumous limestone mined locally from which pitch is made) and white limestone, where, it is said, Princess Bianca was kept segregated from Count Cabrera (an anachronistc legend, given that the princess lived in the 14C). The Stanza del Signore and the Fumoir are beautifully furnished; the decoration of the latter, a smoking room, being perfectly appropriate to its function. It is papered with pipe motifs while the ceiling is painted with medallions filled with cards and beautiful peacocks at the corners.
Il Castello di Donnafugata dista circa 15 chilometri da Ragusa. Al contrario di quanto il nome possa far pensare non si tratta di un vero e proprio castello medievale bensì di una sontuosa dimora nobiliare del tardo '800. La dimora sovrastava quelli che erano i possedimenti della ricca famiglia Arezzo De Spuches. Fin dall'arrivo il castello rivela la sua sontuosità. L'edificio copre un'area di circa 2500 metri quadrati ed un'ampia facciata in stile neogotico, coronata da quattro torri laterali accoglie i visitatori.