Historical Residence Palazzo Belmonte Riso.
The Palazzo Belmonte Riso, built in the late 18th century by Prince Belmonte Ventimiglia, is an interesting example of a noble private residence combining late Baroque splendour with neoclassical austerity.
It is located along the ancient Cassaro, opposite the splendid Piazza Bologna, on the site of the former “big house” belonging to the Plaguede family.
Work commissioned by Giuseppe Emanuele Ventimiglia, Prince of Belmonte, began in 1777 and was completed in 1784 under the direction of Giuseppe Venanzio Marvuglia, where the building successively passes through the dowry steps.
In 1841 the palace is sold to sea captain John Rice, whose son, Peter Rice, honoured with the noble title of Baron, affixes on the marble the emblem of the family coat of arms, by the sculptor Ignazio Marabiti: a sheaf of wheat.
In 1933 the palace became the seat of the Fascia Palermitani Federation, and in 1943, during the Second World War, it was almost destroyed by Allied bombing.
After years of neglect, in 1986 it was acquired by the Sicilian Region, which will begin restoration work.
The ancient residence retains an imposing stone façade tufa punctuated by five arches on the ground floor, balconies and shelves on the upper floors, as well as some structural elements of the courtyards and great halls. The restoration carried out by the regional administration in the nineties returned the monument to the city and created a new functional space and a useful headquarters, since 2005 the regional museum of contemporary art.
The Palazzo Belmonte Riso is one of the most important museums of the region.
The museum contains works by contemporary artists including Andrea Di Marco, Alessandro Bazana, Giovanni Anselmo, Emilio Isgro, Domenico Mangano, Antonio Sanfilippo, Carla Accardi, Cristiana Boltanschi, Croce Taravella, Francesco de Grandi, Francesco Simeti, Fulvio Di Piazza, Giulia Piscitelli, Laboratorio Saccardi,Luca Vitone, Paola Pivi, Pietro Consagra, Richard Long, Richard T. Scott and Salvo.
Run on all days except Monday, 24 and 25 December, 1 January, 1 May
.
