In Marianna’s drawing room
Drawings, poems, Majolica tiles and furnishings, in the rooms of the piano nobile at Valentino Palace, the passions and interests of the Baroness Lanza Filangeri of the Mirto Princes can still be appreciated. This old aristocratic residence tells us a great deal about this beautiful, cultured, sophisticated woman.
Staying at the Palace is like a journey through the history and customs of the late nineteenth century.
Learned, elegant and a lover of art and music, Lady Marianna Lanza spoke French fluently, had a complete knowledge of English, was a lover of Bel Canto, and enjoyed poetry and drawing. A Mazurka by the composer Vincenzo Maltese was dedicated to her.
Her pencil drawings from the end of 1876 and the beginning of 1877can still be admired in the living room of the house today.
Some of her letters give an account of the great preparations for the gala at the palace in honour of the composer Giacomo Puccini, whose ‘La Bohème’ was performed in 1896 at the Politeama Garibaldi Theatre, which was a venue for Opera at the time.
A neoclassical frame for the 18th century fresco
The great event
On 31 January 1880, Marianna Lanza of the Mirto Princes married Francesco Arone of Valentino. It was on the occasion of their wedding that the Palace acquired the fascinating interior that guests can still appreciate today.
Lady Marianna embellished the dining hall with a touch of modernity by adding a neoclassical frame to the fresco that adorns the ceiling. The magnificent 18th century fresco appears even more impressive and it amazes the guests who gaze up at the ceiling.
The coats of arms of the family
As a symbol of the union of the two families, Lanza di Mirto and Arone di Valentino, Marianna had the dining hall adorned with the two coats of arms, united on top of the three exquisite gold leaf mirrors, and also on the chairs.
