The House of Branciforte and the Culture of dwelling of the Sicilian Nobility in the Modern Age.

Abstract

The essay focuses on the modern-age residences of the House of Branciforte, one of the most influential of the feudal aristocracy of Sicily, with the aim of highlighting the transformations in the living culture of the Sicilian nobility between the 16th and 18th centuries. The analysis focuses on three historical phases:

1.The gradual transition of the landed nobility's residential interests from the feud to the capital of the Kingdom, which took place during the 17th century;

2.The great building season of the 18th century, within which the city's main noble residences were built, under the banner of sumptuousness and amplitude of the representative spaces;

3-The advent, between the last decades of the 18th century and the early 19th century, of new housing criteria aimed at greater functionality and comfort of dwellings.

The research makes use of new studies, currently in progress, on the Branciforte di Butera palace, the residence of the main branch of the family, to be considered the largest noble residence built in Palermo, capital of the Kingdom of Sicily.