Bupreste splendide
3 October 2019
Palazzo Donato – Museum of Words
3 October 2019
PALAZZO DE SALVO
Historic building of Fardella
Categoria: MONUMENTAL HISTORICAL BUILDINGS
The 18th-century building is located at the bottom of the old Piazza Municipio and extends across the whole block, between Via Macchiavelli and Via Pellegrino.
According to popular tradition, there was a larger building that became a symbol of wealth to the point that the legend says that “gold and silver poured from the building” during the 1868 fire, which was due “to the distraction of a family member who left a pipe on in the stables” and that “the flames stopped in front of the image of Our Lady of the Assumption” in the small Chapel. The fire was recorded in a parish register.
The building, with no courtyard, consists of a basement on Via del Pellegrino with the cellars and stables, the ground floor and the first floor.
Entrance to the building is through a stone portal supported by centring, located inside a trompe l'oeil with two cornucopias, a propitiatory symbol of abundance. It also features a stylised plant decoration within the frieze closed by a cornice. The keystone of the arch has plant-related elements ending with a cone, topped by the family coat of arms with two crossed anchors, a nine-pointed star and the motto “His suffulta”. Behind the portal, an entrance hall with a stone staircase featuring a finely decorated cast iron banister divides the space and leads to the first floor.
To the right of the main portal, there is a second entrance marked by a cornice supported by centring and standing on two consoles, leading to the small aristocratic chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, which still has the original floors, an 18th-century holy water stoup and a very old wooden statue of Our Lady. The miracle of manna, recalled in chronicles, took place in this chapel in 1856. The religious element seems to prevail in this building, given that the family counted many priests among its members and some of them had prominent roles, like Mons. Francesco Paolo, with the honorific title Prelate of Honour of His Holiness (Pope Pius IX), and Father Nicola, archdeacon of Tursi and rector of the seminary in Chiaromonte.
On the left-hand side, a secondary entrance leads to the then utility rooms.
A staircase takes you to Via del Pellegrino, where there are various arched entrances with fired bricks, once providing access to the stables and storerooms. The only visible decorations on this facade are the cornices of the overlooking balconies on the first floor, with a view of the landscape up to Chiaromonte. The railings by skilled local blacksmiths are worth a special mention.
The original interiors feature communicating rooms. The upper floor featured, near the entrance portal, the renowned ‘red’ room, also known as the ‘gallery’, a reception room for various events, such as the important festival of Our Lady of the Assumption.
Over the years, the privately-owned building underwent various renovation works leading to an external transformation that now prevents a detailed and accurate interpretation. The building became a Grade I listed building and is protected by law 1089 of 1939. Following the latest earthquakes that caused endless damage, it has now been restored.
According to popular tradition, there was a larger building that became a symbol of wealth to the point that the legend says that “gold and silver poured from the building” during the 1868 fire, which was due “to the distraction of a family member who left a pipe on in the stables” and that “the flames stopped in front of the image of Our Lady of the Assumption” in the small Chapel. The fire was recorded in a parish register.
The building, with no courtyard, consists of a basement on Via del Pellegrino with the cellars and stables, the ground floor and the first floor.
Entrance to the building is through a stone portal supported by centring, located inside a trompe l'oeil with two cornucopias, a propitiatory symbol of abundance. It also features a stylised plant decoration within the frieze closed by a cornice. The keystone of the arch has plant-related elements ending with a cone, topped by the family coat of arms with two crossed anchors, a nine-pointed star and the motto “His suffulta”. Behind the portal, an entrance hall with a stone staircase featuring a finely decorated cast iron banister divides the space and leads to the first floor.
To the right of the main portal, there is a second entrance marked by a cornice supported by centring and standing on two consoles, leading to the small aristocratic chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, which still has the original floors, an 18th-century holy water stoup and a very old wooden statue of Our Lady. The miracle of manna, recalled in chronicles, took place in this chapel in 1856. The religious element seems to prevail in this building, given that the family counted many priests among its members and some of them had prominent roles, like Mons. Francesco Paolo, with the honorific title Prelate of Honour of His Holiness (Pope Pius IX), and Father Nicola, archdeacon of Tursi and rector of the seminary in Chiaromonte.
On the left-hand side, a secondary entrance leads to the then utility rooms.
A staircase takes you to Via del Pellegrino, where there are various arched entrances with fired bricks, once providing access to the stables and storerooms. The only visible decorations on this facade are the cornices of the overlooking balconies on the first floor, with a view of the landscape up to Chiaromonte. The railings by skilled local blacksmiths are worth a special mention.
The original interiors feature communicating rooms. The upper floor featured, near the entrance portal, the renowned ‘red’ room, also known as the ‘gallery’, a reception room for various events, such as the important festival of Our Lady of the Assumption.
Over the years, the privately-owned building underwent various renovation works leading to an external transformation that now prevents a detailed and accurate interpretation. The building became a Grade I listed building and is protected by law 1089 of 1939. Following the latest earthquakes that caused endless damage, it has now been restored.
