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Sicily

Destroyed Liberty masterpiece may be reproduced in situ

Two young Palermo architects have proposed recreating Ernesto Basile's Liberty masterpiece, Villa Deliella, according to the original blueprints which still exist, and to make a museum of it. The idea has the support of politician, art critic and entertainer Vittorio Sgarbi. The art nouveau masterpiece was destroyed over a weekend in 1959 during the Sack of Palermo by mob types who wanted to clear space for their concrete high-density retail/ apartment buildings. From Best of Sicily magazine:

"Designed by Ernesto Basile, an exponent of the Art Nouveau and Neo Classical movements, Villa Deliella once stood in the middle of a small park in what is now Piazza Croci, next to Palermo's English Gardens. In 1959, the city council authorized its destruction, and the demolition was carried out during a Saturday night (yes, at night) in November of that year. In protest, Basile's son, Giovan Battista (also an accomplished architect) resigned from the public works commission. Today, a piazza and car wash occupy the space where the villa once stood."
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