Palermo (gro) It is known so far only from pictures, the “Camera delle Meraviglie” in a palazzo on via Porta die Castro in the historic center of Palermo. But now the “Room of Wonders” will be open to the public for one day, on September 6, the first Saturday in September. The interest should be lively. After all, it is a room as if from the Arabian Nights. Guests from all over the world are expected, including Arab countries. On the occasion of the visit, there will be an additional small, colorful street party in front of the palazzo in via porta di Castro on September 6.
Blue and silver shimmering.
The occasion for the open day in via Porta di Castro, not far from the Norman-Arabic church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti, is the publication of a richly illustrated book on the history of the “Chamber of Wonders” and on the background of its creation. The richly decorated room is entirely in Oriental-Arabic style, is decorated with ornaments, pearl ornaments and caligraphic elements. Nevertheless, it does not seem overloaded. This is because only two shades of color, a rich, dark blue and a matte shimmering silver-white, define the character of the décor.
Banca Nuova provides the financing.
Among the guests are personalities from politics, science and economy, such as Giovanni Apprendi, President of the Cultural Commission, the historian Gaetano Basile, art restorer Franco Fazzio, furthermore Beppi Trapani, Cultural Commissioner of the Region of Sicily and – last but not least – Umberto Saretti, General Director of Banca Nuova, which has provided the financing for the illustrated book about the “Camera delle Meraviglie”.
Testimony of the Arabic era of Palermo.
The project was made possible by journalists Valeria Giarrusso and Giuseppe Cadili, owners for some time of the apartment where the fairy-tale room is located. It has played a rather minor role in the sprawling estate during the past decades and had been used as a storeroom for a long time . In fact, it was furnished a few hundred years ago and is a vivid reminder of Palermo’s Arab 9th century, the time during which the city was the seat of an emir – and that the magnificent cathedral was built on the site where the main Arab mosque had previously stood.