CARINI CASTLE - PALERMO PROVINCE

The Castle is famous for tragical episode of Baroness of Carini. In 1563, Laura Lanza, the beautiful wife of Son Vincenzo La Grua and daughter of Count Mussomeli, falls in love with Ludovico Vernagallo who loves her in return. Her father, after failing preserve the family honor by convincing his daughter to end the relationship finally kills his daughter - while her husband kills Ludovicio. The tragic story of the death of the Baroness is popular in Sicilian folklore.


--Shall we enter?

-- DH in the courtyard ...
-- the stairway into the castle...the family and guests mostly stayed upstairs ...
-- the family crest and motto ...
---each generation added its own style to the walls and ceilings...we were warned not to touch the plaster to avoid damaging the paintings... the ceiling isn't curved nearly as much as it appears..it is a very shallow barrel ...

---- looking east, the city of Palermo is past the point...
---checking out a fireplace ...
-- painted detail ... it looks three-dimensional, but is completely flat. Such talent ... and this is just one example of the artwork on the walls here ...
---looking out a window ....what a view!
-- family motto painted in the ceiling of the Hall of Feasts ...there is a massive beam that ran the length of the ceiling with these giant "spool"-shapes with the motto painted ...the "spools" are probably 2 or 3 foot across..
--- a crane is part of the family crest ---
--the balcony in the chapel overlooking the altar (if it was still there) for the residing nobles ... family members could easily to and from services since the chapel is attached to the residence....see the triangular piece over the doorway? It's a barrel ceiling, so while the ceiling curves, it is a smooth surface...