Municipal Palace in Acireale
The Municipal Palace in Acireale is a valuable building in Baroque style which overlooks the Piazza del Duomo.
It was built starting in 1659 and destroyed by the Val di Noto earthquake in 1693. It was one of the first examples of civil architecture of reconstruction after the earthquake. In 1699 the first order of the palace was already completed, in the 18th century the second order and the marble staircase were built. Other works were carried out in the 19th century.
The building, divided into two floors, has the classic blocked layout with a central courtyard.
The main façade, which overlooks the Piazza del Duomo, is in late Baroque style. It is punctuated by a series of pilasters and characterized by the alternation of lava stone and limestone elements. On the ground floor there is a long balustrade interrupted only by the entrance portal. On the first floor the balconies, with wrought iron railings, are supported by baroque masks. Other grotesque and monstrous figurative elements are placed in the jambs and portals.
The palace has its official headquarters for the Academy of Sciences, Letters and Fine Arts of the Zelanti and Dafnici and the Uniform Museum, hosted in the hall Costarelli.
