Palazzo Parisio

Palazzo Parisio began as a hunting lodge of the 1730s and was transformed between 1900 and 1907 by the Marquis Scicluna, a banker who filled it with gold leaf, marble, frescoed ceilings and a ballroom that has been called a miniature Versailles. It remains in private hands and is lived in, with part opened to visitors. The Italianate garden behind is formal, with box parterres, a citrus grove and a sunken pool.

History

A hunting lodge stood here from 1733 and was later a summer residence of the Parisio family, and from 1880 the Jesuits rented it as a college. Marquis Giuseppe Scicluna bought it on 12 June 1898 for £1500, the architect Annibale Lupi gave it an Art Nouveau front, and a team led by Carlo Sada decorated the interior; work began in 1900 and was largely complete by 1906 (Wikipedia, Palazzo Parisio (Naxxar)).

Highlights

• The ballroom - the gilded state room at the centre of the early twentieth-century remodelling.
• The frescoed ceilings - painted decoration through the principal rooms.
• The formal garden - box parterres, citrus grove and sunken pool behind the palace.
• The marble staircase - the grand stair at the entrance.

When to go

Year round; the garden is at its best in spring. It closes for private events and weddings, which are frequent. Mornings are quietest.

Things to know

Private functions close the palace or the garden at short notice and often at weekends. Only part of the house is open. The entry price is high for the size of the visit.

Nearby

Naxxar surrounds it, and Mosta is west.

Key facts