The vast halls of this 19th-century castle in Acireale, on the southern slopes of Italy’s Mount Etna, may be familiar to fans of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather Part III.
A hitman hired by Al Pacino’s Michael Corleone assassinated politician Licio Lucchesi on the castle’s portico in the film. The neo-Gothic structure, which is 42 kilometers from Taormina, has been featured in a number of films, notably Mauro Bolognini’s Italian classic That Splendid November, which starred Gina Lollobrigida.
The castle, which was built in 1800 and belongs to the Floristella Pennisi family, is distinguished by its neo-Gothic arches and battlements, which give the facade a fairy tale appearance. The construction is an example of eclecticism, an architectural aesthetic that flourished in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and mixes numerous components, such as traditional motifs and decorative, ornamental, and structural aspects borrowed from various cultures and architectural styles. The property is presently listed for $6.8 million through Sotheby’s International Realty.
A massive fireplace topped with the family initials, granite walls, and an immense chandelier dangle overhead dominate the main reception hall. Five wide mullioned windows look out over the castle’s 8,500-square-meter park, which is bursting with flowers, flooding the space with natural light. A chapel dedicated to Saint John the Baptist is housed in the castle’s bulwark and is adorned with well preserved murals by Giuseppe Sciuti. A vaulted ceiling portrays a starry blue night sky with saints strewn over it. Paul Pennisi, an Italian postwar and contemporary artist, has works throughout the castle, and his distinctive geometric landscapes and Byzantine motifs in blue and gold lend emphasis to the already dramatic setting.
