The Palace
Palazzo Ricciardi
Today
The recent renovation conducted by the current owners, the heirs of Liliana Ricciardi Caracciolo, has struck a balance between maintaining the prestige of the original architectural elements and a modern interpretation of the available space.
A new light was given to the palazzo, restoring its beauty and ancient charm in order to create a unique space full of character.
The pietra leccese-front façade was brought back to its original form, with its frames and decorations.
Moreover, in the renovation process some wide bow windows emerged on the back façade, while a large underground cavity was found underneath the ground floor. Likely, it is the cave where the local stone (pietra leccese) used to build the palazzo was extracted.
The facility boasts eight apartments spread on two floors; a spacious garden, once a family citrus grove, serves as a common area in the inner courtyard. A panoramic terrace with a 360 view over the city rooftops completes the building.
The Palace
Palazzo Ricciardi
Today
The recent renovation conducted by the current owners, the heirs of Liliana Ricciardi Caracciolo, has struck a balance between maintaining the prestige of the original architectural elements and a modern interpretation of the available space.
A new light was given to the palazzo, restoring its beauty and ancient charm in order to create a unique space full of character.
The pietra leccese-front façade was brought back to its original form, with its frames and decorations.
Moreover, in the renovation process some wide bow windows emerged on the back façade, while a large underground cavity was found underneath the ground floor. Likely, it is the cave where the local stone (pietra leccese) used to build the palazzo was extracted.
The facility boasts eight apartments spread on two floors; a spacious garden, once a family citrus grove, serves as a common area in the inner courtyard. A panoramic terrace with a 360 view over the city rooftops completes the building.
Yesterday
The Ricciardi family lived in harmony in the Palazzo for many decades and made its citrus garden the frame of weddings and family celebrations
Palazzo Ricciardi was built on a portion of what once was the villa Himera park, a luxurious example of eclectic architecture, made between 1890 and 1893 by a wealthy business man from Lecce, who gifted the villa to his daughter as a dowry for the marriage with Marquis Benedetto Arditi di Castelvetere.
In 1913, the original core of Palazzo Ricciardi was erected with four housing units on the ground floor; over the following years, the existing structures were raised and extended.
In 1922, Francesco Ricciardi, the great-grandfather of the current owners, purchased “two quarters on the first floor at the civic number 8 and the corresponding rooms on the ground floor, with part of the annexed citrus grove” from the Marquis Arditi.
In 1946, the grandfathers and the mother of the current owners acquired the remaining parts of the building, which completed the overall structure of Palazzo Ricciardi as it appears today.
Yesterday
The Ricciardi family lived in harmony in the Palazzo for many decades and made its citrus garden the frame of weddings and family celebrations
Palazzo Ricciardi was built on a portion of what once was the villa Himera park, a luxurious example of eclectic architecture, made between 1890 and 1893 by a wealthy business man from Lecce, who gifted the villa to his daughter as a dowry for the marriage with Marquis Benedetto Arditi di Castelvetere.
In 1913, the original core of Palazzo Ricciardi was erected with four housing units on the ground floor; over the following years, the existing structures were raised and extended.
In 1922, Francesco Ricciardi, the great-grandfather of the current owners, purchased “two quarters on the first floor at the civic number 8 and the corresponding rooms on the ground floor, with part of the annexed citrus grove” from the Marquis Arditi.
In 1946, the grandfathers and the mother of the current owners acquired the remaining parts of the building, which completed the overall structure of Palazzo Ricciardi as it appears today.
