Palazzo Corvaja, Taormina

Palazzo Corvaja, Taormina

Corvaja Palace is a 10th century Sicilian palace that functioned as the seat of the Sicilian Parliament in the 15th century.

Corvaja Palace is a 10th century Sicilian palace that functioned as the seat of the Sicilian Parliament in the 15th century. Originally built by the Arabs, it gets its name from the aristocratic Corvaja family, who owned it from 1538 to 1945. The medieval building on Piazza Badia has a main Arab-Norman tower with a crenellated roof and an inner courtyard, and arched mullioned windows in Gothic style. Also worth nothing are the ornamental balcony overlooking the courtyard and the 13th century stairway with bas-relief panels depicting the Creation of Eve, the Fall of Man and the Expulsion from Paradise. The ground floor houses the tourist office of Taormina, while the first floor has the Museo di Arte e Tradizioni Popolari, which showcases Sicilian puppets and folk art, paintings, woodwork, ceramics, textiles, nativity scenes, furniture, carts, and crèches from the 16th to 20th centuries.