Eighteenth-century gowns in Palazzo Borgia del Casale
From noble lineage of two families, Giuseppe Maria Borgia Impellizzeri built an elegant palace on the edge of Piazza Duomo on Siracusa’s isle of Ortigia in 1760. Rococo fashions stationed throughout the main floor, open to the public, help spark the imagination to time-travel back to the times when grand balls were the norm for nobility.
Duchess Lucia Maria Migliaccio (1770-1826) was born within these halls. Widowed in 1812, she attracted the interest of a widower, King Ferdinand I of Naples (1751-1825). At the time, his Kingdom of Two Sicilies was besieged by both the British and the French, so he and Lucia married in secret in Palermo. Regaining his kingdom in 1816, Ferdinand was able to send for his wife to join him in Naples.
As nobility differs from royalty, the morganic marriage meant Lucia was titled Royal Consort instead of Queen. While the king’s son did not view the attentions his father lavished upon his second wife favorably, residents of the island of Sicily always applauded them. Despite the official snub of title in Naples, in Sicily, Lucia is beloved as the Queen of Two Sicilies.
So, back to the Baroque palazzo on the piazza, more gowns and the floors upon which the nobles pranced.
Sipping a glass of Prosecco while looking out over the plaza fronting the Cathedral complements the experience.
Postcards from Barton Springs 
Gre
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