Utveggio’s Castle

Utveggio’s Castle

Castello Utveggio has not be lucky; the hotel, invented during the Fascist period by the most important builder of Palermo, Utveggio, never achieved its commercial objectives, and after its occupation during the war as a military headquarters, it fell into disuse.

The Sicilian Region then became the owner, setting up its “Centre for Research and Management Studies”.

The feeling of those who visit this beautiful neo-gothic structure today is that, as the well-known Sicilian proverb says, "U Signuri runa pani a cu unnavi renti"! (the Lord gives bread to those who have no teeth)

We quote Vitaliano Brancati (author among others of the famous " Don Juan in Sicily " and " The Handsome Antonio ") in an article of 7/5/1938 about the Castello Utveggio:

"The practical spirit of the Sicilians, when it emerges from prudence and aspires to become 'Nordic', suggests a building so high that it attracts an infinite number of customers with the promise of an extraordinary view".

Although the initial project failed in 1931, when the owner went bankrupt and committed suicide by throwing himself off the terraces of his own hotel, the actual conditions of the Sicilian tourist market have changed so much that today Castello Utveggio would be a flagship of the top hotel industry.

No words can do justice to the sensational panoramic view that justified building on this spur on Monte Pellegrino far from the city, just to enjoy a view of over 270 degrees, a pure enchantment from the driveway to the gardens that still offer a position designed to make us feel like Icarus.

Castello Utveggio was built by the architect Santangelo, in a neo-gothic style, one of the most characteristic of that period marked by the Liberty Style. It is clear that the interior would need some transformations to recover the original accents of an exclusive hospitality aimed at a cosmopolitan and refined clientele.

But it would be worth it, the upscale clientele does exist as well as the hoteliers capable of serving it.

On the other hand, Eastern Sicily boasts an obvious superiority at the beginning of the twenty-first century, as opposed to the lack of existing five stars structures in Western Sicily, except two renown ones, maybe three…

Castello Utveggio has not be lucky; the hotel, invented during the Fascist period by the most important builder of Palermo, Utveggio, never achieved its commercial objectives, and after its occupation during the war as a military headquarters, it fell into disuse.

The Sicilian Region then became the owner, setting up its “Centre for Research and Management Studies”.

The feeling of those who visit this beautiful neo-gothic structure today is that, as the well-known Sicilian proverb says, "U Signuri runa pani a cu unnavi renti"! (the Lord gives bread to those who have no teeth)

We quote Vitaliano Brancati (author among others of the famous " Don Juan in Sicily " and " The Handsome Antonio ") in an article of 7/5/1938 about the Castello Utveggio:

"The practical spirit of the Sicilians, when it emerges from prudence and aspires to become 'Nordic', suggests a building so high that it attracts an infinite number of customers with the promise of an extraordinary view".

Although the initial project failed in 1931, when the owner went bankrupt and committed suicide by throwing himself off the terraces of his own hotel, the actual conditions of the Sicilian tourist market have changed so much that today Castello Utveggio would be a flagship of the top hotel industry.

No words can do justice to the sensational panoramic view that justified building on this spur on Monte Pellegrino far from the city, just to enjoy a view of over 270 degrees, a pure enchantment from the driveway to the gardens that still offer a position designed to make us feel like Icarus.

Castello Utveggio was built by the architect Santangelo, in a neo-gothic style, one of the most characteristic of that period marked by the Liberty Style. It is clear that the interior would need some transformations to recover the original accents of an exclusive hospitality aimed at a cosmopolitan and refined clientele.

But it would be worth it, the upscale clientele does exist as well as the hoteliers capable of serving it.

On the other hand, Eastern Sicily boasts an obvious superiority at the beginning of the twenty-first century, as opposed to the lack of existing five stars structures in Western Sicily, except two renown ones, maybe three…

Castello Utveggio has not be lucky; the hotel, invented during the Fascist period by the most important builder of Palermo, Utveggio, never achieved its commercial objectives, and after its occupation during the war as a military headquarters, it fell into disuse.

The Sicilian Region then became the owner, setting up its “Centre for Research and Management Studies”.

The feeling of those who visit this beautiful neo-gothic structure today is that, as the well-known Sicilian proverb says, "U Signuri runa pani a cu unnavi renti"! (the Lord gives bread to those who have no teeth)

We quote Vitaliano Brancati (author among others of the famous " Don Juan in Sicily " and " The Handsome Antonio ") in an article of 7/5/1938 about the Castello Utveggio:

"The practical spirit of the Sicilians, when it emerges from prudence and aspires to become 'Nordic', suggests a building so high that it attracts an infinite number of customers with the promise of an extraordinary view".

Although the initial project failed in 1931, when the owner went bankrupt and committed suicide by throwing himself off the terraces of his own hotel, the actual conditions of the Sicilian tourist market have changed so much that today Castello Utveggio would be a flagship of the top hotel industry.

No words can do justice to the sensational panoramic view that justified building on this spur on Monte Pellegrino far from the city, just to enjoy a view of over 270 degrees, a pure enchantment from the driveway to the gardens that still offer a position designed to make us feel like Icarus.

Castello Utveggio was built by the architect Santangelo, in a neo-gothic style, one of the most characteristic of that period marked by the Liberty Style. It is clear that the interior would need some transformations to recover the original accents of an exclusive hospitality aimed at a cosmopolitan and refined clientele.

But it would be worth it, the upscale clientele does exist as well as the hoteliers capable of serving it.

On the other hand, Eastern Sicily boasts an obvious superiority at the beginning of the twenty-first century, as opposed to the lack of existing five stars structures in Western Sicily, except two renown ones, maybe three…