Sicilian Castle Where ‘The Godfather: Part III’ Filmed Is Nearly as Large as the White House
This fairy tale-like castle, which has been owned by the same family since its construction in the late 1800s, had a starring role in 1990’s Francis Ford Coppola movie “The Godfather: Part III” and in 1969’s Gina Lollabridgida film “That Splendid November.”
Commissioned by Baron Agostino Pennisi of Floristella and designed by Sicily’s superintendent of monuments, the castle was originally conceived as a museum but became the private home for five generations of the Pennisi family.
Diletta Giorgolo, head of residential Italy/Sotheby’s International Realty, said the castle, which was listed in December, is ideal for residential and commercial uses.
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“Given its history, its location, its architecture and its spaces, it expresses strong character and enjoys enormous potential,” she said.
Stats
The neo-Gothic-style castle, which comprises three connected buildings on two levels, has two rectangular towers and 43,055 square feet of interior space. It includes 22 bedrooms and eight full bathrooms. The mezzanine floor houses a contained 12-room apartment, and the property includes a lushly landscaped 2-acre private park.
Amenities
The castle, which is named Piazza Agostino Pennisi after its original owner, is reached via a long, wide drive surrounded by a double row of palm trees. Another set of palms frames a marble bust of Baron Pennisi. A three-arched portico leads inside to a monumental marble staircase whose coffered-wood ceiling is decorated with the family crest and monogram. In the reception hall, which is illuminated by five large mullioned windows decorated with columns, a fireplace adorned with the family initials soars to the ceiling. Throughout, the interiors are decorated with artworks, including ones by Paul Pennisi, a noted painter and one of the castle’s heirs. The castle also houses a chapel embellished with frescoes by the Italian painter Giuseppe Sciuti.
Surrounded by fishing villages, the city of Acireale lies at the foot of Mount Etna, on the coast of the Ionian Sea. It’s known for the architecture of its historic churches and for being the home of the Academy of Sciences, Letters and Fine Arts of the Zelanti and the Daphnics, the oldest such institution in Sicily.
Ms. Giorgolo said the city offers the perfect combination of culture, nightlife, and outdoor and water activities, including diving and snorkeling.
The main street, Corso Umberto I, is full of boutiques and bars, and it is only minutes from La Timpa, a nature preserve formed of volcanic lava.
