From the Italian Vernacular Villa to Schinkel to the Modern HouseFrom 14. - 16. June 2002, the Friends of Schinkel and the Università di Catania (con sede in Siracusa) held the symposium, From the Italian Vernacular Villa to Schinkel to the Modern House at Palazzo Impellizzeri, located on the beautiful island of Ortigia in Siracusa. The symposium was initiated by Prof. Emanuele Fidone (Facoltà di Architettura, U of Catania, Siracusa) and Susan M. Peik. (Director, Friends of Schinkel, Minneapolis, Minnesota). Sponsors of the event included: the Regione Siciliana Assessorato dei Beni Culturali ed Ambientali e della Pubblica Istruzione; the Goethe Institute of Palermo; and the Facoltà di Architettura, Università di Catania.
The first day of this extraordinary event began with introductory remarks by Prof. Arch. Ugo Cantone, President of the Facoltà di Architettura di Siracusa; the On. Fabio Granata, Director of the Assessorato Regionale dei Beni Culturali; Dr. Paul Eubel, Director of the Goethe Institute, Palermo, and Arch. Mariella Muti, Soprintendenza ai BB.CC.e AA di Siracusa.
Over the next two days, scientific papers were presented by scholars from Germany, Italy and the USA; names (with affiliations) are given here in order of presentation:: Emanuele Fidone (Facoltà di Architettura di Siracusa, Italy); Susan M. Peik (Friends of Schinkel, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA); Jochen Meyer (Dr. phil, Schinkel scholar, Germany); Richard Röhrbein (Urban Planning Director, Potsdam, Germany); Giuseppe Pagnano (Facoltà di Architettura di Siracusa, Italy); Paola Sonia Gennaro Burelli (Facoltà di Architettura di Ferrara, Italy) Petra Liebl-Osborne (TU München, Germany); Luciano Patetta (Politecnico di Milano, Italy); Maria Luisa Scalvini (Università di Napoli, Italy); Mario Alexander Zadow (Schinkel scholar, Heidelberg, Germany); Rand Carter (Hamilton College, Clinton, NY, USA); and Fabio Mangone (Università di Napoli, Italy). Moderators included: Luciano Patetta; and Maria Giuffré (Facoltà di Architettura, Università di Palermo).
Please follow this link to Titles and Abstracts.
In conjunction with the symposium, paintings and images created at Casa Malaparte (Capri) by the Munich / Miami artist and architect, Petra Liebl-Osborne were exhibited at Palazzo Impellizeri.The Assessorato Regionale dei Beni Culturali (Director, the On. Fabio Granata) has given its generous financial support to publish (2003) the symposium proceedings.
In the late afternoon of the 14th and 15th of June, after papers were presented, speakers and other participants were hosted to an autobus tour, stopping at several sites that Schinkel visited while on his first Italian journey. The 16th of June was entirely devoted to to touring. The sites visited included the Teatro Greco and Latomie del Paradiso, Castello Eurialo, Mount Etna, and the Teatro Greco-Romano at Taormina. The highlight of the excursion for the Schinkelianer was a visit to Villa di Tremilia, a country house with a complex elevation and pergola system that Schinkel drew while on his first Italian journey in 1804. Until several years ago, the drawing, entitled a 'Landhaus bei Syrakus' was thought by Schinkel scholars to have been an imaginative conglomeration of several villas visited by Schinkel--a picturesque villa scene that developed from his youthful and fertile imagination. Several years ago, the organizer of the event and our gracious guide and host, Prof. Emanuele Fidone, determined and proved, beyond doubt, that the casa di campagna featured in Schinkel's drawing was Villa di Tremilia, although its form has been considerably modified over the past two centuries. In terms of Schinkel scholarship and the history of architecture, Prof. Fidone's find is indeed major; Schinkel's drawings of the 'Landhaus bei Syrakus', accompanied by his descriptive text, influenced his theoretical ideas regarding design and asymmetry and indirectly influenced his plans for several villas of the Hohenzollern Princes in Potsdam, as well as his urban plan for the city of Berlin. Schinkel's drawings of the 'Landhaus bei Syrakus'--considered by Schinkel scholars to be among his finest, if not his most thoughtprovoking--are the most complete and detailed known drawings from his Italian Journey.
Participants of the conference are advocating that the site be protected and restored. Furthermore, we unanimously agree that it would be appropriate for the site to become an International Center for the Study of Architecture and Landscape Design
(see Proclamation).On the evening of the 14th, symposium participants and colleagues from the Università di Catania, officials of the Assessorato dei Beni Culturali ed Ambientali e della Pubblica Istruzione, and the Goethe Institute joined together for an opening celebration and garden party at Villa Cocuzza. The hospitality of the Assessore Regionale dei Beni Culturali (the On. Fabio Granata) was without parallel. Good conversation and wine flowed freely at the Fellini-style festival dinner--the sheer length of the white tableclothed banquet table, filled with varieties of the finest and indescribably delectable Sicilian fare, was in itself extraordinary--the flowing long white rectangle dotted with filled white plates seemed to disappear to a horizon point at least a kilometer into the dark distance. Participants were also guests at several other pleasant gatherings of a more intimate nature, in both città and campagna.
On behalf of the Friends of Schinkel, I extend my warmest thanks to the President of the Facoltà di Architettura, Prof. Arch. Ugo Cantone, and Prof. Emanuele Fidone for hosting this scholastically important and most pleasurable event, and to the Assessorato Regionale Beni Culturali (On. Fabio Granata, Director) and the Goethe Institute of Palermo (Dr. Paul Eubel, Director) for their kind hospitality and generous sponsorship. The Friends of Schinkel looks forward to long and productive relationships with our new friends and colleagues from the bellissima island of Sicilia.
Minneapolis, 29. June 2002.
Susan M. Peik
Director
Friends of Schinkel
