Palazzo Bernardini – Lecce

Description

Standing behind the Duomo in the heart of Baroque Lecce, Palazzo Bernardini was created by the Mandoj family in the late 1800s who united three buildings, the most ancient of which dates to the Renaissance.

The hall, with its original floor of ancient Leccese stone slabs, features a 15^th century niche with bossage decoration.

A library on the ground floor houses religious texts in various languages, mostly Greek and Griko. Recent restoration work on the piano nobile revealed a 15^th century niche featuring 15^th century frescoes of St. Ann, the Madonna and Child with St. Onofrio and St. Antony on the sides; part of a 15^th century window with a bossage decoration; and a wall-mounted safe with a swivel door of stone.

The 18th century frescoes on the drawing room ceiling and the papier mâché dadoes of create a setting for the sumptuous antique furnishings and a prestigious collection of paintings from the 17^th century Neapolitan School from the Pinacoteca of Palazzo Marchesale of Arnesano.

The dining room has a collection of Ginori Doccia porcelain and antique glass. On the same floor is an ancient library with Imperial era furniture and a collection of antique engravings.

The garden has conserved its original form and an araucaria from the mid 19^th century and is separated from the archaeological area of Convitto Palmieri by an ancient city wall.

Position on map