ELEPHANT PALACE

The Palace of the Elephants is the seat of Catania's city hall and is located on the north side of Piazza Duomo. The palace, then called the senatorial palace, was first built in the Aragonese period.

The palace was the seat of the traveling sessions of parliament held in Catania and other state-owned cities in eastern Sicily. The terrible earthquake of 1693 also destroyed this palace, and architects Giovan Battista Longobardo, Vincenzo Caffarelli and Giuseppe Palazzolo were used for its reconstruction.

The designs of the south-east and west facades are by Giovan Battista Vaccarini while the north facade is by Carmelo Battaglia. The rectangular-plan building is spread over 3 floors and has a late Baroque facade with the first order characterized by severe diamond and cushion ashlar work. Horizontally, the facade is divided by pilasters also rusticated for the first order, which then become smooth on the upper floors.

Inside, in the courtyard of honor, are two carriages from the 1700s that are used on Feb. 3 during the festivities of St. Agatha to take the mayor to the church of St. Agatha alla fornacella.

The halls of the palace display some paintings by painter Giuseppe Sciuti. In 1944 following a popular uprising the palace was set on fire and in the fire the furnishings, works of art and part of the city's archives were lost. The palace was furnished again, and on December 14, 1952, on the eighth anniversary of the disastrous fire, it was reopened to the public.