Palazzo Parisio

Palazzo Parisio is a stately home with a history, unique architecture & interior. It is a tribute to the vision and passion of one exceptional man at the turn of the 19th century – Marquis Giuseppe Scicluna

The Palace was originally built and designed by the Portuguese Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena in 1733 and then enlarged by the Sicilian Parisio family, whose town house in Valletta now houses Malta’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was only in 1898 however, that the Palace was acquired by Marquis Scicluna. He bought land behind the property to extend the Gardens and embarked upon a unique construction project – the biggest and most innovative that this part of the Mediterranean had ever seen – extending the already fine country seat into a truly flamboyant palace that would take eight years to come to fruition. It was a formidable task but the Marquis spared neither effort nor money. From Italy he imported the best available craftsmen and artists, and installed them in residence in the Palace to oversee the most skilled local artisans.

Even when compared with the grand and historical palaces built by the Grand Masters and Knights of the Order of St. John, its significance as a cultural contribution to the island’s heritage is overwhelming. Every room or hall, each landing and corridor, the ornate gilded and mirrored ballroom, the music room, the lavishly decorated ceilings, murals and frescoes, fine stucco work and every painting and chandelier – even the marble of the grand staircase – bears tribute to one man’s original inspirations and aspirations, and to the generations that followed. A guided tour of the interior will therefore provide the visitor with an insight into another dimension of Malta’s chequered history.