Villino Ida Basile: general view
by BASILE, Ernesto, Photo
The Villino Ida Basile was designed by Ernesto Basile. The building, named after his wife Ida Negrini di Novara, was the home of the architect and his family until 1932. The style adopted by Basile is the Liberty style which he used to create the homes of the upper-middle class and local aristocracy in the new residential district north-west of Palermo. Previously, this area was the site of the National Exhibition of 1881-82.
The entire Villino was built with local materials. The furnishings were the products of the Ducrot company in Palermo, of which Basile was the artistic director. One interesting detail of the Villino is the writing on the entrance door, which reads “Dispar et Unum 1904”. The Latin inscription refers to the philosophy of the Pythagoreans, while the date indicates the year of completion of the construction.
Today the Villino is the seat of the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage of Palermo and a library.