La Villa Manganelli di Ernesto Basile a Catania. Tra modernità e contemporaneità

The first two decades of the twentieth century represented a particularly intense moment for western architecture. The experimentation of innovative materials and technologies, the birth and sunset of Liberty style and the introduction of scientifically conceived technical regulations are just some of the most interesting aspects of this historical period. In this context, among different kinds of residences, the villa typology certainly deserves primary attention for the careful design, for the significant amount of resources allocated by clients, and for the architectural and expressive freedom that was granted to designers. This paper focuses on villa Manganelli, a relevant case study that perfectly summarize the outlined scenario. It was built in Catania in 1909-1914 and conceived by architect Ernesto Basile. The authors have firstly reconstructed the design and building process of villa Manganelli and have then identified the fabric, the state of conservation and possible reuse scenarios. The presented outcomes constitute a fundamental basis for the successive step of this research, i.e. the development of guidelines for a renovation project aimed at adapting the building performance to current standards, while safeguarding its relevant historical and architectural value.