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P A L A Z Z I D I L ’ A M E R I C A N I
THE PALAZZU GIORGI
Figarella
20200 Santa Maria di Lota
The Palaces of the American Corsicans
“After having “succeeded” in the Americas, many Corsicans chose to return to their island. For the most part, they wanted to build a new house, materializing their adventure and their fortune.
They proceeded with their construction either once they returned to Corsica, or while they were still abroad, by charging a relative or an ally with recruiting the architect and masons as well as monitoring the construction site.
The elegant palazzi that were built generally follow the models of Tuscan neoclassical architecture. The style was inspired by the architectural treatises of the 16th century.
At the very end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the influence of French culture, architecture and academic art is felt on the palazzi.
The decoration of the facades becomes more loaded and, in a search for a picturesque effect, the plan sometimes frees itself from symmetry.
The Palazzu of Jean-André and Joseph-Marie Giorgi is a good example. »
Extrait du livre :
Palazzi di l’Americani
Les Palais des Corses Américains
Cullettivita territuriale di Corsica
MUSEU DI A CORSICA
JEAN-CHARLES-COLONNA
Éditions ALBIANA
My Family’s History
My great-great-grandfather François Antoine GIORGI (1808 – 1878) married Rose Marie Caraffa de San Martino and had 5 children. A large landowner, mayor of the commune for 23 years, brother of Jean Vincent, Prelate of Pope Leo XIII, he was a notable with means at that time.
The Palazzu Giorgi
The house was built in 1889 (yes, it is the same age as the Eiffel Tower!), by
the two brothers Jean André and Joseph Marie.
In the shape of a “U”, each of the brothers has a wing in addition to half of the facade, which makes it an “L” shaped property for each.
In our garage (on the Giorgi side) there is a characteristic wine press, where the bunches of grapes were crushed by foot; the juice was collected in the pit at the front and then put into barrels in the ham cellar next to the garage.
On the Luisi side, an oil press was built; the olives were poured into the stone vat and crushed with a vertical stone driven by a donkey (a mechanical installation currently replaces it). The crushed olives were then stacked in a press in beret-shaped baskets to extract the oil.
