Synopsis
Tumble down the rabbit hole for an enchanting afternoon at Palazzo Parisio, where history and culinary delights await. Begin with a guided tour through the Palazzo’s magnificent rooms, discovering gilded interiors, glittering chandeliers, and the stories hidden within this extraordinary house. Then follow Alice into Wonderland and take your place at the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. Expect an afternoon tea with a curious twist, inspired by Lewis Carroll’s unforgettable world of white rabbits, playing cards and impossible things. Come dressed for an adventure, bring your imagination – and whatever you do, don’t be late for this very important date!
THE VENUE
With its magnificent interiors and manicured Italianate gardens, Palazzo Parisio is one of Malta’s most spectacular private houses. Behind its restrained limestone façade lies a richly ornamented world of frescoes, marble, gilding and exceptional craftsmanship. The Grand Hall, with its soaring vaulted ceiling and frescoed walls, leads to an imposing marble staircase, whose six-metre balustrade was carved from a single piece of Italian Carrara marble.
The Palazzo owes much of its present splendour to the wealthy Maltese banker and merchant Marquis Giuseppe Scicluna, who acquired it in 1898 and commissioned an ambitious transformation. Under architect Carlo Sada, the residence became an exuberant expression of the family’s wealth, taste and status.
Its most dazzling room is the Rococo ballroom, where extensive gilding, bronze chandeliers and gilt-edged mirrors create a spectacular setting reminiscent of Versailles’ Hall of Mirrors. Eight busts of Grand Masters overlook the room, while the richly symbolic ceiling completes Sada’s theatrical design. Adjoining it, the Music Room provided an intimate salon for conversation and musical performances, with pale silk moiré walls and furniture embellished with 24-carat gold leaf. Elsewhere, the billiard room features Giacomo Olzai’s painted stucco ceiling depicting Fortuna, goddess of good luck, overlooking an eight-legged billiard table illuminated by bronze cherubs. In the Marquis’ study, allegorical ceiling decoration celebrates modern developments including the telephone, banking and the opening of the Suez Canal. Portraits commemorate the Marquis and Marchesa Corinna Abela Pulis, whose First World War humanitarian work earned international recognition. The Sala Lombarda, or Red Drawing Room, evokes traditional northern Italian taste through religious, mythological and family paintings, including works associated with Mattia Preti, Philipp Peter Roos and Giovanni Paolo Panini. The Pompeian-inspired dining room reflects archaeological fashions of the period through Filippo Venuti’s paintings.
The Palazzo’s private chapel contains some of its greatest treasures, notably a 17th-century wooden altar once belonging to Grand Master Nicolas Cotoner, accompanied by finely inlaid ebony and ivory prie-dieux and matching Italian chairs. Together, these remarkable interiors make Palazzo Parisio an exceptional expression of Malta’s aristocratic domestic culture.
*Reservations close 14th October
Allergy requirements must be advised until the 13th of October, 23:59pm.
MENU
Sandwiches
Egg & curry mayonnaise
Cream cheese & cucumber
Cream cheese & smoked salmon
Chicken and Mango Chutney Mayo bun
Fresh Scones
Clotted cream & strawberry compote
Pastries
Battenberg
Chocolate éclair
Fruit tart
Passion fruit cheesecake
Beverages
Assam tea (served black or with milk)
American coffee