Biblioteca e Pinacoteca Zelantea
Picture gallery of the Accademia degli Zelanti in Acireale, with 19th-century Sicilian paintings, alongside the historic Biblioteca Zelantea.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Pinacoteca Zelantea was founded in the mid-19th century within the Accademia degli Zelanti, the cultural society of Acireale whose origins go back to the 17th century. The first nucleus was a bequest of paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures that Mariano Leonardi Gambino donated to the Academy in 1850 in memory of his father Paolo Leonardi Pennisi; the following year a list of 84 numbered paintings was drawn up. Some of the works found a place as early as 1852 in the seat of the Biblioteca Zelantea, but the entire collection was transferred there only in 1889.
Over time the collection grew thanks to numerous donations from artists from Acireale and members of the Academy, among them Antonino Bonaccorsi, Francesco Mancini, Giuseppe Sciuti and Saru Spina. In the 20th century other nuclei entered, such as the works of Antonio Carbonati assigned in 1958 by a national museum and the paintings of Michele La Spina and Giuseppe D’Angelo.
The picture gallery shares with the library a late 19th-century neoclassical building designed by Mariano Panebianco, in Via Marchese di San Giuliano. Besides the paintings, the pieces on display include a rich 18th-century carriage of the senate of Acireale and a Roman-period bust found at Capo Mulini.
Highlights
- Paintings by 19th-century artists from Acireale, including Giuseppe Sciuti and Saru Spina
- Permanent display of works by Saru Spina
- 18th-century carriage of the senate of Acireale
- Roman-period bust found at Capo Mulini
- Historic library with about 250,000 volumes and ancient manuscripts
- Founded
- 1850
- Operated by
- Accademia degli Zelanti e dei Dafnici
- Visitors per year
- approx. 8,000
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Free admission according to the listings of museionline.info and of a newspaper article; the Academy’s website gives no rates.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
