Zammitello Palace

The Zammitello Palace, also known as Castello Zammitello (Maltese: Kastell Zamitellu) or Zammitello Tower,[lower-alpha 1] is a 19th-century Victorian countryside villa on the outskirts of Mġarr, Malta, on the road leading to Ġnejna. Francis Sant Cassia, the owner of the building, was murdered there in 1988, and it is now used for wedding receptions.

Zammitello Palace
Kastell Zamitellu
View of the Zammitello Palace
Alternative namesCastello Zammitello
Zammitello Tower
General information
StatusIntact
TypeVilla
Architectural styleVictorian architecture
LocationMġarr, Malta
Coordinates35°55′15.3″N 14°21′34.4″E
Completed19th century
Technical details
MaterialLimestone

History

The villa was built by the Sant Cassia family in the early nineteenth century as a honeymoon retreat,[1]:186 in the limits of Mġarr in Malta,[2][3] although commercial sources claim that it dates back to 1675.[4][5]

The building's owner, Francis Sant Cassia, was murdered there on 27 October 1988,[6] and the family sold it a year later, in 1989.[7] It is now used as a wedding venue.[1]:186[7]

Architecture
Castello Zammitello and the surrounding countryside

The Zammitello Palace is a 19th-century ornate architectural folly, built in imitation of the Tower of London.[8]:166[7] Although it resembles a fortification, according to military architecture expert Stephen C. Spiteri, it is "entirely useless from a defensive point of view".[9]

The names given to the building are a misnomer as it is closely comparable to a country house villa,[10] and its outline is a square-shaped residence designed with typical Victorian architecture.[11] It prominently features one roof-level turret and four guerites.[11][10] The latter have a unique design and were never desirable nor used in Maltese military context.[11] Above the turret sits a Christian cross, in the form of a crucifix.[10]

Further reading
  • Cutajar, Tony C. (2014). The Mgarr Bride. Lulu. ISBN 9781326032524..
  • Mizzi, Pawlu (2001). It-Tfajla tal-Kastell Zamitellu (in Maltese). Malta: Klabb Kotba Maltin. ISBN 9990975647.

References
  1. Simon Gaul (2007). Malta, Gozo & Comino. London: Cadogan Guides. ISBN 9781860113659.
  2. [s.n.] (2004). Landscape Assessment of the Maltese Islands Archived October 3, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. Malta Environment and Planning Authority. Accessed September 2015.
  3. Wilson, Neil; Bain, Carolyn Joy (2010). Malta & Gozo. Lonely Planet. p. 106. ISBN 9781741045086.
  4. "Castello Zamittello". Catermax. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015.
  5. "Castello Zamittello". Maltese Newsletter (84): 16. June 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 January 2016.
  6. [s.n.] (9 January 2007). Traces Of gunshot residue found on man but he insists he did not fire a weapon. The Malta Independent. Accessed September 2015.
  7. Malta – Guide Verdi Europa (in Italian). Touring Editore. 2007. p. 107. ISBN 9788836533176.
  8. D. Chambry, David H. Trump (1978). Malta. Geneva: Nagel. ISBN 9782826307112.
  9. Spiteri, Stephen C. (2015). "On the Study of Military Architecture". ARX Occasional Papers. MilitaryArchitecture.com (5): 37. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  10. Morana, Martin (2012). Ara x'int tgħid: glossarju enċiklopediku ta' termini storiċi, toponimi, qwiel u idjomi, tradizzjonijiet Maltin, kurżitajiet oħra (in Maltese). Martin Morana. p. 245. ISBN 9789995703608. OCLC 830362895.
  11. Spiteri, Stephen C. (2017). The Fortifications of Malta. BDL Publishings (Book Distributors Limited). p. 124. ISBN 978-99957-67-38-9.

Notes

  1. Sometimes also spelt Zamitello or Zamittello

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