Gnecco Palace

Gnecco Palace, also known as Garibaldi palace and Casa de la liberté, is an old palace in the Medina of Tunis.[1]

Italian facade of Gnecco Palace
Metallic plaque of the Commission Street

Localization

The palace is located in the Commission Street, in the old French neighbourhood.[2]

History

It was built between 1786 and 1866 by Paolo Antonio Gnecco, a rich olive oil and seeds trader.[2]

According to the plaque at the entrance, Giuseppe Garibaldi stayed in the palace during his stay in Tunisia in 1834.[2]

During the 19th century, Giulio Finzi, an Italian lithographer from Livorno, established workshops with lithographic printing machines.[3]

The Franco-Tunisian painter Pierre Boucherle was born in Gnecco Palace on 11 April 1894.[4]

Architecture

Unlike the other palaces of the Medina, this one has the architecture of an Italian palazzo; It has a big portal with columns and an Italian facade with framed windows and pediments.[2]

It has also a courtyard that creates a lighting system for the surrounding rooms.[2]

  • Palace courtyard
    Palace courtyard
  • Façade overlooking the courtyard
    Façade overlooking the courtyard
  • Staircase with column in Carrara marble
    Staircase with column in Carrara marble
  • Entrance in the courtyard
    Entrance in the courtyard
  • Courtyard
    Courtyard
  • The Carrara marble column
    The Carrara marble column

References
  1. "Festival de la Médina : Tunis raconte ses rues".
  2. Charles Bilas, Tunis, l'orient de la modernité, Paris, Éditions de l'Éclat, 2010, 319 p. (ISBN 978-2-84162-206-1), p. 102-103
  3. Feriel Ben Mahmoud et Michèle Brun, Tunisie : un siècle d'images (1857-1956), Paris, Éditions Place des Victoires, 2012, 255 p. (ISBN 978-2-8099-0711-7), p. 59
  4. France Boucherle, Boucherle : aux origines de l'école de Tunis, Tunis, Cérès, 1997, 150 p. (ISBN 978-9-9731-9333-9), p. 13

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