Vacation Villa in Sicily, XVth Century, Trapani Historical City Centre, sea closer

The Legacy: Seven Centuries of History, a Single Family Thread

The Silence of the Monastery and Secret Tunnels

Antica Corte delle Ninfee stands upon millennial layers dating back centuries before Christ. It is said that these walls hosted various religious orders, including the Discalced Dominicans around 1100 AD, who gave their name to the historic district of Trapani where the palace stands today.

In the heart of the 15th century, the complex became a female monastery linked to the Church of San Domenico and the surrounding “Badie”.

For centuries, these spaces were protected by suspended passages and secret tunnels, guarding the cloistered life of the nuns.

A tangible sign of this history is the “Ruota degli Esposti” (The Foundling Wheel), still visible from the exterior of the Trinity Chapel (also known as the Church of the Maddalena). It was this ancient mechanism that allowed newborns to be discreetly entrusted to the care of the nuns, giving the nearby “via Orfani” its name.

After the Unification of Italy around 1861, like many other monastic complexes, the dwelling became a secular site.

A long period of abandonment followed, during which the forgotten former convent became a refuge for the homeless.

It was only in the early 1940s that this place found its guardian angels: the young architect and engineer Decio Marrone and his wife Renata Lombardo (my grandparents).

Together, they dedicated themselves to the recovery of various palaces and historical assets left to decay, purchasing the ancient former convent to make it their family home. It was here, from this place and these walls that the great architectural project for the reconstruction of Trapani took shape following the devastating bombings of World War II.

About and the Legacy

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The Golden Age: Decio Marrone and Renata Lombardo

In the 1940s, this house became the family home and creative nest and operational headquarters for two figures who literally rebuilt the soul of Trapani and a part of Sicily:

Commendatore Decio Marrone (1890–1976): A visionary architect and Honorary Inspector of the Monuments of Western Sicily, he was the man who brought beauty back to the rubble of war. Given his specific experience and artistic inclination, he was called not only for the construction of stately residences, but also for the restoration of city monuments.

From these very rooms, projects were born: the construction of the Palazzo del Genio Civile, located in front of the port of Trapani; the construction of the “Villino Serraino”, located in Via Orlandini; and the construction of the marble canopy of the Basilica Altar of the Sanctuary of the Madonna of Trapani, perhaps his most important work, which took place in the early 1960s, a work that alone can give an idea of the remarkable expertise, experience, and artistic ability of Marrone. He also restored several valuable rose windows of churches, friezes, and other architectural elements of well-known buildings (Banco di Sicilia, Banca del Popolo, Cassa Centrale di Risparmio, Palazzo Cavarretta, Chiesa del Collegio, Basilica dell’Annunziata).

He was entrusted with the direction of the works of the Bank of Italy in Piazza Scarlatti, the reconstruction of the Bishop’s Palace and the redevelopment of the former building of the “Fish Market” square with the restoration of the arches and their architectural elements, hit by war shrapnel, and many other works and even civil reconstructions, otherwise destroyed, that we can admire today walking around Trapani and in western Sicily.

• Il Commendatore Decio Marrone (1890–1976): Architetto visionario e Ispettore ai Monumenti, fu l'uomo che riportò la bellezza tra le macerie della guerra. Da queste stanze partirono i progetti per il Baldacchino marmoreo dell’Annunziata, il Palazzo del Genio Civile e il restauro di Piazza Mercato del Pesce. Nel 1962, la sua dedizione fu onorata da Papa Giovanni XXIII con il titolo di Commendatore.

In 1962, his lifelong dedication was honored by Pope John XXIII with the title of Il Commendatore.

• Renata Lombardo (1901–1988): Pittrice raffinata, le cui opere splendevano sulle pagine di "Vita Femminile" (la storica rivista che raccontava l'intellettualità delle donne). Prima di trasferirsi qui, nel 1935, ebbe l'onore di donare un suo quadro a Papa Pio XI. Insieme a Decio, salvò la Madonna di Trapani dalle bombe e ne ridisegnò la Corona d'oro, restituendo luce alla Regina della città.

Renata Lombardo (1901–1988): A refined painter whose works graced the pages of “Vita Femminile” (the historic magazine documenting the intellectual life of women at the time). She dedicated part of his life to drawing and painting, teaching at the Academy of Fine Arts and also contributing to the restoration of various ancient works. Before moving here, in 1935, she had the distinct honor of personally donating one of her paintings to Pope Pius XI. Together with Decio, she saved the statue of the Madonna of Trapani from the bombings and redesigned the Virgin’s golden crown, restoring light to the city’s Queen.

A Family Legacy Continues

Oblivion and the Woodworking Shop

In 1936, my father Vincenzo was born. But destiny took him far away, 1,600 km from Sicily, where he built a new life. For over 40 years, the house remained an orphan to its family. Another person took the place and the rooms where my grandparents dreamed of a new Trapani were turned into a woodworking shop: the roar of machinery drowned out the whispers of history.

This place became a painful secret, a past my father could hardly bring himself to speak of for over 40 years.

The Leap of Faith

I grew up in that far-away reality, where Sicily was but a blurred echo. But at the age of twenty, the call of my roots became a cry. I felt my identity was incomplete without these stones.

Many years later, in 2011, at the age of 34, I decided to take my “leap of faith.” I left behind the certainties of my world to embark on a journey toward the unknown. I wanted to know something more about my origins behind my father, I wanted to know about Trapani, my root and the place that my father left for himself reason. I invested every single cent earned over years of hard work to reclaim Antica Corte from oblivion. I was on a mission to save my father’s history and restore to him the place where he was born. On this path, “Providence” took the form of my maternal uncle, Michele Cipresso, who believed in my “mad” dream when everything seemed to be falling apart.

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The Circle Closes: A Shared Vision

Today, at 89 years old, my father Vincenzo has finally returned home. Seeing him walk through these reclaimed corridors, standing as a guardian alongside me of our shared legacy, is the ultimate proof that every sacrifice was worth it.

This journey is not one I walk alone. Although life took my brother Gabriele abroad, his roots call him back, and alongside my partner Lorenzo, he shares the deep passion that brought me home. We do not run a hotel; we protect a testament to courage. Antica Corte delle Ninfee is, first and foremost, our private residence.

By staying with us, you support an evolving project: there is still much to restore, and every guest becomes a precious ally in helping us bring back to light the parts that are still waiting to shine again.