Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Book II - IX. Palazzo Geraci and Palazzo Corvaja
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
’palazzo geraci and palazzo corvaja 85
magnificent hall was fitted up. A large cistern for
gold-fishes was put in the floor, in the niches of the
walls fountains covered with mosaic were erected,
where clear water fell into seashells of gigantic size.
Above this was a vault of Moorish structure
supported by high pillars entwined by mosaic wreaths.
It was a hall the like of which was only to be found
in the Saracen palace at Palermo.
There was rivalry and contention during the
whole period of building. When Palazzo Geraci
added a balcony, Palazzo Corvaja added its high
Gothic arched windows ; when Palazzo Geraci’s roof
was adorned with richly carved merlons, Palazzo
Corvaja added a frieze of black marble inlaid with
white. Geraci’s palace had a high tower, Corvaja’s
had a roof-terrace with ancient jars along the railing.
When at last the palaces were completed rivalry
between the families who had built them began.
Enmity and strife, it seemed, was communicated by
the houses to all who lived in them. A baron Geraci
could never be of the same opinion as a baron
Corvaja. When Geraci fought for Anjou, Corvaja did
battle for Manfred. If Geraci changed sides and
supported Aragon, Corvaja departed for Naples and
fought for Robert and Johanna.
But this was not enough. If Geraci gained a
son-in-law, Corvaja felt he must add to his power by
an advantageous marriage. The two families never
found peace. The Geracis left home for the
Bourbon court at Naples, not from a desire to gain
distinction, but because the Corvajas were there. The
Corvajas, on the other hand, had felt obliged to
cultivate wine and work the sulphur-mines, because
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
