Specus Corallii
 Interior view of Specus Corallii | |
 | |
| Building | Sala Laurentina |
|---|---|
| Location | Trapani, Sicily |
| Coordinates | 38°00′56″N 12°30′27″E / 38.015478098537°N 12.50750344453883°E |
| Owner | Diocese of Trapani |
| Style | Italian modern and contemporary architecture |
| Architect | Antonino Cardillo |
Specus Corallii (English: The Coral Cave), is an architectural work built in 2016 in Trapani, Sicily, designed by the Italian architect Antonino Cardillo. The project is characterised by a combination of two different spaces: the hallway with green grey plaster walls and terrazzo floor, and the main room with a muted pink plaster ceiling, limestone walls and floors, and chestnut doors. Natural light enters through high, recessed windows of the main room.[1]
Background
[edit]The space was designed within a baroque oratory in Sicily owned by the Trapani Cathedral.[1]
Architecture
[edit]The architect described this space as a conceptual celebration of coral and seashell. The work is a tribute to Trapani's culture, drawing inspiration from its coral heritage and the relationship between sea and land. The design, featuring arches and a journey motif, symbolises the pursuit of knowledge and self-discovery. The oratory room features walls and ceiling with a textured, granular surface made from lime, sand, and pozzolana dust, contrasting with the geometrically defined limestone base and floor.[2] Jean-Marie Martin described this space "akin to a telescope aimed at the past of the place that the Cathedral now occupies".[3]
Reception
[edit]The work was featured in international lifestyle[4][5] and architecture magazines[1][6][7] and academic publications.[3][2][8] It was the subject of a degree thesis in architecture on the subject of architecture and eroticism, at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.[9] It was also featured in German travel handbooks on Sicily: DuMont,[10] Reise Know-How,[11] and Marco Polo.[12]
See also
[edit]External links
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Mairs, Jessica (26 October 2016). "Coarse coral-pink plaster lends furry appearance to Antonino Cardillo's Sicilian grotto". Dezeen. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
- ^ a b Gottardo, Francesca (2017). "Specus Corallii: The haven of memory". Abitare la Terra. XVI (41). Gangemi Editore: 44–46.
- ^ a b Martin, Jean-Marie (2017). "Evocazione, astrazione, illusione: Sala Laurentina, Cattedrale di Trapani, Sicilia". Casabella (in Italian) (879): 30–33.
- ^ Menaldo, Paola (5 December 2016). "La grotta dei coralli". Corriere della Sera: Living (in Italian). Retrieved 1 December 2025.
- ^ Kühnlein, Andreas (April 2017). "Architektur: Traumwelt". AD Germany (in German) (178). Munich: 163.
- ^ Kunsmann, Jeanette (29 November 2016). "Architektur als Rausch". BauNetz Interior Design (in German). Berlin. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
- ^ Gadhiok, Mrinalini (2017). "Elemental". Mondo*Arc India (15): 6, 10, 50–55.
- ^ Schultz, Kerstin; Wiedemann-Tokarz, Hedwig; Herrmann, Eva Maria (December 2018). "Inherent color and material color". Thinking Color in Space. Berlin–Boston: Birkhäuser. pp. 314–315, 342–343. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
- ^ Vasileiadou, Konstantina Evangelou; Karageorgi, Evdoxia Nikolaou (2019). Αρχιτεκτονική και ερωτισμός: μία φανταστική περιήγηση (Thesis) (in Greek). Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, School of Engineering, Department of Architecture. pp. 80–117. GRI-2021-32030.
- ^ Gründel, Eva; Tomek, Heinz (2019). Sizilien (in German). DuMont Reiseverlag. p. 261.
- ^ Köthe, Friedrich; Schetar, Daniela (16 May 2024). Sizilien (in German). Bielefeld: Reise Know-How Verlag. p. 402.
- ^ Peter, Peter; Bausenhardt, Hans (2025). Sizilien, Liparische Inseln (in German) (20th ed.). Ostfildern: Marco Polo / MairDumont. p. 94. Retrieved 1 June 2026.