Palazzo delle Poste
Liberty architecture for modern communications
The Palazzo delle Poste is Trapani’s historic post office, designed by Francesco La Grassa and built in the 1920s with architecture and decoration reflecting its function.
Key facts
Site type:
Comune:
Palazzo, Post Office
District:
Historic centre
The Palazzo delle Poste was commissioned in the early 1920s by the Sicilian division of the Provveditorato alle Opere Pubbliche. Its foundation stone was laid on 10 July 1923 in the presence of Giovanni Antonio Colonna di Cesarò, Minister of Posts and Telegraphs. Construction began in 1924 and was completed in 1927, the date recorded on the façade. Postal services were subsequently transferred here from premises in the former church and convent of San Rocco in Via Turretta.
Designed by Trapani-born engineer and architect Francesco La Grassa, the building occupies a trapezoidal urban block and rises through three storeys. The main façade is organised symmetrically around recessed pointed arches and vertical pilaster strips. Its decoration departs from predominantly floral Liberty motifs: envelopes, telegraph insulators, cables and Morse-code symbols refer directly to the building’s postal and telecommunications function.
Inside, the public hall is covered by a large stained-glass canopy made by Pietro Bevilacqua, a glassmaker who collaborated with Ernesto Basile. A monumental stone-block scala alla trapanese, with exposed cantilevered treads, provides access to the upper floors. In July 2022, the principal façade underwent conservation work carried out by Poste Italiane in collaboration with the regional heritage authorities.
Photo: Frauke Scholz, Alamy
Explore further
Discover more about Francesco La Grassa, the building’s architecture and communication-inspired decoration, its distinctive staircase and stained glass, and the restoration of its Liberty façade.
Francesco La Grassa
Francesco La Grassa was born in Trapani in 1876 into a family connected with the local building trades. After technical studies, he moved to Naples, where he graduated in engineering. In 1906 he won a competitive examination for engineers at the Municipality of Rome and moved to the capital. There he worked within the municipal technical offices, collaborating with engineer Mario Moretti on proposals connecting the Pincio with Villa Borghese for the 1911 International Exhibition of Art, as well as working on public school buildings.
After returning to Trapani, La Grassa established his own practice. His work combined Liberty decoration with modern structural solutions, including reinforced concrete. Among his documented works in Trapani are the Palazzo delle Poste, Casina delle Palme and Palazzo Montalto, together with the 1907 additions to Villino Nasi, where he designed an upper floor and reinforced-concrete helical staircase.
Architecture and communication
The architectural decoration of the Palazzo delle Poste makes repeated reference to the activities carried out within it. Rather than relying principally on floral ornament, La Grassa incorporated stylised representations of envelopes, telegraph insulators, cables and Morse-code symbols into sculptural panels, ironwork, grilles and interior furnishings.
The main façade uses recessed pointed arches framed by pilaster strips. The source describes these forms as subtly referencing Islamic-inspired arches while being expressed through a Liberty architectural vocabulary. The building combines masonry and reinforced concrete and occupies a trapezoidal plan.
The stained-glass canopy
The public hall is covered by a large stained-glass velario made by Pietro Bevilacqua, who had collaborated with the Palermo architect Ernesto Basile. Its coloured decorative motifs echo elements used elsewhere in the building. Windows, metalwork and other interior decoration form part of the same architectural treatment.
The scala alla trapanese
A monumental staircase constructed from stone blocks leads from the public areas towards the upper floors. Its exposed cantilevered treads form a version of the scala alla trapanese, a staircase type associated with La Grassa’s work.
La Grassa had a particular interest in structural solutions that could be achieved with reinforced concrete. His work developed an open, helical staircase form that became known as the scala alla trapanese. Another documented example is found at Villino Nasi, where his 1907 additions included a reinforced-concrete helical staircase.
From San Rocco to the new post office
Before the Palazzo delle Poste entered service, Trapani’s postal offices occupied the former church and convent of San Rocco in Via Turretta. Following completion of La Grassa’s building, postal services were transferred to the new premises. The former San Rocco complex is now the Museum of Contemporary Art San Rocco.
Restoration of the façade
In July 2022, the principal façade underwent conservation work undertaken by Poste Italiane in collaboration with the regional heritage authorities. According to the supplied source, the intervention restored the decoration to its original Liberty-era appearance and renewed deteriorated exterior elements.
Sources & further reading
The following sources document the Palazzo delle Poste, its architecture and restoration, and the life and work of its architect, Francesco La Grassa.