Palazzo Butera - Palermo

The Palazzo Butera is an aristocratic palace in Baroque style overlooking the Mediterranean Sea in the old Kalsa district.

On the seaside side, the long facade has a wide terrace , built on top of the base of the former walls and called Passeggiata delle Cattive . In front is the Foro Italico Park , which rises just south of Porta Felice and Via Vittorio Emanuele (the Cassaro) .

In 1692 it was purchased by Girolamo Branciforte, Marshal of Martini , who had a small palace or casino built there. In 1718, Girolamo's son, Ercole Michele Branciforte e Gravina, married Caterina Branciforte e Ventimiglia, daughter of the Prince of Butera and Duke of Santa Lucia, Nicolò Placido. This family was given the hereditary title Prince of Butera .

Ercole Michele commissioned the architect Giacomo Amato to renovate and expand the palace. In 1735 the palace received a balustrade on the roof. In 1760, the Palace of the Moncada , which was adjacent to the Palace of Butera, was added. This allowed the creation of a large ballroom .

The main entrance to the piano nobile is via a marble staircase . The Branciforte coat of arms with the lion is prominently displayed. In 1759 a major fire destroyed a large part of the palace.

In 1773, Ercole Michele Branciforti e Pignatelli, prince of Pietraperzia, joined a local uprising in Sicily and was imprisoned by the viceroy Caracciolo. It seems he was a learned fan of the new sciences and enlightenment. In 1784 he released a Montgolfier hot air balloon from the terrace. He also received visitors to the palace such as Goethe, Hackert, Dominique-Vivant Denon, Jean-Pierre Houel and Friedrich Münter.

After the death of Stefania Branciforte, the last princess of Butera, the titles were transferred to the Lanza family, princes of Trabia and dukes of Camastra. Prince Pietro Lanza Galletti and his wife Giulia Florio d'Ondes stayed in the palace during the Second World War; two of their sons died during the war.

After 1950, the palace had several owners of local government institutions and housed an institute of tourism. In 2016, the palace was purchased by gallerist Massimo Valsecchi and his wife Francesca, who led a restoration of the structure for use as a museum and cultural events.

Willem Vandenameele