Palazzo Gangi Valguarnera - Palermo

The palace was built in the first half of the 18th century and completed around 1780 by Prince Pietro di Valguarnera.

Palazzo Valguarnera is not only unique in the Sicilian panorama, but also a highlight of Italian rococo for the scale of its architectural layout, the quality and richness of its decorations and the fact that it has reached the threshold of the 21st century virtually unscathed.

Inside you can admire: the Hall of Honor , with a ceiling painted in 1792 by Elia Interguglielmi and depicting the 'Glory of the Virtuous Prince' ; the Gallery of Mirrors, with a double ceiling through which you can see the large central fresco through openings in the lower ceiling; the Yellow Salon where the 'Triumph of the Virtues Necessary for the Prince' , painted by Gaspare Serenario in 1754, was frescoed.

The palace inspired director Luchino Visconti for the setting of the famous ball scene in the film The Leopard, based on the novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa.

Willem Vandenameele