Palazzo Gangi Valguarnera

Palermo is a very intimate and secret city, hiding many of its beauties. Walking in the historic centre full of contrasts, you come across beautiful squares and opulent restored buildings and in other very decadent and crumbling ones.
To fully understand what the beautiful mansions only suggest with their facades one must enter them.
You will be received by the owners, children of the ‘Leopards’, aristocrats and modern entrepreneurs at the same time.

Brief History

Considered the most sumptuous private residence in Sicily, Palazzo Gangi became almost legendary when Luchino Visconti decided to film the magnificient ballroom scene of "Il Gattopardo" there in 1963.

The Palazzo

The foundations of Palazzo Gangi date back to the mid 15th century, however the "grande maison" was transformed into a Palace only between 1749 and 1759 when the prince and princess of Gangi, Pietro e Marianna Valguarnera, commissioned the most famous artists in Sicily to create an atmosphere of great splendour and elegance.
Here in 1882, guest Richard Wagner composed the first bars of “Parsifal” and wrote in his farewell letter to his hosts, “I shall not think of leaving Sicily, dear Prince, until I have thanked and ensured you that I shall take with me the most precious memory of your kindness and of Palazzo Gangi”.

The beauty of the halls and the ballroom is dazzling.

“The Hall of Mirrors  is a vast room in an enchanting, yet slightly bizarre, Rococo style: a masterpiece of Baroque design with golden fittings and doors entirely painted, like Pompadour skirts and bodices with fresh flowers. The vaulted ceiling, decorated with rocailles and mythological frescoes, continues the themes of the tiled flooring-pictorial allegories which recount the toils and the apotheosis of Hercules - in the warm colours of an Oriental rug. The ceiling is hung, like a forest of stalactites, with splendid Murano chandeliers- the like of which I have never seen before..."

Louis Bertrand

The Visit 

The enthusiasm and effort of Princess Carine Vanni Mantegna have once more enabled the house to bask in the brightness of its chandeliers and gold fittings, the reflection of its silks and the brilliant yet languid atmosphere of its rooms.
A cult-like devotion to this delightfully exuberant house has convinced the princess to open the doors of her home and reveal the beauty of Palazzo Gangi to a few initiated visitors. 

sec. XVIII - Palermo

Excursion:
Private visit for groups, minimum 10 persons

Transportation:

Private transfers on request

Period: all year round - reservation is required

Duration: around 1 hour

Quote: on request

Including: visit of the Palazzo received by the Princess or by the Maestro di Casa.
The visit is followed by a drink 

___________________________

 ___________________________

The Palazzo is available for concerts and gala dinners.
___________________________

Info & reservation

 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.