Great Hotels in Palermo

We had been in Palermo for over two months by the time we finally got around to visiting its Gallery of Modern Art. I don’t know what kept us; perhaps the over-abundance of things to do in the city, perhaps a personal aversion to modern art. But upon finally visiting the collection, we were blown away. This was the best museum we’ve visited in Palermo.

The Gallería d’Arte Moderna does everything right. It concentrates on Sicilian works, particularly those of Palermitano artists, and takes visitors on a tour which progresses from the late 1800s to the mid-20th century. And the museum makes perfect use of its beautiful setting. We were almost as captivated by the converted convent, with its courtyard and spacious rooms, as we were by the art.

Fourteen rooms are spread across three floors, all organized by a common theme, such as The Long Sunset of Neoclassical Mythology, or The Fortune of the Mediterranean Landscape. There is plenty of information in fluent, error-free English (a minor miracle in Sicily) and the chronological journey is interesting and easy to follow. Sculptures and busts join gorgeous impressionist landscapes and portraiture in constructing an excellent overview of the island’s modern artistic history.

The subjects are almost entirely Sicilian, and our appreciation was definitely deepened by the fact we’d already spent so much time here. We were able to recognize the salt fields of Trapani, and the city scenes of Palermo. We knew some of the history, so paintings of Garibaldi or the War of the Vespers weren’t introducing foreign concepts. But even had we been total Sicilian neophytes, we’d have loved the museum.

If you have any interest in art, the Galería d’Arte Moderna is worth an hour of your time. At €7, admission is a bit pricey, but not more so than any of the city’s other museums, and definitely worth it.

Galería d’Arte Moderna – Website
Location on our Palermo Map
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One of the finest palaces in Palermo is the Palazzo Abatellis, found on Via Alloro in the neighborhood of La Kalsa. The massive building is host to the Galleria Regionale della Sicilia, which displays Sicilian art dating as far back as the 12th century.

The palace was built in the late 15th century as a private residence for the master of the port, Francesco Abatellis. It’s one of the best examples of Catalan-Gothic architecture on the island. From what I understand (ie. from what I read on the internet five minutes ago), “Catalan”-Gothic differs from the regular sort of Gothic in that it emphasizes width and depth as opposed to height, and uses wide, smooth surfaces to make the best use of Mediterranean light. Abatellis is certainly wide and deep, and its ample space is put to good use as home to the Regional Gallery.

The collection brings together mostly religious works from centuries past. Paintings on wood from the 1300s and 1400s, ceramic vases, sculptures and busts, crucifixes and triptychs, and paintings occupy three floors. The gallery benefited greatly from an 1866 decree which banned many religious orders in Sicily — as churches were closed, officials were present to requisition (or steal) the best art.

The most famous work in the museum is the fresco The Triumph of Death, by an unknown artist, which dates from around 1466 and originally hung in the Palazzo Sclafani, near the Palazzo Normanni. An entire hall of the palace is dedicated to this haunting painting, which depicts death riding through a collection of people from all swaths of society, shooting them with arrows. The message is clear: death comes for us all, poor and rich alike. Unfortunately, the fresco was sliced into four quadrants to facilitate the move to Abatellis, and the damage is evident, with peeling and rot setting in along the cuts.

Entry to Palazzo Abatellis costs €8, which is steep, even considering the great amount of art to see. I suppose that they need to be able to pay all the people they have employed as guards. There were, without exaggerating, at least 50 workers in the palace, two or three to a room, just sitting around chatting with each other. It became a running joke to us, betting on how many “guards” would be in the next hall.

Museo Regionale Abatellis – Website
Location on our Palermo Map
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Sicilian Arts

Fans of ancient painting, sculpture and architecture have no shortage of opportunities to indulge their passion in Palermo, a city whose artistic tradition stretches back centuries. But for those looking for something a bit more modern, we recommend heading out to the Centro d’Arte Piana dei Colli, in a marvelous villa just north of the city.

The post-war decades were a difficult time for Palermo. Many fine buildings were left to ruin, as the aristocracy had lost their fortunes and left their estates for more humble abodes. The Villa Alliata Cardillo, found halfway between Palermo and Mondello, was no exception. For over 50 years, this magnificent villa had completely abandoned until a comprehensive renovation in 2007, thanks to funds from Europe and the dedication of the family’s last living heir.

Part of the deal to secure funds was to open the Villa to the public, and thus was born the Centro d’Arte Piana dei Colli. Focused on frequently changing exhibits which make use of cutting-edge technology, and a permanent collection heavy on multimedia and video documentaries, the Centro d’Arte leads visitors through the Villa, making wonderful use of its gorgeous home.

We went to the opening of an exhibit called Micro Cosmi which was an eclectic blend of video, painting and photography featuring the work of four different artists. Among them was Hapé Schreiberhuber, who got on stage during the opening and, bouncing around and applying paint spasmodically, painted a large canvas to the rhythms of the saxophone player standing next to him.

If you’re without a car, the Villa is difficult to reach, but is worth checking out both for the art and to see how the upper echelon lived in 18th century Palermo. Best of all, entrance is free.

Centro d’Arte Piani dei Colli – Website
Via Faraone n.2
Location on our Palermo Map
Tel: 091.6790853
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Pinocchio and Gepetto may have been from Florence, but the romantic image of a kindly, old man carving a puppet from wood is a distinctly Sicilian one. The art of puppet theater, or the Opera dei Puppi, has especially deep roots in Palermo.

The glory days of puppet theater are long since gone, obsoleted by more modern entertainment options like TV and movies. But Palermo is one of the few places that you can still catch a show, with a few family-run theaters continuing the tradition. We’re definitely going to at least one. But first, in order to learn a bit more about the art form, we visited the Museo delle Marionette.

In 2001, UNESCO added Sicilian Puppet Theater to its list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Sicilian performances are usually centered around knights and princesses, dragons and Christianity. Epic Norman ballads like The Song of Roland provide much of the material for the island’s puppeteers, who inject a fair amount of humor in their performances and also invent dialogue on the fly.

The museum focuses on Sicilian puppets, but also has a large collection from around the world. From Mali and Niger, to Japan and Thailand. Vietnamese water puppets join delicate French marionettes in the museum’s three floors. The descriptions are all in Italian, but that hardly detracts from the experience.

A visit to the museum doesn’t require more than a half hour, and provides an excellent look into the tradition of puppetry. We had fun here, though I was vaguely creeped out by the rooms full of motionless puppets, who seemed to be following me with their vacant, malicious eyes. Watching Puppet Master the previous night probably wasn’t the best idea.

Museo Internazionale delle Marionette – Website
Piazzetta Antonio Pasqualino 5
Location on our Palermo Map
Tel: 091328060

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