Famous Palazzi and Villas in Sicily

Sicily is adorned with a variety of Palazzi and Villas since it was occupied throughout history by various nations and cultures including the Greeks, Spanish, Carthogens and Romans. This has greatly influenced its rather eclectic and interesting styles ranging from ancient Greek Temples and Roman ruins to the Baroque towns like Ragusa and Modica.

Below we have given a flavour of some of the more well known Sicily Palazzi and Villas for you.

Villa Giulia in Palermo

There are lovely formal gardens established in the 18th century in this Sicilian villa. You can take a lovely walk between the various tropical flora or visit the adjacent botanical gardens with some fabulous plants

Palazzo Abatellis

The Sicilian Palazzo Abatellis includes the Galleria Regionale di Sicilia and is located in the old city of Palermo. Matteo Carnelivari built this palace using a combination of Italian Renaissance architecture and Spanish late-gothic styles in the fifteenth century.

The galleria inside the building hosts sculptures by Gagini as well as the Vergine Annunziata by Antonello and the marble head of Eleanor of Aragon as sculpted by Francesco Laurana.

Villa Palagonia in Bagheria

Bagheria is almost a suburb or Palermo and this Sicily Villa named Palagonia designed in 1705 by the architect Tommaso Maria Napoli for Ferdinand Gravina, then the prince of Palagonia. This is a truly remarkable building with a glorious Sicilian façade and an amazing staircase leading to the entrance of the villa. This is an architectural masterpiece combining various styles in an elegant manner.

The galleria inside the building hosts sculptures by Gagini as well as the Vergine Annunziata by Antonello and the marble head of Eleanor of Aragon as sculpted by Francesco Laurana.

Villa Romana del Casale

This Sicily villa is located 3 km south west of Cefalu on the northern Sicilian coast. The main attraction of this villa are the wonderful Roman Mosaics which were only excavated in the twentieth century.

Today people believe that this building once belonged to Maximianus Herculeus who was the joint emperor with Diocletian between AD 286 and AD 305. The villa is very large and is believed to have once been beautifully furnished with wealth and contained courtyards, baths, public halls and private areas.

Palazzo Reale

Palazzo Reale is found in Palermo and is also known as Palazzo dei Normanni. Today it is the home of Palermo’s regional government and it has been the centre of power since Byzantine times.

The central part of the Palazzo was built by the Arabic cultures during former occupation and this was then later enlarged after the Norman conquest in 1072. The royal apartments are very luxuriously furnished, in particular, Sala di Ruggero and the wonderful Cappella Palatina chapel; the latter is a blend of Norman, Islamic and Byzantine styles.