PALAZZO BUTERA

Palazzo Butera, a building dating back to the 17th century, with its monumental façade overlooking the sea and its giant terrace, is one of the most beautiful and prestigious residences of the Sicilian aristocracy. It has seen the greatest names of the time parade by. Having been abandoned for decades, Massimo Valsecchi, patron and art collector, decided to undertake its self-financed rescue in 2016. Together with his wife Francesca, he bought the ruined palace and entrusted the engineer Marco Giammona with the spectacular renovation of Palazzo Sambuca in the old Arab quarter of the Kalsa. After having been one of the emblematic venues for the contemporary art exhibition Manifesta in 2018, the palace is now open to the public.
The

visit. The rooms of the palace with high ceilings, painted and adorned with beautiful marble fireplaces, are particularly beautiful. As is the micro-terrace, which offers a wonderful view of the sea, the mountains and the city, which can be reached by lift. On the ground floor, period maps and drawings explain the architectural organization of the princely cities of Sicily. Since 2020, the exhibition rooms on the first floor have been showing new pieces from the Valsecchi Collection and are expected to host major international exhibitions in the future. In the courtyard of the palace, a bar-restaurant that honours Sicilian wine and has a beautiful terrace that is part of the walkways under the palace's arbours facing the sea.