A journey through the history of Palermo: extraordinary opening night of the Palazzo Conte Federico. The aristocratic splendor within the primitive walls of the Punic city. See you on Saturday November 12. Shifts available: one every hour from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Piazza Conte Federico 2 in Ballarò (ticket: 15 euros full, 8 euros reduced for children aged 5 to 10). Reservations required: eventi@terradamare.org.
Terradamare organizes the extraordinary opening of the Palazzo Conte Federico: a true journey through time, in a place where you can relive the extraordinary succession of eras of multicultural Palermo: from the Punic age of the walls of the old town, to the Middle Ages from the Arab-Norman Tower incorporated into the palace, until the 18th century frescoes by Vito D’Anna and Gaspare Serenario. During the evening visits, by Count Alessandro Federico and his family, who still live in the building today, you can also admire: the many rooms still furnished with period furniture and paintings, the wooden ceilings of the 15th century, the 18th century frescoes by Vito D’Anna and Gaspare Serenario, the doors gilded with pure gold and the various collections of weapons (swords, halberds, rifles and antique pistols) and ancient ceramics.
Palace of Count Federico
The Palazzo Conte Federico is one of the oldest and most prestigious buildings in Palermo. Located between Via dei Biscottari and Piazza Conte Federico inside the primitive walls of the Punic city, it is a few steps from the Royal Palace, the Palatine Chapel and the Cathedral. It incorporates an old gateway to the city, Porta Busuemi (from the Arabic “Bab el Soudan” Porta dei Negri). The oldest part of the building is an Arab-Norman tower from the 12th century. Called “Torre di Scrigno”, it was placed above the walls to defend the city and also constituted the access with the Busuemi gate which bathed one of the arms of the sea which then entered the city. Today in the tower it is possible to admire two beautiful mullioned windows, one Norman and one Aragonese where we find the authentic coats of arms of the city of Palermo, of the Swabians and of the Aragonese who governed it. From the inner courtyard, finely decorated with stone carvings by the great Baroque architect Venanzio Marvuglia, and through the grand staircase in red marble, you enter the noble floor with its many rooms that reflect the different eras through which history of this palace. Inside, furnished with original furniture and paintings by famous artists of the time (a precious 15th century Madonna of the Sienese school), you can admire the 15th century painted wooden ceilings, the frescoes of the 18th century by Vito D’Anna and Gaspare Serenario, doors gilded with pure gold and the various collections of weapons (swords, halberds, rifles and pistols of the time, tell the story of the wars that took place in Palermo) and ancient ceramics. Among the different spaces of the palace: the ‘Dance Gallery’ containing a grand piano that Wagner played in 1882 during a stay in Palermo. The palace is still inhabited today by Count Alessandro Federico and his family, which traces its origins to Frederick of Antioch, one of the sons of the great Emperor Frederick II. Guided tours of the palace and the Arab-Norman tower are overseen by Count Alessandro Federico and his family, who still live in the palace today.
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