Palazzo Abatellis

One of the places in Palermo I feel most conflicted about. It’s easier to break it down into parts, so everyone can decide for themselves whether to go or skip it. However, if it’s the first Sunday of the month, admission to the museum is most likely free, and in that case it’s definitely worth stopping by for a few of the works.

Today, Palazzo Abatellis is home to the Galleria Regionale della Sicilia. But in the 15th century, it was the home of an official of the Kingdom of Sicily — a very powerful man responsible for the royal ports and maritime trade. He was married twice, but unfortunately had no children from either marriage, which meant there was no heir to his estate. So Palazzo Abatellis was left to a convent.

Monastic life in the palazzo continued for around 400 years, until the Second World War. After the war, the palazzo became a museum. And here is what I found interesting there.

Without a doubt, one of its most famous works is the fresco The Triumph of Death. It’s enormous — about 6 by 6.5 metres — and definitely impressive. At the centre is the skeleton of Death on horseback, having already swept through the nobility and the clergy. A reminder that we are all mortal. The fresco is displayed so that you can see it both from below and from the upper floor. Definitely a striking sight.

The second thing that made me stop was a small room on the ground floor with marble sculptures by masters of the Sicilian Renaissance. I love marble sculpture, so naturally this caught my attention.

And the main work I sometimes come back for is Annunziata by Antonello da Messina. But that one deserves a separate story.

Apart from that, the museum is quite religious in character, which probably reflects the main direction of art in Sicily during that period.