Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Represented at the heart of the painting, under Death's horse, are the vain and
pampered aristocrats of Palermo, while the poor and hungry look on from the side. The
huge image, carefully restored, has been given its own space on the ground level to max-
imise its visual impact.
Widely regarded as Palermo's best art museum, the gallery is full of countless other
treasures, which collectively offer great insight into the evolution of Sicilian art. The ex-
hibition space itself was designed to fill this gorgeous Catalan Gothic
palazzo
in 1957 by
Carlo Scarpa, one of Italy's leading architects.
MUSEUM
Galleria d'Arte Moderna
( 091 843 16 05;
www.galleriadartemodernapalermo.it
; Via Sant'Anna 21; adult €7, 19-25yr & 60+ €5, under 19
free; 9.30am-6.30pm Tue-Sun)
This lovely, wheelchair-accessible museum is housed in a
sleekly renovated 15th- century
palazzo
, which metamorphosed into a convent in the 17th
century. Divided over three floors, the wide-ranging collection of 19th- and 20th-century
Sicilian art is beautifully displayed. There's a regular program of modern-art exhibitions
here, as well as an excellent bookshop and gift shop. English-language audioguides cost
€4.
The collection includes everything from 19th-century monumental historical genre
paintings to futuristic romps from the early 20th century. Works are dedicated largely to
Sicily and Palermo in their subject matter, with themes and landscapes that will be famili-
ar to anyone who's already toured the island and will serve as inspiration for newcomers
just embarking on their Sicilian adventure. Examples include Michele Catti's
Ultime
foglie
(Last Leaves; 1906), a beautiful image of a wet Viale della Libertá on a late autumn
day; Antonio Leto's
Saline di Trapani
, depicting the reflective salt pools of western Si-
cily; Ettore de Maria Bergler's
Taormina;
and Gennaro Pardo's paintings of the temples at
Selinunte.
Museo dell'Inquisizione
(Piazza Marina 61; adult/reduced €5/3; 10am-6pm)
Housed in the lower floors and basements of
the 14th-century Palazzo Chiaromonte Steri, this recently opened museum offers a
chilling but fascinating look at the legacy of the Inquisition in Palermo. The honeycomb
of former cells has been painstakingly restored to reveal multiple layers of prisoners' graf-
MUSEUM
