Palazzo Branciforte, Palermo

Reopened to the public in 2012 following an exemplary restoration by Architect Gae Aulenti, Palazzo Branciforte is the headquarters of the Sicilia Foundation and an exhibition center for the foundation’s historical-artistic collections. Built in the 16th century, the palace houses, on the ground floor, collections of archaeology and majolica, and on the first floor, collections of philately and numismatics, as well as a large library and a group of bronze works.

A room is dedicated to the “Grand Tour” with the exhibition of graphic works and valuable volumes, which testify to the eponymous cultural phenomenon from the second half of the 18th century to the first half of the 19th century. The spaces of the Santa Rosalia Pawnshop are very evocative, with the exceptional wooden structure that extends for an entire wing of the palace. In this area, the historic collection of Sicilian puppets by Giacomo Cuticchio is exhibited, a testimony to the Opera dei Pupi of the Island, declared by UNESCO an oral and intangible heritage of humanity.