Palazzo Gangi

The Gangi Palace, in Palermo

The Gangi Palace is one of the most impressive baroque palaces of Palermo, famous for its sumptuous ballroom of The Leopard. The Palermo audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this princely residence of the seventeenth century, immortalised in cinema by Luchino Visconti.

The ballroom of The Leopard

In Palermo, there are palaces at every street corner, but rare are those that impress as much as the Palazzo Gangi. Built in the seventeenth century for the Valguarnera family, then transmitted to the princes of Gangi, this sumptuous baroque palace testifies to the pomp of the Sicilian aristocracy. Behind its discreet façade hides an interior of a dazzling richness, fruit of the accumulation of treasures by a great princely family. Its most famous room is the Hall of Mirrors, a magnificent ceremonial ballroom, adorned with mirrors, frescoes, gildings, crystal chandeliers and a painted ceiling, summit of Sicilian rococo. This hall entered the legend of cinema when the director Luchino Visconti filmed there the great ball scene of his masterpiece, The Leopard, adapted from the famous novel of Lampedusa, which evokes the twilight of the Sicilian aristocracy in the nineteenth century. The palace, still inhabited, remains an exceptional testimony of the noble art of living and a high place of the heritage of Palermo. A princely palace and a setting of cinema, the Gangi Palace is a fine stop of the discovery of the town.

What to see

You admire one of the most impressive baroque palaces of Palermo, built in the seventeenth century for the Valguarnera family then transmitted to the princes of Gangi, whose interior hides a dazzling Hall of Mirrors adorned with frescoes, gildings and crystal chandeliers, summit of Sicilian rococo, immortalised by Visconti who filmed there the ball scene of The Leopard. The Gangi Palace is a princely setting of Palermo. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Gangi Palace lies in the historic centre of Palermo, reachable on foot. It is a private residence still inhabited; you admire its façade from the street, and the interior access, notably to the Hall of Mirrors, is limited and follows its own conditions, which vary. It is best to inquire before coming.

Why is the Gangi Palace of Palermo famous?

For its sumptuous Hall of Mirrors, a magnificent ballroom adorned with frescoes, gildings and crystal chandeliers, summit of Sicilian rococo, where the director Luchino Visconti filmed the famous ball scene of The Leopard, adapted from the novel of Lampedusa; this baroque palace was built in the seventeenth century for the Valguarnera family, princes of Gangi.

Where is the Gangi Palace in Palermo?

In the historic centre of Palermo, in Italy.