Last Updated on February 20, 2026
Experience a lifestyle from a bygone age
La Bella Palermo is an enigmatic place, occupying the piano nobile (main floor) of Palazzo Pantelleria, in the centre of Palermo’s old city. It is known as a home museum, which sounds like a bit of a riddle. It resembles a museum, filled with intriguing collections and antique furnishings, yet it is a private house, not open to the viewing public. It has four en-suite bedrooms where guests are accommodated, yet it is neither a boutique hotel nor a B&B. It can only be hired out in its entirety, and once booked, guests are hosted by the owner’s nephew, Francesco, who welcomes them into the family home.
Built in the 1300s as a fortified outpost overlooking the sea, Palazzo Pantelleria became a noble palace in the 16th century when it was bought by the Requesens family. It underwent several reincarnations over the centuries, but eventually, after a period of neglect, it lost its lustre. At the beginning of the new millennium, the main floor of the palazzo was purchased by the current owner, who lovingly restored it over several years, turning it into a secluded retreat to house his fabulous collections of fine art and furniture. More recently, La Bella Palermo has been opened to discerning international travellers who wish to experience this unique space, once occupied by Palermo’s noble families. It is a dreamlike place, filled with great beauty, as its name suggests. A stay at La Bella Palermo offers a glimpse into a lifestyle from a bygone age. It felt remarkable to be invited to stay here for a few nights, a real privilege to be afforded such an intimate view of palazzo life in Palermo.
Situated close to the old city harbour, much of the surrounding area was destroyed or badly damaged in the Allied bombing in 1943. Over the ensuing decades, many palazzi have been restored and are now art museums. Some continue to house the descendants of noble families, who may host cooking classes or offer guest accommodation. Others have been divided up into apartments, shops, and restaurants. Walking through the surrounding winding, narrow streets, I came upon buildings that remain bomb sites, unrestored since 1943, looking like broken teeth in an aged mouth.
Inside La Bella Palermo
La Bella Palermo is a fully functioning home with an eat-in kitchen, dining room, study, living room, and a large terrace. It is a self-catering accommodation, and I understand that guests sometimes bring their staff with them. If a private chef is required, Francesco can organise this along with any other support such as a driver. The palazzo is filled with the owner’s collections, and he has an extensive and eclectic set of interests.
One enters the building from the street through a very high double door where carriages would once have arrived with the occupants and visitors. The central courtyard of the palazzo, which some of the terraces of La Bella Palermo overlook, is where the horses and carriages would have waited. It is now occupied by cars parked around an enormous tree. Up a grand set of marble steps, one reaches the entrance to La Bella Palermo.
The vast entrance hall is dazzling as one comes through the front door. A checkerboard, marble-floored space filled with antiques, it also sports a striking, contemporary sculpture in the centre of the room, which brings the collection into the 21st century. It is positioned on top of a pulpit. I loved this juxtaposition of items in the collection, which honours the rich history of the furnishings with a sense of fun. In one corner sits an antique sedan chair. Alongside is a display cabinet with a collection of antique fans, and next to that a massive gong that I imagined might once have called monks to a refectory or a family to dinner. On a wooden side table, alongside a beautiful set of antique crockery, Francesco showed me a collection of glass bottles in the shape of human faces. Garibaldi was just one in this unusual collection.
Each of the many display tables in the palazzo is thoughtfully curated, resembling an Old Masters still life. Marble plinths and fluted columns support carved busts and plants. There are exquisite inlaid wooden tables, magnificent wooden doors and archways, pressed ceilings with stunning chandeliers. An interleading passage has a red and blue stained-glass wall through which muted sunlight filters into a marble-floored internal garden with greenery in pots, interspersed with antique bird cages.
The reception rooms are exquisite with marble floors and painted, vaulted ceilings. In the blue room, a row of French doors that open onto wrought iron balconies overlooking the street has floor-length blue curtains. A stucco sculpture of Pan playing his flute is displayed in one corner while antique mirrors, tapestries, wall hangings, Chinese vases, and period furniture all vie for attention. The centre of the room is hung with an enormous Murano glass chandelier.
The interleading yellow room is a large living room in which I wanted to spend the morning, preferably perusing some of the myriad art books and drinking pots of tea. Paintings – mainly portraits in this room – mirrors, a beautifully painted ceiling, side tables filled with photographs and objets d’art, all capture the eye. A glass and wood coffee table serves as a focal point for the comfortable sofa and armchairs, inviting one to sit and enjoy. I imagined relaxing here on a cold winter’s night, listening to stories being told of the families that once lived here.
The study is a book lover’s paradise, filled not only with beautiful furniture and art with a nautical theme, but an entire book collection bought from the son of an illustrious publisher. A narrow, metal spiral staircase – with a small wooden boat at its base – provides access to the upper shelves, the ceilings being very high in the palazzo. In the study, there are collections of brass weights on one shelf and on another a set of antique seals. On the desk, I notice a collection of antique letter openers. What joy it would be to stretch out on the green-covered bateau lit daybed and spend the afternoon reading and daydreaming.
Each of the bedrooms is uniquely decorated, some with bateau lit beds and all with antique furniture. Our bedroom had a beautiful period wooden bed with matching armoire, a Murano glass chandelier, wooden side tables with period lamps, numerous paintings mostly with a floral theme, floor-length yellow curtains over the French doors onto the terrace, and floor rugs. A bookshelf was filled with books and magazines, and objets d’art. It didn’t feel ‘decorated’ so much as it seemed to be the bedroom in a stately home in which I was a guest. The bathroom was from a former age with a large roll-top bathtub and a sizeable basin set into a marble surround. It was the antithesis of the generic, luxury hotel bathroom with walk-in rain shower, lots of glass and fluffy robes.
The dilemma I confronted as a guest in this extraordinary environment was whether to stay in or go out. I felt that each room required at least half a day to explore properly. As it is not a museum, but rather a repository for the owner’s wonderful collections, there is no inventory. I would love to have read up on the history behind the artefacts, and perhaps someone will write such a catalogue in the future. Francesco patiently answered my questions and regaled me with stories about many of the collections and objects. Francesco also ensures that the sensory experience of the stay is optimal. We woke each day to gentle music which he had selected and which greeted us as we sat down in the kitchen for breakfast. He later showed me the gorgeously scented candles in beautiful china cups that are created exclusively for La Bella Palermo and placed in all the rooms. Everything at La Bella Palermo is as classically stylish as one can imagine.
In addition to the beauty of the surroundings, our stay was inestimably enhanced by Francesco, who is the most consummate host – welcoming, warm, engaging, attentive, and knowledgeable. Whether I asked about the provenance of a particular local cheese or where to find certain artworks in the city, there was nothing Francesco did not know. Our interactions with him felt personal, as if we were staying with family. No detail was overlooked, from providing us with fresh pastries, fruit, and yoghurt for breakfast to escorting us to the airport bus. He checked on what ideas we had for the day ahead, helped us work out our routes, and suggested where we might consider eating and offered to make reservations. Naturally, he informed us where to find the best ice cream in the city. He suggested places to visit that were unknown to me, despite my prior research, and which turned out to be highlights of the visit.
One afternoon, I returned to La Bella Palermo for a rest before an evening at the opera at Teatro Massimo – fans of The Godfather 3 will be familiar with this iconic opera house. I sat on the shaded terrace that leads off the kitchen, admiring the traditional green and white tiles with which many palazzi terraces are decorated. I was surrounded by lemon and baby palm trees in terracotta pots. The mustard walls and dark green shutters of the palazzo looked quietly on as I sipped my tea. Every 15 minutes, the church bells of nearby Chiesa di S. Domenico marked time. I had spent the morning visiting local churches, resplendent examples of Sicilian Baroque architecture, voluptuously extravagant and exuberant as is so much of Palermo itself.
La Bella Palermo feels like a film set, and it has been used as such. A scene from Ripley was filmed here. Francesco indulged my fandom of Andrew Scott by telling me that the actor had used my bedroom as his dressing room. That is as close to a brush with fame as I’m likely to get. I’ll take it. The guest book makes for interesting reading and includes some famous names, such as the film director, Julian Schnabel.
What to see while staying at La Bella Palermo
After a brief opportunity for some refreshment on arrival, Francesco escorted us for a walk around the area to the three oratorios I wanted to visit, and all were easily accessible from La Bella Palermo. Each oratorio is decorated by Palermitan artist Giacomo Serpotta, who was the master of plasterwork, called stucco, very popular during the Baroque period. One whole wall of the Oratory of the Rosary is a depiction of the Battle of Lepanto, while another very gruesome scene depicts the martyrdom of San Lorenzo.
I had mentioned to Francesco that I had read about the Cooking with the Duchess classes held in Palermo and regretted not having sufficient time to attend one. These are taught by Contessa Nicoletta Polo Lanza Tomasi, Duchess of Palma, in her 18th-century palazzo overlooking the sea. The Contessa is the widow of the adopted son of Prince Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, author of Sicily’s world-famous book, The Leopard. There is no one in the city that Francesco does not seem to know, and within a few hours of our arrival, we were introduced to Contessa Nicoletta, who gave us a private tour of her magnificent Palazzo Lanza Tomasi. We were privileged to see the original manuscript of The Leopard amongst many treasures and to hear the stories of this family with deep roots in Palermo. This was one of the many highlights of Palermo, a city that simply must be visited on any trip to Sicily.
La Bella Palermo is so centrally located that we never needed to walk far to reach the museums I was keen to visit. The Museo delle Maioliche Stanze Al Genio is not to be missed if you are interested in Sicilian tiles that date back to the 15th century. It is located in the private apartment of the collector, occupying part of a palazzo. A 15-minute tour of the 5000 tiles was the perfect introduction to this most intriguing place. Another museum we loved was Palazzo Butera, which is a must for those who enjoy contemporary art. The palazzo has undergone an outstanding renovation and has been brought back to life, now open to the public to view the extensive private art collection of Milanese owners, Francesca and Massimo Valsecchi.
One morning, we visited the Ballarò market, which snakes through the Albergheria neighbourhood of the city. Here, the quality of the fresh fish and produce was outstanding, and the displays of Sicilian street food (including all the specialities of Palermo) were the best I encountered in a month travelling around the island.
Nearby is the exquisite Cappella Palatina in the Palazzo dei Normanni, where the mosaics are some of the best you will find in Italy. From there, we caught an Uber to the nearby town of Monreale, where equally exquisite mosaics were enjoyed in the Monreale Cathedral.
While La Bella Palermo is a most peaceful space, it is located in a very lively area with restaurants, bars, and great nightlife. Around the corner is an area known as La Vucciria. One of Sicily’s most famous paintings, La Vucciria, is a brilliant depiction of one of the oldest markets in Palermo, painted by renowned Sicilian artist Renato Guttuso. It captures the vitality and emotion of an area that we visited a number of times, caught up in the larger-than-life atmosphere. One evening we enjoyed a drumming concert, while on another there was a street-food market with ear-shatteringly loud music to which revellers were dancing. While La Bella Palermo is an oasis in the middle of the city, there is much street life to enjoy outside its heavy wooden door.
Although we packed in as much as we could into a two-and-a-half-day visit, we barely scratched the surface of the magnificent art and the plethora of museums in this fascinating city.
La Bella Palermo is a perfect place to book if you have a special family celebration or a get-together with friends. Situated in the heart of Palermo and surrounded by the cultural riches of this dynamic city, you will be ensconced in a home quite unlike any I have ever encountered as a guest. With Francesco as your host, I can guarantee that you will be entranced at every turn and will not want to leave. There can be no better introduction to this city than a stay at La Bella Palermo.
La Bella Palermo, Lago dei Cavalieri di Malta 2, 90133 Palermo, Sicily, Italy
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