Count Frederick Palace

Palazzo Conte Federico is one of the oldest and most prestigious buildings in Palermo. Located between Via dei Biscottari and Piazza Conte Federico within the primitive walls of the Punic city, it is a short walk from the Royal Palace, the Palatine Chapel and the Cathedral. It incorporates an ancient gateway to the city, Porta Busuemi (from the Arabic "Bab el Soudan" Porta dei Negri). The oldest part of the palace is a twelfth-century Arab-Norman tower. Called the "Torre di Scrigno", it was located above the city walls to defend the city and was also the entrance to the city through the Busuemi Gate, which lapped one of the arms of the sea then entering the city. Today in the tower it is possible to admire two beautiful mullioned windows, one Norman and one Aragonese, where we find the authentic coats of arms of the City of Palermo, the Swabians and the Aragonese who governed it. From the inner courtyard, finely decorated in stone carving by the great baroque architect Venanzio Marvuglia, and through the large red marble staircase you can access the main floor with its many rooms that reflect the various eras through which the history of this building has passed. Inside the halls, furnished with original furniture and paintings by distinguished artists of the time (a valuable Madonna of the 15th century of the Sienese school), you can admire the painted wooden ceilings of the 15th century, the 18th century frescoes of Vito D'Anna and Gaspare Serenario, gilded doors in pure gold and the various collections of weapons (swords, halberds, rifles and pistols of the period, tell of the wars that took place in Palermo) and antique ceramics. Among the various areas of the palace: the 'Dance Gallery' containing a grand piano that Wagner played in 1882 while staying in Palermo. The palace is still inhabited today by Count Alessandro Federico and his family who trace their origins to Federico d'Antiochia, one of the sons of the great Emperor Frederick II. Organized guided tours of the Palace and the Arab-Normann Tower are permitted.