GAM - Galleria d'Arte Moderna di Palermo is a museum complex consisting of the 17th-century Franciscan monastery of St. Anne's, 16th-century Palazzo Bonet and the 19th-century Palazzo Zino. The gallery exhibits works of prominent artists such as Massimo Campigli, Giovanni Boldini, Felice Casorati, Emilio Greek, Renato Guttuso, Maria Sironi, Antonio Leto and the likes. While the permanent exhibition is scattered across various floors of the complex, the second floor is dedicated to temporary exhibitions. For refreshments, there is a cafe and restaurant inside.
Built in the 17th Century, the new Via Maqueda became the grounds for competition among Palermo’s noble families, showing their power by erecting magnificent palaces. Saint Elia Palace, with its 15 baroque balconies on a facade 75 meters (246 feet) long, is one of the widest and most sumptuous in Palermo. It was built between 1756 and 1776 by architects N. Anito and G. Cascione, commissioned by the Celestri marquises, then became property of Trigona of Sant’Elia, a princess who rented the main floor to the Palermo Senate. After World War II, the building was abandoned, ruined and bought by the district administration, who had it restored, creating a prestigious gallery for temporary art exhibitions. The elegant white and ochre facade is embellished by two armorial bearings, supported by playful cherubims, and various medallions adorn the tympanums which hold busts of dames and other subjects. Two doorways lead to the courtyards adorned with fairy statues and scenic staircases, which lead to the upper levels. The walls inside are embellished with stuccoed decorations by Aloisio Romano. The ceilings are decorated with sumptuous baroque frescoes by: Ottavio Violante, Rocco Nobile, Mariano di Paola, Pietro Bilardi and Nicolò Noto, all representing fairy scenes of classical mithology which allude to the dynasty’s greatness.
The Museo Diocesano is housed in beautiful Palazzo Arcivescovile. You'll see it just after you cross the second courtyard. This museum was founded in 1927 and enlarged in 1952. Exhibited here are pictures and sculptures previously kept in ancient churches that have now been destroyed or have disappeared. There are also marble objects from the nearby cathedral, and capitals, friezes, bas-reliefs and pieces of Baroque and Renaissance art from Sicily.
Museo Archeologico Regionale is housed within a convent belonging to the Cappucin friars. Most of the collection relates to the period of Greek dominance. Among the more interesting exhibits are the famous metope from the temples in Selinunte, a collection of Greek vases and several mosaics from patrician Roman villas. There is also a rather interesting collection of Italian ceramics from the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries. The permanent collection was enlarged a few years ago to include a section dedicated to the punic tombs found all over Sicily.
In the Palazzo Abatellis is located the Galleria Regionale della Sicilia. The paintings are of superior quality and consist of some of the most beautiful religious paintings. The paintings present the land as it was from the 11th to the 17th Century, the Triumph of Death and that of The Annunciation being particularly splendid. For further information, call on the numbers mentioned.