Palazzo Butera: who needs aristocrats?

Paul and I continue to research our future documentary about the life of the Sicilian writer Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, author of the Gattopardo. 

I was told recently that when writing his book, Tomasi was living in much reduced circumstances in an old apartment on via Butera. Whilst the apartment was run down, the building which housed it was, and still is, part of one of Palermo’s most iconic architectural features: a long terrace of huge houses overlooking the seafront. 

This is a terrace which I already knew, because whenever you visit Palermo, you can’t help but notice the Butera terrace. It reminds me of the Royal Crescent in Bath, England. I visit Bath as my daughter and family live there, just around the corner from the Crescent. Built in the 18th century, it is perhaps the iconic Bath image. It looks over the city of Bath from its hilltop position in much the same way as the Butera terrace looks out over the bay of Palermo. Both terraces are over 100 metres long and are often featured in 18th and 19th century paintings of their respective cities.

Tomasi was one of the last of Sicily’s aristocrats. His book, is often seen as a celebration of aristocracy and all the splendour it brought to Sicily over the centuries. Via Butera is an excellent example of that splendour. Weirdly, Tomasi’s book can also be read as the opposite, a heavy criticism of the aristocrats of Sicily who were so busy bringing splendour that they failed to protect their country and its people from foreign domination. 

I wanted to take a look inside Tomasi’s old home at number 28. I had no real access, but as luck would have it, a personal contact of my wife’s allowed me to take a look inside one of the other buildings that make up Via Butera. Number 18 is the home of the Palazzo Butera, a huge building which occupies the majority of the terrace. If ever you need reminding of the good that aristocrats can do, then visit Palazzo Butera. This building, like many aristocratic family homes in Sicily, fell into decline as the aristocracy lost its power and wealth at the end of the 19th century and the early part of the 20th century. Fortunately for the palazzo, just ten years ago, an Italian family of art collectors, the Valsecchi, decided to move themselves and their art collection into Palazzo Butera. Their extensive renovation of the building is amazing and allows us to see today what the palazzo would have been like in the heyday of the previous owners, the Princes of Butera. Take a look at it at www.palazzobutera.it

Interestingly, the new owners of Palazzo Butera have approached the project in what I see as the traditional manner of an aristocratic family. It seems to me that their choices in terms of renovation and display are made for artistic, not financial, reasons. The gallery is not dumbed down with interactive displays to draw the crowds. The exhibits are unlabelled, and the gallery follows no clear chronological or thematic course. The gallery intrigues and challenges the visitor to think for themselves. This is their choice, and they, like aristocrats of old, were free to make that choice. I, for one, enjoyed my visit immensely.

The building itself has been restored to a very high standard; it is such a pleasure to walk around and experience the building as it was when Princes and Princesses walked the halls. I don’t really know the background and motivation of the Valsecchi family, but their approach made me nostalgic for the vanished aristocracy.

You could say that that class has been replaced by today’s tech billionaires with their projects and foundations, but to me they don’t seem to be too disinterested. They always have one eye on the financial value of their investments.

Let me know what you think.

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