Ducal Palace

The Ducal palace

The Ducal palace (or Palazzo Lampedusa) was built after the former was incorporated into the Benedictine Monastery (1653-1659). The building has a simple and compact exterior with two large facades, one facing the sea and the other facing east, joined on the noble floor level by a corner balcony. The building - which has remained unchanged in the structure and in the division of the rooms - consists of a ground floor which was used as warehouses, stables and prisons; while the main floor is made up of eight halls communicating with each other.

The building is characterized by an extension of painted wooden coffered ceilings that cover the eight rooms on the first floor. The ceilings of the arms halls stand out, that of the military and religious Orders, that entirely dedicated to the Order of San Giacomo della Spada of which Duke Giulio was an associate, that with the ducal coat of arms of the Tomasis, quartered with the emblems of the Caros, La Restia, Traina and finally the corner room which contained the Tomasi coat of arms with the leopard rampant on the profile of the three-peaked mountain.

Today the rooms on the ground floor house the "Giovanni Falcone" Library.

The Palazzo Ducale can be visited from Monday to Friday from 9.00 to 13.30 and from 16.30 to 02:00, Saturday, Sunday and holidays from 16.30 to 02:00. (Summer time)