Palazzo Branciforte

The story

The palace was built at the end of the 16th century for Nicolò Placido Branciforte, count of Raccuja, on Via Bara all’Olivella, a few steps from the Teatro Massimo. In the 19th century it housed the Monte di Pietà di Santa Rosalia, the pawn bank for non-precious goods: to store them a structure of wooden shelving and staircases was built that fills whole rooms on several levels, and it survives intact.

After years of neglect, the Fondazione Sicilia had it restored by Gae Aulenti, who reopened the palace in 2012. Today it holds the foundation’s collections: archaeological finds, coins, stamps, majolica, Sicilian pupi, a library and an exhibition space.

Why it is worth it

The Monte di Pietà is the thing to see: a wooden labyrinth three storeys high, shelves and stairs interlocking, where for a century the city pawned sheets and blankets to get to the end of the month. In the hush of Aulenti’s restoration, with light falling from above, it is a place like no other. The rest of the collection comes after.