Palermo

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SINCE THE RECENT REVIVAL of Palermo as a tourist destination, many leading families have decided to open their ancestral homes to the public and a select number of palaces now welcome paying guests.

Sicily nurtures the illusion that you are a guest rather than a tourist. These palaces are genuine homes, even if it is a gothic pile with a baroque ballroom and medieval kitchen. As such, the pleasures are domestic, with the chance to saunter from one scene to another, from balconies as private as boudoirs to the bustling market beyond the portals. Set amid a jumble of eastern-style souks, tiny squares and scented gardens, these noble palaces present secret snapshots of the city.

Generous city spirit

The families are a delightful mixture of the imperious and the genuinely imperial, of old fogeys and dynamic entrepreneurs. Some nobles manage to move with the times while others are mired in the past. The liveried footmen may be borrowed, but the generous city spirit stays the same.

Palazzo Conte Federico, for all its grandeur, is the palace that most feels like a family home. Close to the cathedral, this medieval and baroque affair is typically Sicilian in being a subtle blend of styles, as much a happy hybrid as the marriage of its owners who combine Austrian sense with Sicilian sensibility.

The owner is Count Federico, a vintage car enthusiast and rally driver who can trace his lineage back to the Emperor Frederick II, in the 12th-century. The ravishing Countess Federico, a vivacious soprano from Salzburg, plays supreme hostess to his absent-minded professor, enchanting guests with operattas and Neapolitan melodies.

A perfect evening at the palace combines music, feasting and fantasy. Cocktails by candlelight are served in the Arab-Norman tower. Dinner is based on recipes dating from when Sicily was under Arab-Norman rule, and the centre of civilised Europe. A concert in the ballroom includes music on a piano once played by Wagner, in a palace appreciated by Verdi.

The neighbouring Palazzo Aiutamicristo also seems to be in safe hands. As the regional president of the Italian National Trust, Baron Calefati di Canalotti is passionate about his heritage. The palace was built by a Pisan merchant who pioneered banking in Sicily, and can boast previous guests as grand as Emperor Charles V, who stayed here in 1535.

Charming bedrooms

The fabulously frescoed ballroom is still in use, even if the baron’s eccentric grandfather preferred it as his personal cycling track. The baron and his wife make guests welcome in a couple of charming bedrooms decorated in period style - but indoor cycling is no longer permitted.

Palazzo dei Marchesi Ugo delle Favare, set on Piazza Bologni, one of the grandest squares in the city, is a stone’s throw from the cathedral and markets. Beyond the facade of Palazzo Ugo, the mood is far more restrained. Baroness Luisa Camerata is the public face of a cultured, low-key family.

As a prominent lawyer in Palermo, the baron prefers to keep a lower profile. In the family since its 18th-century heyday, the palazzo was once a society salon. The sumptuously-furnished drawing rooms are a reminder of these times, as is the yellow silk dining room, adorned with myriad mirrors. Guests stay in tasteful apartments reached via a lovely summer terrace.

Palazzo Raffadali Speciale, just around the corner, is still inhabited by the Raffadali family. Despite being in the city centre, the gothic palace overlooks the remains of a lemon grove. After a dynastic marriage, the family annexed the neighbouring palace and turned the result into a showcase of 17th century taste.

Pious guests are also catered for in Palermo palaces. The Raffadali, like many families, have a portable altar, a relic from the times when the nobility needed a flexible chapel while absent from their country villas. Yet Princess Stefania is keen to stress the family’s normality: “We don’t use five sets of knives and forks for dinner every day.”

Prestigious guests

The medieval Palazzo Alliata di Pietratagliata lies just beyond the Vucciria market, a reminder that in Palermo all classes happily cohabit. While personifying the new breed of professional princesses, the imperious Principessa Signoretta Alliata is eager to recount tales of prestigious guests and priceless heirlooms.

In the palace, the piece de resistance is the frescoed ballroom, adorned with a Murano glass chandelier, the largest 18th century chandelier in the world. The princess runs tours around Palermo’s stately homes as well as offering rural stays on Masseria Mongerrate, her country estate.

In Palermo’s palaces, it may be a case of taking in lodgers in order to restore crumbling loggias. But, given a sultry night, swaying palms and a princely bedroom, the city works its spell. Palermo becomes a playground for the senses - possibly with a gothic en-suite bathroom attached.