Villa Palagonia

Villa Palagonia began to be built in 1715 when the Prince of Palagonia Don Ferdinando Gravina e Cruillas decided to entrust the project to the hands of Tommaso Maria Napoli, a monk and military engineer of the Senate of Palermo.

At his side was another architect, Agatino Daidone, who took on the direction of work on Villa Palagonia.

When Don Ferdinando was succeeded by his son, Ignazio Sebastiano, in 1737, he decided to have the lower bodies built around the building. The Villa was finished by Francesco Ferdinando Gravina e Alliata VI Prince of Palagonia, who also devoted himself to the furnishings that today make it particularly famous throughout the world under the name of Villa dei Mostri (Monster Villa), thanks to the tufa statues with particular subjects of fantastic animals, caricatures and anthropomorphic figures.

The structure of the villa includes a double flight of stairs extending under the Gravina coat of arms; inside there are frescoes depicting the Labours of Hercules, a Hall of Mirrors, a floor with polychrome marble, a billiard room and private flats.