If you’re eager to truly explore a place and discover the personalities that have shaped it, join us on this journey through the deeds&misdeeds of the Italians!
“Il Gattopardo”, The Leopard, is a famous Italian novel from the 1950s. Set in Sicily in 1860, it follows the story of Fabrizio Corbera Prince of Salina, one of the last great nobles, as the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies crumbles and the unification of Italy begins.
The novel masterfully captures a world in transition, where the old aristocratic order gives way to a new era. It’s a powerful meditation on change, nostalgia, and the bittersweet allure of a fading grandeur.
“The Leopard” has been adapted multiple times: most famously into the 1963 film by Luchino Visconti, and more recently in a brand-new Netflix series released this year.
If we want everything to stay as it is, everything has to change
A non – writer
Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa was never a writer. He was a Sicilian aristocrat, prince of Lampedusa, and an intellectual who led a quiet, solitary life, marked by historical curiosity and a love for literature, but never published during his lifetime. He spent much of his later life in Palermo, surrounded by memories of a fading noble world. That’s when he began writing The Leopard. What started as a sort of autobiographical reflection gradually evolved, through multiple drafts, into an eight-chapter novel. It took time before any publisher showed interest, and unfortunately, the book was only published posthumously, after his death in 1957.
Florence
When in Sicily, visitors can explore the stunning locations that inspired the story of the last Prince of Sicily. In Palermo alone, numerous noble palaces are open to the public. Most notably Palazzo Valguarnera-Gangi, where the iconic ballroom scene from Visconti’s film was shot. Other scenes were filmed on Salina, one of the enchanting Aeolian Islands. For those interested in the author’s life, a visit to Santa Margherita di Belice, his birthplace, offers insight through the Gattopardo Museum. And last but not least, in Ragusa, the magnificent Palazzo di Donnafugata, said to have inspired the Prince’s estate in the novel, is open to visitors.
Contact us to plan your journey in Sicily!
