Just before Covid arrived, at the beginning of 2020, the American magazine Forbes listed Palermo and Sicily among the 20 best places to visit in 2020, eulogising, in particular, the authenticity “that has faded from many other parts of the world”. Little has changed, despite the pandemic, and it is estimated that 8 to 10 million people will return to visit the island in 2021. In particular, the tourists’ attention will be on Palermo’s cultural and architectural heritage, left by those aristocratic families that played such a key role in the island’s long history.
While noble titles were abolished in Italy in 1948, the Sicilian aristocracy still retains the ancient intrigue described by Tomasi di Lampedusa in his novel The Leopard, which was later made into a film directed by Luchino Visconti and starring Alain Delon, Burt Lancaster and Claudia Cardinale. Set during the Italian Risorgimento, at the dawning of the Kingdom of Italy (1861), the story follows the events of the family of Tomasi di Lampedusa and the slow decline of an entire social class.
But what remains today of this ancient and powerful Sicilian aristocracy? There is the Palermo aristocrat who has shrugged off the dusty 19th century image of the overprivileged overlord to become a successful businessman, while maintaining a certain style and taste for transgression. Others have transformed their family estate into a business producing wine and olive oil, planting ancient grains and agricultural produce for use in cosmetics. Others have turned their historical residences into stunning boutique hotels, opening up their precious art collections to visitors. As Palermo’s aristocrats love to repeat, “today nobility doesn’t always coincide with wealth.”
