The oldest palace in Menfi enshrines centuries of the history of the town and the surrounding area
Interpretation centre, museum, archaeological site: Pignatelli Palace is the place to start discovering the area of Menfi Pignatelli Palace is located on the same site once occupied by the castle of Frederick II of Swabia. Built in 1638, the year Diego Aragona Tagliavia founded the town of Menfi, Pignatelli Palace changed function many times over the centuries. At the end of the feudal era it became the town hall, then a magistrate's court, a school, a popular bar and finally a museum.
The building has two storeys. A marble staircase leads from the large inner courtyard to the main floor, which houses the first Crossdev Interpretation Centre and several rooms of the town’s Shell Museum, which has a collection of more than 5,000 shells from the waters of Porto Palo and from seas across the world, collected over twenty years by malacologist Vanda Rotolo.
The museum housed in Pignatelli Palace features three interconnected itineraries dedicated to the landscape of Menfi and its monuments and archaeology.
Pignatelli Palace also contains a small archaeological site. During excavations in the basement of the palace, in fact, a well-preserved necropolis dating from 330-400 CE was brought to light and can now be seen just below the floor level.
Quick overview
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Opening days
From Monday to Friday
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Closing days
Saturday and Sunday
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Opening times
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday
From 8:30 am till 1:30 pm
Monday, Thursday
From 4:00 pm till 6:00 pm -
How to reach
By car:
From Palermo, take the Palermo Mazara motorway and exit at Castelvetrano, then the SS115 main road in the direction of Agrigento and exit at Menfi - Web
Services
- Visits Available in Italian, English
Suggested periods
- Autumn
- Spring
- Weekend
Visiting Rules
Basic rules:
All visitors are invited to observe the basic rules of respect for the preservation of monuments and nature
Covid 19 rules:
Visitors are requested to wear a mask in enclosed or heavily crowded areas and to maintain the safety distance indicated by the regulations in force