Palazzo Chiaramonte Steri

So interesting! 3 main parts: 1. The prisoners' cells from the time of the Inquisition when anyone could find themselves locked up by the Church - possibly because you were of the wrong religion (in the eyes of the Inquisitors) or possibly because your neighbour wanted your house and accused you of wrong-doing so you'd be sent to this prison. The 'graffiti' drawn by the prisoners is at the other end of the spectrum from the gold mosaics of Palazzo Reale and Mondello but it is just as compelling and memorable. 2. Parts of the house which belonged to the Chiaramonte family who were so important they even had their own style of architecture and decoration. 3. An exhibition which is centred around a famous painting of Vucciria market. You have to take a guided tour which is included in the price. It departs on the hour. We were the only ones on our tour. We told our excellent guide - Daniele - that we were learning Italian and he was brilliant at speaking slowly and doing English when it was needed. I'm sure they are used to offering different languages. We bought a combined ticket for 12€ with the Botanical gardens - for that you also get an audio tour and map of the gardens which made them even better.

Very touching experience visiting the place where prisoners of the Spanish Inquisition were held and the drawings they placed on the walls. The climax of the visit was seeing the actual size of one of the rooms with a tiny window to freedom and hearing + reading the story of Fra' Diego La Matina's life of imprisonment and torture while holding onto his values until the very end. It is so important for this knowledge to be kept alive to learn from past injustices and build a better, more tolerant and more human future together.

Very interesting and old palace with a small courtyard and a prison with original wall graffiti by prisoners The visit Includes a guided tour in English. Also features a famous painting depiction the fish market.

It looks like great place, but not many things has left or I just wasn’t showed enough. Except from oral history and few scratches on the walls only Gattuso’s painting is crucial

Interesting history of Sicily. Probably not interesting for kids. Combined tickets with Salinas & botanical gardens both worth it. Tours on the hour get there 10 min early. Bathroom also available.

What a wonderful place. We telephoned the day before to check if the painting by Renato Guttuso was on display and the availability of tours staff were very helpful. When we arrived the next day we were greeted by staff and introduced to Deborah who was to be our guide. Although there were only the two of us the tour started immediately. Deborah's knowledge brought the former prison, rooms and exhibits to life and added immensely to our enjoyment. She gave us lots of interesting historical information and answered all our questions, she was able to explain things clearly. We saw the amazing painting displayed beautifully, but so much more. We would would like to say thank you. This visit proved to be the highlight of our holiday and we couldn't wait to recommend the visit to all we met. Grazie! Our visit was 31st September 2024

Very friendly staff, and beautiful, pristine palazzo. The prison cell paintings were undoubtedly impressive, and it was a nice surprise to see one of the most famous modern Palermitan paintings at the end of the tour!

Interesting place about the Spanish inquisition ,8 euros each the guide was in Italian but gave glimpses of English translation. The end part of the tour was to see the famous Palermo market painting which I wanted to see.