Palazzo Biscari (Biscari Palace), Catania (must see)

Biscari Palace is an aristocratic residences of Baroque and Rococo design. Conceived after the devastating earthquake of 1693, the palace was commissioned by Ignazio Paternò Castello, 3rd Prince of Biscari, with construction beginning in 1702 and continuing through much of the 18th century. Completed in 1763 by the fifth Prince of Biscari, its inauguration was marked by lavish celebrations that reflected the family’s status and Catania’s renewed confidence during the reconstruction era.

The palace’s most amazing exterior façade faces Cardinale Dusmet Street, where richly carved balconies curve outward on stone brackets. When this façade was built, it rose directly above the 16th-century city walls, overlooking the sea at their base. The visitor entrance is marked by a stone portal adorned with cartouches and the Biscari coat of arms, opening into a spacious courtyard with an outdoor staircase that prepares visitors for the decorative richness inside.

The interior reveals a fully developed Rococo style. Frescoes, mirrors, and elaborate stucco work animate the grand rooms, culminating in the octagonal ballroom, the palace’s most celebrated space. Decorated by Matteo Desiderato and Sebastiano Lo Monaco, the ballroom is notable for its illusionistic effects and fluid lines. A distinctive spiral staircase shaped like a sea shell leads to a balcony beneath the dome, originally intended to hold an orchestra and now regarded as one of the palace’s most elegant architectural details.

Beyond the ballroom, the palace unfolds through a sequence of named rooms, each reflecting a specific function or theme. The Fief Room displays large paintings of the Biscari family’s feudal lands, while the Princess Apartment, created for the wife of Ignazio V, is paved with salvaged Roman marble. This reuse of ancient material reflects the interests of Ignazio V, a renowned archaeologist whose collections form the basis of the palace museum. Today, although parts of Biscari Palace remain privately inhabited, sections are open for visits and cultural events.