Museo Mandralisca

The Mandralisca Museum is located in the heart of the historic center of Cefalù where the noble palace stands which was once the home of the Mandralisca family of barons. Today , the Mandralisca Cultural Foundation manages the baron's assets: in particular, the paintings, art objects and antique furniture that belonged to him in his lifetime continue to be kept in his home, which has now become a museum. Palazzo Mandralisca is therefore an example of the ancient residence of a Sicilian noble family, full of charm and atmosphere. Among other things, there is an important library, containing about 3,700 volumes on humanistic, historical and philosophical subjects, ancient manuscripts by local authors, rare incunabula and sixteenth-century books. In the main hall, where the Baron used to receive his important guests, there is the Pinacoteca where it is possible to admire paintings dating back to different eras and of various subjects. The so-called Sala dell'Antonello takes its name from the most important oil painting on wood in the Mandralisca collection, the famous Portrait of an Unknown Man by Antonello da Messina, the most talented painter of 15th century Europe. In the museum there is also an important archaeological collection, the result of the research activity to which the baron dedicated most of his life.