Fans of the novel Il Gattopardo (The Leopard) flock together at palazzo-hotel Butera 28 in Palermo, Sicily. Why? Three reasons: the grandeur of the palazzo overlooking the sea, the Cooking Duchess, and because it was the last home of the author, Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa.

‘Flock together’ is the right choice of words, because according to the duchess, the palace was a ruin when they obtained it. Shepherds had found shelter for their sheep among the remains of the building.

But first, a little family history. Prince Giulio Fabrizio Tomasi di Lampedusa bought the 8th century palazzo in 1849. He was an amateur astromer, and would later be the model for one of the main characters in Il Gatopardo, written by his great-grandson Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. The palazzo was the writer’s last home until his death in 1957. In the final years of his life, he wrote a novel based on his great-grandfather’s life at the time of the Italian Risorgimento (Unification). The book’s title was inspired by his family crest: a leopard.
Giuseppe Tomasi had no heirs, so he had adopted a cousin, Gioacchino Lanza di Mazzarino. After the writer’s death, Gioacchino bought the other part of the palazzo, heavily damaged by Allied bombing in 1943, and restored it to its former glory. Part of the palazzo now houses tourist apartments, the other part is the family home. The lush terraces of the facade overlook Palermo’s seafront.

Movie scenes

We were there to meet Nicoletta Polo Lanza Tomasi, who was married to Gioacchino Lanza di Mazzarino, and thus became a duchess. In The Leopard, Tancredi says “If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change”. This is certainly true for the duchess. She’s not an old-fashioned aristocrat. Maintaining a palazzo is expensive, so Nicoletta decided to teach cooking classes as The Cooking Duchess. A cooking class is in progress when we visit. The ingredients have just been bought at the Capo market that morning, and the participants each have a task for the five-course meal. The crowded kitchen smells wonderful, so we are excited that she invites us to lunch. 

The huge table is already set with fine china and flowers. The curtains of the balcony windows wave gently with the warm sea breeze. It looks like a scene right out of a movie. Maybe The Leopard with Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale and Alain Delon? It is easy to imagine scenes from days gone by in these surroundings.

Lunch is served by white-gloved waiters, while Nicoletta tells the family history. The eggplant rolls and pasta with pistachio pesto taste fresh and very Sicilian. The glamourous dessert should be on the cover of a glossy magazine: lemon jelly, served in champagne glasses, topped with jasmine flowers from the duchess’ own garden.

The refused Picasso

After lunch we are given a tour of the house, with beautiful 19th-century wooden floors, artwork, and off course the original manuscript of The Leopard. One of the paintings depicts her husband’s grandmother. “She was also painted by Picasso at one time”, Nicoletta explains, “but she returned the painting to him because she didn’t like it”. (Don’t you like the decadence and humor of this anecdote?)
The duchess was selling autographed copies of Il Gatopardo. It struck me as a bit odd that she would sign a book that was written by someone else, so I politely declined. Living in a palazzo is expensive, but there are boundaries you should not cross.

For availability and prices, check the Butera 28- website.

We were only in Sicily for 5 days before we had to leave for Malta, but decided on the spot to come back many more times until we had explored the whole island. We’ll definitely stay at one of the charming palazzo apartments again.

Afterwards we went back to the city center. To spot mobsters of course. Let ’s just say we have to adjust our image of the maffia. We had been spotting sharply dressed men with sunglasses for days, but the next morning we read a newspaper article about an important capo who had just been arrested. The photo accompanying the article showed a heavy, scruffy man in sweatpants. More Sopranos than The Godfather indeed…

In 2012 The Observer called Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s The Leopard (Il Gattopardo) one of the best ten historical novels of all time. It is one of the best-selling novels in Italian history and is considered one of the most important books in modern Italian literature. Since it’s publication in 1958, it has been translated into 46 languages. Il Gattopardo, the 1963 movie starring Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale and Alain Delon, is one of Luchino Visconti's masterpieces.