The Museum

The Museo Civico of Castelbuono is the municipal institution entrusted with the conservation and enhancement of the historical and artistic heritage of the area and which today is configured as a center of experimentation and artistic promotion.

It’s one the ten most visited museums in Sicily and it boasts a prestigious location, indeed it’s located inside the Ventimiglia Castle and houses four sections: archeology, urban planning, contemporary art, sacred art.

Inside the castle we find the Palatine Chapel, entirely covered with stuccoes by the Serpotta brothers, a splendid example of Sicilian Baroque with harmonious and grotesque shapes, with sacred elements that mix with other mythological elements on a background of pure gold which gives the chapel an extraordinary brightness. Inside the little church there’s the relic of the town's patron saint, St. Anne, placed inside a silver bust reliquary, probably the most valuable work in the museum.

Another element of great value in the sacred art collection is the frontal of the main altar, datable to the end of the 17th century and coming from the chapel of Saint Anne, the artifact surprises for the wealth of materials (gold and silver yarns, coral, pearls) organized in a dense floral themed embroidery.

The Pinacoteca is one of the permanent sections of Museo Civico and houses collections of modern and contemporary art. Initially it was established thanks to a donation from a collector and it was enriched with an acquisitions campaign; in 2017 it was the protagonist of a rearrangement that was able to give prestige to an already remarkable artistic heritage, creating a link between a strong international vocation and a strong Mediterranean identity connotation.

The Museum also takes care of organizing temporary exhibitions and educational projects that aim to sensitize children and teenagers to the value of art today.