The museum
In the heart of Cefalù, a few meters from Piazza Duomo, we find the noble palace of the Mandralisca barons’family.
The Mandralisca Cultural Foundation today manages the assets of Baron Enrico Pirajno di Mandralisca (Cefalù 1809-1864), an appreciated scholar and enlightened patron, famous for his studies of natural sciences, fine arts and for his important naturalistic and archaeological researches.
During his life, the baron collected works of art, archaeological finds, ancient coins, rare and precious objects, which he donated to the city of Cefalù.
Palazzo Mandralisca is therefore an example of an 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 of humanistic, historical and philosophical subjects. In the main hall there is the Art Gallery where it is possible to admire paintings dating back to different eras and of various subjects. The museum's flagship are two recognized masterpieces: the magnificent “Ritratto d’Uomo”, the work of Antonello da Messina, the most talented painter of the 15th century in Europe, and the “Venditore di tonno”, that illustrates a Sicilian crater with red figures on a black background.
The main characteristic of this museum is the intimate atmosphere of a domestic environment and the imprint of a private place of memories that is still in the air. In this evocative place you can almost feel the presence of the baron, and the value of the scientific collections, antiques and works of art collected by him also lies in the testimony they give of the personality of the founder.
