Galleria Regionale della Sicilia

The Galleria Regionale della Sicilia occupies Palazzo Abatellis and displays regional artworks spanning medieval periods to the 1700s. The building itself features Gothic architecture with windows and a courtyard that naturally light the collections.

Port master Francesco Abatellis commissioned the palace in 1490 from architect Matteo Carnalivari. The building later became a museum to preserve the region's art collections.

The collection features painters like Antonello da Messina, whose works blend southern Italian and northern European styles in ways that shaped regional taste. Visitors see how Renaissance artists mixed local traditions with techniques from abroad.

The museum provides access to regional art collections in a manageable space without long passages. The Gothic architecture creates an intimate setting that is easy to explore.

One fresco depicts Death as a skeleton on horseback, distinguishing between nobles and common people beneath. This Gothic work offers a rare window into medieval ideas about mortality and social order.