History
The Palace Alliata di Villafranca is one of Palermo’s grandest palaces, in one of the city’s most beautiful squares, Piazza Bologni. The palace was built in the 1500. The façade of the palace is huge and imposing, with two grand pillared entrances, row upon row of curved iron balconies and two large plaster crests of the Alliata family. It is a building of great dignity, dominating the piazza and demanding respect, but at the same time, possibly because of the air of neglect that surrounds it, stirring the imagination. Two of the main rooms and part of the palace has been opened to display two recently restored paintings of Matthias Stom, and the Crucifixion of Van Dick two Dutch baroque painter in the style of Caravaggio. It's worth it to visit both the palace and the paintings.