Villa Palagonia (Bagheria)
Villa Palagonia
An 18th-century noble villa 15 km east of Palermo, its walls lined with grotesque 'monster' statues, which Goethe wrote about in detail.
Villa Palagonia was built in 1715 in Bagheria, the summer resort of Palermo's nobility. The villa itself is Baroque, but it is best known for the dozens of bizarre stone statues that a later prince placed along its walls and in its gardens: animals with human heads, hunchbacked musicians, dragons and monsters. This is why it is called the 'Villa of Monsters'. Goethe mocked it during his travels in Sicily. The mirror hall inside has a ceiling covered in mirror fragments. Admission is a few euros. From Palermo Centrale station, the train takes about 15 minutes to Bagheria.
Opening hours
Approx. 09:00–18:00 (check on site)
Nearby sights
- Soluntum (Solunto)
- Admiral's Bridge (Ponte dell'Ammiraglio)
- Orto Botanico di Palermo
- Palazzo Abatellis (Regional Gallery of Sicily)
- Antonio Pasqualino International Puppet Museum
- Palazzo Chiaramonte-Steri
- La Vucciria
- La Martorana & San Cataldo