Villa Piccolo

About the museum

Villa Piccolo is the residence of the Piccolo di Calanovella family: the poet Lucio Piccolo, the painter and photographer Casimiro Piccolo, and Agata Giovanna, an expert in botany. On the hills of Capo d'Orlando, the house, now a museum, preserves the rooms of the three siblings and that of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, their cousin, who stayed there during the summer months.

The Fondazione Famiglia Piccolo di Calanovella was founded in 1970 at the wish of Casimiro, after the death of his brother Lucio, to safeguard the cultural, library, natural and artistic heritage of the villa; it was recognised as an ente morale (non-profit legal entity) in 1972. The museum was inaugurated in 1978.

The rooms hold paintings, ceramics, antique weapons, books, prints, documents and autograph letters by Tomasi di Lampedusa, as well as Casimiro's photographic equipment and his collection of his “magic watercolours”. The library holds thousands of volumes, and the historical archive contains prints and period documents.

The villa is surrounded by a park of over twenty hectares: a garden with rare plants, the so-called esoteric garden, the dogs' cemetery, the Lampedusa bench and, around it, a countryside of olive and citrus trees.

Highlights

• Collection of Casimiro Piccolo's “magic watercolours”
• Rooms of the Piccolo brothers and room of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
• Library with thousands of volumes and historical archive
• Park of over twenty hectares with rare plants and the esoteric garden
• Dogs' cemetery and the Lampedusa bench

Permanent exhibitions

• Casa museo e collezioni dei Piccolo – The rooms hold paintings, ceramics, antique weapons, books and family documents, Tomasi di Lampedusa's letters and Casimiro Piccolo's collection of “magic watercolours”.
• Parco della villa – The park includes the esoteric garden, the northern garden with rare plants, the dogs' cemetery and the Lampedusa bench.

Founded

1978

Operated by

Fondazione Famiglia Piccolo di Calanovella

Visitors per year

approx. 3,500

Admission & discounts

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The villa is on the hills of Capo d'Orlando, along the state road SS 113 at km 109, in the locality of Vina.

Amenities & dining

A literary café is located in the park's guesthouse (foresteria).

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit