Donnafugata Castle

We will visit the Donnafugata Castle, which is a typical example of the country estates of Sicilian aristocratic families, which became the aristocratic mansion of the mafia boss in an episode of the Commissioner Montalbano series as well as being the location of “Capo dei Capi” and numerous films including “Il Gattopardo” by Luchino Visconti and “I Viceré”.

The castle was built on the old structure of a 13th-century tower by the Senator and Baron Corrado Arezzo in the 1800s, and soon became one of the most important places of social life of the Umbertina age. The name Donnafugata comes from the Arabic “Ain-jafat” which means “Health Source”.

Donnafugata’s abode, improperly called a “castle”, was in effect designed by its builders to be a splendid vacation home. The castle has 144 rooms and covers an area of 2500 sqm, while the adjacent park has an extension of about 12 hectares.

The building consists of an area used for storage rooms, a kitchen, a former theater, and a church, while the first floor houses the guest house and lounges, as well as the everyday rooms.

The castle’s park is characterized by majestic ficus and exotic plants, statues, fountains, heraldic coats of arms, terracotta pots from Caltagirone, stone seats, artificial grottoes and a cupola whose ceiling contains a painted firmament. Not to be missed is the beautiful “Pirdituri”, a stone labyrinth, and the neo-classical coffee house, where the nobles used to enjoy their refreshments.