Villa Valguarnera is one of Italy’s most outstanding National Historic Landmarks. It is the first example of carefully planned landscape architecture, starting from the monumental gate, through the Garden of the Kaffee-Haus, which served as a prototype to the architect Schinkel for the Sicilian Garden of the Royal Palace in Sans Souci near Berlin, up to the esoteric path through the exotic garden until the summit of the Urania Hill.

Surrounding the main building are the formal gardens, with important botanical species (see THE GARDEN). On the estate citrus and exotic fruits are still grown and the flock of sheep roam free clearing acres of brush while fertilizing the soil. Biodynamic agriculture was discovered by Rudolf Steiner at Villa Valguarnera thanks to his friend the Duke of Salaparuta, pioneer of vegetarian diets and great uncle of the present Princess.

The interiors feature the stately rooms of Marianna Ucrìa, of Francesco Algarotti (the inspirer of Frederik II of Prussia), of the Zodiac, of Newton, of Captain Cook, the hall of Hercules, the “Room of the Living Dead”, the libraries with their over 15 thousand volumes, the large terraces with breathtaking views of the sea, the symbolic meanings of the decorations and the stories of the illustrious people who lived in the residence, from European royalty to General Patton, from great writers such as Goethe and Stendhal, to famous film figures like Jean Renoir, Visconti, Anna Magnani and many others.

One of the wings hosts the Panaria Film archives, protected by the Italian Heritage law, as one of the most important Italian Film Companies, founded by Francesco Alliata, the princess’s late father.

The Panaria Film Non Profit Fund, which is aimed at the conservation, maintenance, promotion, and the compatible use of the Monument and the Estate, manages all activities and events at Villa Valguarnera.

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