Historical background 
In the second half of the 15th century, Antonio Termine, a powerful aristocrat, established his residence on Via Bandiera, promoting the construction of an imposing crenellated palace with a tall tower. The residence of the praetor quickly became a landmark for the people of Palermo; the presence of flags flying from the tower, one of the tallest in the city for centuries, even gave the street its current name.

In 1748, the Gothic palace was sold to the Marassi family, Dukes of Pietratagliata, who initially restored and expanded it, and later, in 1762, updated it stylistically according to the fashions of the time. They commissioned a significant decorative intervention from Giovanni Del Frago, a prominent architect of Palermo’s Rococo period, and Vito D’Anna, the most important painter of the 18th century in Sicily, to create the frescoes for the ceilings.

In 1808, due to the sudden death of the last Marassi, the palace was inherited by his only daughter, Maria Cirilla, who brought it as a dowry, along with the ducal title, to her husband, Luigi Alliata, the third son of the Prince of Villafranca.

Fabrizio Alliata, Duke of Pietratagliata and a descendant of Maria Cirilla, oversaw the neo-Gothic interventions in the early decades of the 20th century. This work not only involved removing the baroque balconies from the exterior facades but also bestowed some rooms of the palace with their current elegant neo-medieval decoration. Other important figures in Sicilian artistic culture were involved in this final phase, including architects Ernesto Basile, Francesco Paolo Palazzotto, and Francesco Valenti.

The tour
The grandeur and severity of the main facade, once past the large portal, are softened by the lush inner courtyard. Upon reaching the noble floor, visitors are welcomed into a warm and inviting entrance hall adorned with wooden decorations, featuring a dramatic staircase. From this space, you access the grand 15th-century hall, an extraordinary example of neo-Gothic taste influenced by the Leducian style.