From noble residence to archaeological Museum and local promotion center
In 1981, the Municipality of Sambuca purchased the palace, which had been severely damaged by the devastating earthquake, and initiated a project for its recovery, restoration, and renovation to turn it into a regional archaeological museum. This museum was intended to house the valuable artifacts from Adranon, an important Punic-Greek site located on the eponymous mountain, within the area of influence of the largest Greek colony in western Sicily: Selinunte. In 2004, work began on completing, restoring, repurposing, and setting up the exhibition space in the 17th-century noble residence to create a display route through its rooms. Today, it houses the Archaeological Museum, inaugurated in 2013, and important local promotion associations such as the Strada del Vino Terre Sicane Association, established through the Leader II program (an EU initiative for rural development), and Iter Vitis - a Cultural Itinerary recognized by the Council of Europe. Additionally, it serves as a municipal office: the only one, besides Palazzo dell’Arpa, where civil ceremonies can be held in Sambuca. It also served as the headquarters of Unitre for a period (now located at the Sicilbanca forum).
Palazzo Panitteri
Palazzo Panitteri, with its 1,520 square meters (of which 400 are uncovered), is one of the most prestigious monuments in Sambuca di Sicilia: a noble residence situated along the Arab walls on the bastion of the ancient Zabut (now Sambuca). The palace belonged to important Sambucese families: the priest Don Bartolo Truncali—nephew of the eponymous uncle, a legendary cattle thief who lived between the 16th and 17th centuries—who consolidated and renovated the building for residence; the prelate Don Giuseppe Panitteri, who lived in the second half of the 18th century; and the Amodei family, who lived there until the Belice earthquake of 1968.
A historical place, polyfunctional
The structure, spanning two levels, exhibits late Renaissance characteristics and hints of the impending Sicilian Baroque: this is evidenced by the main entrance portal topped with the Panitteri family crest and the ovolo railings. The palace retains its original rectangular plan, with a spacious internal courtyard surrounded by large storage areas. On the lower floor, the Domus is set up as a single-room design space for hosting travelers and partners: an excellent base for exploring local identities, participating in cultural events, and promoting cultural exchanges, including international ones. It has also hosted participants in the "Sambuca Welcoming" artistic residencies, who, during their stay in Sambuca, created works aimed at enhancing the village. On the ground floor, overlooking the courtyard, are a reception area serving as a tourist information point, the Space for Memory and Future (a conference room intended for conventions, seminars, and events presenting the village and the Terre Sicane; in 2024, this space, thanks to the "Sambuca Welcoming" project, will feature a permanent video installation curated by the award-winning Sicilian filmmaker Andrea Vanadia), and the Taberna (a room showcasing local Belice wines and equipped with a kitchen): this space hosts cultural events, tastings, and gastronomic workshops to promote agri-food production, the Mediterranean diet (a UNESCO heritage), local traditions, and identities. In addition to wine tastings and book presentations, the Taberna has been used for cooking workshops, intercultural exchanges, and summer camps for children. In 2022, a Sustainable Tourism and Cultural Itineraries Library was inaugurated in the Palazzo Panitteri, as part of the CROSSDEV project (Cultural Routes for Sustainable Social and Economic Development Mediterranean), co-financed by the European Union. This project, led by the CISP (International Committee for the Development of Peoples) and implemented in four Mediterranean countries (Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine), aims to create socio-economic development opportunities in disadvantaged but culturally, historically, and architecturally rich areas. Iter Vitis - a Cultural Itinerary recognized by the Council of Europe, which is headquartered in Palazzo Panitteri - collaborated on this project. The library, open to students, travelers, and the Sambuca community, aims to be a hub for mutual understanding, discussion, study, and the development of new strategies for sustainable tourism that can generate positive impacts on the Terre Sicane region. A short underpass from the courtyard leads to the rear internal garden, featuring various examples of Mediterranean ornamental plants, while the external staircase, in Catalan style, leads to the noble floor. This floor houses the Archaeological Museum of Palazzo Panitteri, where visitors can admire bronze belts, strigils, utensils, Attic pottery, Punic vases, and Doric and Ionic columns and capitals, all reminders of the Greek-Punic settlement of Adrànon, a Selinuntine colony. The emblem of the Palazzo Panitteri Archaeological Museum is undoubtedly the Demeter of the Beautiful Hair.
The Archaeological Museum
The Archaeological Museum of Palazzo Panitteri is one of the most intriguing museum centers in Sicily. Its exhibition journey narrates the archaeological research conducted by the Superintendency of Agrigento starting from 1967-68, collecting and cataloging a meticulously chosen selection of valuable archaeological finds from the extensive site located on a hill 899 meters above sea level in the northern part of Sambuca, now known as Monte Adranone. The Superintendency's investigations have revealed an indigenous Hellenized city, defended by robust defensive walls as early as the 6th century BC. The city was built on three terraces, encompassing a necropolis, residential areas, and sacred zones on the Acropolis. This city is Adrànon, mentioned by the Sicilian historian Diodorus Siculus, who described the events of the First Punic War in the 1st century BC. The remains of Adrànon are still visible today at Monte Adranone, a beautiful natural site interspersed with numerous archaeological sites along its spurs. Numerous votive deposits have been uncovered here: amphorae, terracottas, valuable deity busts, various offerings, as well as Attic ceramics and bronze utensils. The finds are primarily displayed in three Sicilian museums: the Archaeological Museum "Palazzo Panitteri" in Sambuca, the Regional Archaeological Museum of Agrigento, and the Regional Archaeological Museum Antonio Salinas in Palermo.
The exhibition route. Discovering ancient Adrànon
The exhibition route provides a detailed overview of the ancient and primordial Greek-Punic village of Adrànon, starting from the 8th century BC. It is divided into two sections: one dedicated to the residential, cultic, and public contexts of the site (Section A) and the other to its Necropolis (Section B). The introductory hall presents the topographical and historical-archeological context of the site. In Hall 1, "Fortifications and Acropolis," materials from excavations along the city walls and those found on the summit plateau— the Acropolis— are displayed. Ceramic fragments and artifacts illustrate the phases of the indigenous settlement (7th century BC–mid-6th century BC), the Greek city (mid-6th century BC–end of the 5th century BC), the Punic reconstruction of the 4th century BC (e.g., the Egyptian-style cornice from the Temple on the Acropolis), and the Roman siege of the early 3rd century BC (e.g., stone projectiles from the Acropolis). Subsequent rooms (Rooms 2-3) focus on the “residential contexts,” featuring artifacts from public and cultic structures found in the I and II terraces to the west, beneath the Acropolis, dating between the 4th and early 3rd century BC. Specifically, Room 2 showcases materials from a complex (Block V) likely used for public purposes—possibly a Prytaneion (a building in ancient Greece where the sacred fire was kept, common sacrifices were made, and ambassadors and distinguished citizens were entertained). Domestic utensils, votive and ritual objects reveal daily and religious life. Religious practices extended beyond the actual sanctuaries to private and domestic forms, as evidenced by some household items (louteria, arule, terracotta figurines) from rooms in Blocks I and III of Terrace I. A selection of coin finds in Room 2 highlights the economic significance of the center and the extent of Punic influence. Room 3 is dedicated to religious life in sanctuaries, such as the so-called Punic Temple on Terrace II. Room 4, dedicated to the "Central Sector," continues with displays of materials from private residences and public buildings. This is followed by Room 5, which features materials from the “Farmstead” artisan complex and the Sanctuary dedicated to the Chthonic Deities (generally female deities related to underground cults and personifications of seismic or volcanic forces). This first part of the museum journey concludes in Room 6, focusing on architectural elements uncovered at the site. The right wing of the museum complex is dedicated to the Necropolis: Rooms 7 and 8 contain burial goods from the 6th and 5th centuries BC, while Room 9 displays items from the 4th-3rd centuries BC and offers ethnographic and anthropological insights. The display design in these rooms, which includes vitrines created by architect Franco Minissi, is based on a conservation-restoration approach. The vitrines, made of iron, brass, and glass, follow museographic criteria developed by Minissi from the 1950s, aiming to contain, protect, exhibit, and enhance the historical monuments with utmost respect. The result is a museum within a museum, where the value of the artifacts is highlighted as works of art. The museum route, enriched with visual stimuli and topographical references, maintains a constant dialogue with the Monte Adranone archaeological site and ideally concludes with a visit itinerary extending to the archaeological area on the mountain summit connected to the museum: a unique journey that combines landscape, archaeology, and anthropology. It offers a majestic landscape that remains intact in its identity, integrating nature and human traces.
Palazzo Panitteri towards a territorial community hub
In 2019, Palazzo Panitteri was the focus of a project by the cultural cooperative Kòrai in collaboration with the Municipality of Sambuca. The project won the national call "Viviamo Cultura," promoted by the Italian Alliance of Cooperatives. Kòrai’s concept aimed to transform Palazzo Panitteri into a community territorial hub, a central node in a cultural network encompassing the village’s assets, the Selinuntine territory, and the Terre Sicane. This initiative was supported by a structure for coordinating cultural activities and a public-private co-management plan. It represents a strategic proposal for revitalizing Sambuca, named Borgo dei Borghi in 2016, with the goal of creating new job opportunities, fostering economic development, and combating depopulation.
A "babbalùcia" in the Palace
Arriving at Palazzo Panitteri, it's impossible not to notice, "climbing" up the corner of the building, an enormous "babbalùcia" (snail) sculpted in iron. Similarly, around the village, you'll encounter a second wrought iron snail, iridescent and… itinerant, as it is periodically moved to different locations around Sambuca. These are two contemporary works by master Enzo De Luca, an artist and iron craftsman of three generations, celebrating the value of slow living in the village and the identity of the people of Sambuca, who have long been known as "sammucàri babbaluciàri" (Sambucans, or snail people). This nickname reflects the large number of snails (babbaluci) that once inhabited the fields of Sambuca.