Bagheria: the city of villas

In the northern area of the Sicilian island, squeezed between the gulfs of Palermo and Termini Imerese, stands Bagheria, a historic holiday resort of the Palermo nobility. Famous for its sumptuous 18th century Baroque villas, it is a city of great artists such as Tornatore, Renato Guttuso, and has been the site of many successful films such as Nuovo Cinema Paradiso and the more recent Baaria, just by Tornatore. The artistic and cultural heritage is immense and spread throughout the city. Starting from the places of worship we remember: the Mother Church, in yellow tuff, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, in neo-Gothic style. The civil architectures are mainly the baroque villas, summer residences of the nobility of the time, not all of which can be visited today and some in a state of neglect. The most famous is Villa Palagonia, known as Villa dei Mostri for the deformed statues that decorate it, currently home to the Toy and Wax Museum. Villa Cattolica is located on the outskirts of the city and houses the municipal museum dedicated to the painter Renato Guttuso. Another small jewel is Palazzo Butera, commissioned by Prince Branciforti, it is located at the end of Corso Butera, creating an evocative view of the city in motion. Do not forget Aspra, a fraction of the city overlooking the coast, a destination for seaside tourism and fishermen.