Palazzo Steripinto is one of the oldest palaces in Sciacca: it was built in 1501 by Antonio Noceto, a kinsman of the botanist Gerardo Noceto. It is regarded as an example of Plateresque art in Sicily, between late Gothic and Renaissance. The name combines «steri», from the Latin hosterium, used in Sicily for palaces such as the Chiaramonte Steri in Palermo or Palazzo Chiaramonte in Agrigento, with a participle: it means a fortified or armed palace.
What to see
The façade is entirely faced with diamond-pointed stone blocks that together form a kind of armour. The ground floor is closed, with a single opening, while the main floor has elegant Gothic two-light windows. In the lunette above the doorway is the coat of arms of the Lucchesi Palli, who became owners of the palace through marriage; the Noceto arms are above the capitals of the small columns of the windows.
While the façade has stayed as it was, the interior has been altered several times over the centuries. On the ground floor a small garden and an entrance hall carried on sturdy pointed arches still survive.
Visiting
The façade can be seen from the street; for access to the interior, if possible, arrangements should be checked with the owners or the tourist office.
Our editors' tip
Come back to look at the façade at different times: the diamond-pointed blocks change colour with the sunlight over the day and the seasons.
