THE ROOM: the hallway furniture consists of large, austere wooden chests, which served not only as seating for those waiting to be received, but also as valuable and capacious storage containers. A period coat stand completes the furnishings, holding hats, walking sticks and umbrellas. This room forms the hub of the palazzo, connecting the formal reception wing to the private rooms, the service rooms, and also the church. Each day, family members and household staff would pass through it, each busy with their own duties, beneath the peaceful gaze of the ancestors framed on the walls. Cooks (known as monsù), housekeepers, butlers, maids, nannies, grooms and coachmen (or gnuri) all had a role within the family and the household, living as an integral part of it, under the same roof.

TRADITIONS: SEASONAL RETREAT: in Sicily, the concept of the villeggiatura – the seasonal retreat – has roots going back thousands of years, evolving from the pomp of Roman residences in antiquity to the elegant aristocratic homes of later centuries. Thanks to its landscapes and climate, the island has always been a destination of choice for rest and relaxation. For the Romans, the villeggiatura was linked to otium (time set aside for study and contemplation). Over the centuries, this idea evolved into a way of life based on a slower, more bucolic rhythm, to be enjoyed above all in the countryside, where fortified farmhouses and splendid stately homes gradually took shape.

AND CUSTOMS: Agata Sortino Trono Monelli wears an authentic mourning dress from the Victorian period (late nineteenth century). Victorian mourning dress was governed by strict social codes, especially for women, and became an iconic part of fashion history largely thanks to Queen Victoria, who wore black for forty years after the death of her husband, Prince Albert. Made of silk, velvet and silk crêpe (a matte fabric preferred for its lack of shine), the outfit consists of a skirt with bodice and over it, a splendid velvet coat with lace inserts, all strictly in black. The ensemble is completed by a long veil to cover the head (also in black lace), together with a small handbag and a silk parasol.