Goethe’s Hotel in Palermo: On the Trail of His Italian Journey
When Johann Wolfgang Goethe arrived in Palermo on April 2, 1787, he saw the city from the sea and from the threshold of Porta Felice. His stay in Palermo, which lasted until May 14, is one of the most intense moments of his “Italian Journey”: here, Goethe observed landscapes, ceremonies, gardens, and monuments through the eyes of someone seeking in Sicily a key to understanding Italy and himself.
One of the most significant sites from that stay is the hotel where he stayed. Identifying it, however, is not easy. Over time, various hypotheses have emerged, fueled by commemorative plaques, travelers’ accounts, and historical studies. Based on Goethe’s own words as well as topographical and archival documentation, the most convincing hypothesis today points to the so-called Casa Benso, a building that was later incorporated into Palazzo Butera.
Figure 1 – The Porta Felice in Palermo
The starting point is Goethe’s own description. In a letter dated April 2, 1787, he recounts entering the city through a gate formed by two large pillars—recognizable as Porta Felice—and being led immediately to a large inn located on the left. This topographical detail is crucial: the inn must have been just a few steps from the city entrance through that gate.
Goethe also describes the room: spacious, elegant, with a balcony overlooking the harbor, the sea, and Mount Pellegrino, which he calls Mount Santa Rosalia. He also mentions luxurious furnishings, a cool and airy antechamber with several balconies, and a terrace from which one could enjoy a wide variety of views. The following day, he expands on this description: from his lodgings, his gaze took in the Gulf of Palermo, from Capo Zafferano and Sant’Erasmo all the way to Cala, the pier, and Monte Pellegrino.
Another clue comes from a scene observed on April 13: Goethe sees a procession of a condemned man who had been pardoned during the Easter celebrations passing by the window onto the street. Therefore, the building must have had both an open view of the sea and a window facing the street along which the procession passed.
The Problem with Tombstones
In 1875, the historian Isidoro La Lumia had a plaque installed on the Castagnetta-Pollaci house on Via Toledo, now Via Vittorio Emanuele. The choice seemed plausible because that building had been described as a small hotel and was located in the lower section of the Cassaro, near Porta Felice. However, this identification soon revealed its limitations: the building was modest, had few rooms, and did not offer the sweeping views described by Goethe. It was later destroyed by the bombings of 1943, and the plaque likely disappeared along with it.
In 1977, a second plaque was unveiled by the Rotary Club Palermo Ovest at the entrance to Via Butera, on the grounds associated with Palazzo Butera. This time, the reference was different: not the Castagnetta house, but the home of Francesco Benso, a stately building that may have served as a hotel during Goethe’s time. The new plaque presented a more solid argument, based on the studies of Luigi Giachery.
Figure 2 – Memorial plaque on Via Butera
Pitrè and Giachery: A Comparison of Two Hypotheses
Giuseppe Pitrè, a leading scholar of Sicilian culture, had already criticized the identification of the house with Casa Castagnetta. While visiting the building, he noticed that only a small attic offered a partial view of the cove and Monte Pellegrino: far too limited to correspond to the spacious, elegant, and panoramic room described by Goethe.
Pitrè then proposed another solution: Madame Montaigne’s inn—known as Madama di Montagna—on Via di Porto Salvo, near the Vicaria. This hypothesis, however, had a decisive flaw: from that vantage point, it was not possible to see the entire gulf, as Goethe describes. To support his argument, Pitrè had to assume that Goethe had misremembered his entry into the city or had conflated views observed at different times.
Luigi Giachery reached a different conclusion. Using notarial documents, lease agreements, and a floor plan from 1801, he identified the Benso House—a stately building at the corner of Via Butera and Via Vittorio Emanuele—as the most likely location of the hotel. The house, owned by Francesco Benso Landolina, Duke of Verdura, featured spacious rooms, balconies overlooking the sea, a terrace, and a location that was perfectly suited for guests arriving from Porta Felice.
Figure 3 – Floor plan of the Benso house showing the rooms occupied by Goethe – L. Giachery, Piazza Marina and the Hotels of Palermo in the Last Century, Palermo, 1923
Figure 4 – Reconstruction of the Benso House with the balcony and terrace described by Goethe – L. Giachery, Piazza Marina and Hotels in Palermo in the Last Century, Palermo, 1923
The “Benso House” hypothesis is the most convincing
Giachery’s theory holds up because it brings all the clues together. The building was indeed located on the left as one entered through Porta Felice; it featured stately rooms and balconies opening onto the gulf; and the floor plan shows spaces consistent with the bedroom, anteroom, and terrace described by Goethe. Furthermore, a window on the Cassaro side would have provided a view of the procession of the pardoned condemned man, who, according to Giachery’s reconstruction, passed right along that route.
A documentary detail reinforces this picture: between 1786 and 1789, there is a gap in the normal sequence of lease agreements for the Benso house. It was precisely during that period—specifically in the spring of 1787—that Goethe stayed in Palermo. Giachery concludes that the building may have been temporarily operated as a hotel or a residence for distinguished guests, consistent with the luxurious furnishings described by the poet.
Figure 5 – Aerial view of the Benso House, near Porta Felice
Goethe’s Views, Then and Now
The appeal of the reconstruction also lies in the comparison between Goethe’s text and the still-recognizable views. Despite profound urban changes, from the terraces of the reconstructed Benso House and the area around Palazzo Butera, it is still possible to make out the geography described in *The Italian Journey*: the Cala, the eastern skyline toward Sant’Erasmo and Capo Zafferano, and to the west, the silhouette of Monte Pellegrino.
Figure 6 – View of Cala da Casa Benso – – Official Website of the Regional Administrative Court of Sicily
Figure 7 – View toward the east from Casa Benso – – Official Website of the Regional Administrative Court of Sicily
Figure 8 – View of Monte Pellegrino from Palazzo Butera
From the Benso Law Firm to the Sicilian Regional Administrative Court
The Benso House belonged to Francesco Benso Landolina, Duke of Verdura. In the late 18th century or early 19th century, it was purchased by the Branciforti family and incorporated into Palazzo Butera, in part to create a large ballroom. In 1943, the building was severely damaged by the bombing of Palermo and remained in ruins for a long time. It was later rebuilt; today, the building serves as the Palermo headquarters of the Regional Administrative Court of Sicily.
Figure 9 – Palazzo Benso – Official Website of the Regional Administrative Court of Sicily
A Guide to Visiting Palermo with Goethe
Following the story of Goethe’s hotel is not just a matter of resolving a historical topographical puzzle. It means gaining insight into the way the poet viewed Palermo: from a doorway, a balcony, a terrace, or a window overlooking the street. The Benso House, with its location between Porta Felice, the Cassaro, the Kalsa, and the sea, brings these vantage points together. For this reason, it now appears to be the most convincing theory for pinpointing Goethe’s residence in Palermo and for explaining—even to a non-specialist audience—the connection between his 1787 journey and the urban landscape that is still visible today.
