Wildly Baroque—Serpotta's Stuccoed Chapels

The rococo stucco work of Serpotta in the chapels of in Palermo

Giacomo Serpotta (1656–1732) was Palermo's master of elaborate stucco work who carried the baroque style to rococo heights (or excesses, depending on your tastes).

He crafted his statues and remarkably lifelike, action-packed reliefs out of molded plaster, and surrounded them with elaborate frameworks dripping with curlicues and cherubim.

His best work resides in three oratory chapels, though many other churches sport his artistic riches.

Serpotta's Palermo oratories

★★ Oratorio di San Lorenzo
★ Oratorio del Rosario di San Domenico
★ Oratorio del Rosario di Santa Cita (or Zita)

Other Serpotta works around Palermo

Chiesa di San Francesco d'Assisi

see stay eat plan

Tips & links

You'll have to enlist a custodian

You'll have to enlist a custodian to unlock the door at most of the chapels, usually available 8am to 1pm and 3pm to 6pm. Be sure to tip.

Tourist info

Palermo tourist office
Piazza Castelnuovo 34
tel. +39-091-605-8351
www.turismopalermo.it
www.provincia.palermo.it/turismo

Also useful:
www.comune.palermo.it
www.palermotourism.com

Buses: www.amat.pa.it
Trains: www.trenitalia.com
Airport: www.gesap.it
Port: www.portpalermo.it

Tours of Palermo

ESCORTED TOURS of Palermo

• Palermo Shore Excursion: Palermo, Monreale and Mondello Day Trip
• Palermo City Hop-on Hop-off Tour
• Palermo Shore Excursion: Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Bus Tour

ESCORTED DAYTRIPS from Palermo
• Palermo Shore Excursion: Palermo, Monreale and Mondello Day Trip
• Palermo Shore Excursion: Cefalù Day Trip
• Palermo Shore Excursion: Segesta, Erice and Marsala Day Trip

Lodging in Palermo

www.booking.com
www.airbnb.com
www.bedandbreakfast.com
www.hostelworld.com

Reid's Recommended hotels in Palermo
★★ Centrale Palace Hotel [€€]
★★ Botique B&B Vintage [€€]
★★ B&B Ai Cartari [€€]
★ Hotel Posta [€€]
Hotel Cortese [€€]

» More hotels in Palermo[from €30]
» B&Bs in Palermo[from €30]
» Apartments in Palermo[from €49]

Useful links & resources

General
Lodging
Transport

Tourism info
Italia.it (national tourism authority)
Beniculturali.it (historic and cultural sites ministry)
Culturaitalia.it (cultural patrimony)
Coopculture.it (runs many major museums and ancient sights)

Walks, activities, tours, & guides
Viator.com
ContextTravel.com
SelectItaly.com
City-discovery.com

Hotels
B&Bs
Rentals
Hostels
Residences
Farms

Air
Train
Car
Tour
Bus
Ship

Airport transfers
Viator.com

Airports
Rome: Adr.it
Milan: Sea-aeroportimilano.it
Venice: Veniceairport.it
Florence / Pisa: Aeroporto.firenze.it, Pisa-airport.com
Palermo: Gesap.it

Car resources
Emergency service/tow: tel. 803-116
Highway agency: Autostrade.it (traffic info, serivce areas, toll calculator, weather)
Italian automotive club (~AAA): Aci.it
ZTLs: Ztl-italia.blogspot.com (lightly outdated, but handy, links to cities' traffic-free zones)

Walks, activities, tours, & guides
Viator.com
ContextTravel.com
SelectItaly.com
City-discovery.com

Regional & long-distance bus (coach) info
Orariautobus.it
Italybus.it
Oraribus.com
ibus.it
Sitabus.it
Autobus.it

Cruise discounters

Cruising intel

Shore excursions & port transfers
Viator.com
City-Discovery.com
Shoretrips.com

Share this page

Search ReidsItaly.com

Places

Destinations
- Amalfi Coast
- Capri
- Chianti
- Cinque Terre
- Lake District
- Pisa
- Pompeii
- Tuscany
- Florence
- Venice
- Rome
- All Italy regions

Places

Destinations
- [By Region]
  - Map of all regions
  - Abruzzo
  - Apulia
  - Basilicata
  - Campania
  - Emilia Romagna
  - Lazio
  - Liguria
  - Lombardia
  - Le Marche
  - Piemonte
  - Sardegna
  - Sicily
  - Trentino Alto-Adige
  - Tuscany
  - Umbria
  - Veneto
- Rome
  - Stay
  - See
  - Do
  - Eat
  - Plan
  - 1–4 days
- Florence
  - Stay
  - See
  - Do
  - Eat
  - Plan
  - 1–4 days
- Venice
  - Stay
  - See
  - Do
  - Eat
  - Plan
  - 1–4 days
- Italian icons
- Amalfi Coast
  - Secret Hotels
  - Sorrento
  - Positano
  - Amalfi
  - Ravello
  - Vietri sul Mare
  - Salerno
  - Paestum
- Capri
- The Chianti
- Cinque Terre
  - Planning FAQ
  - Hiking
  - Hotels
  - Riomaggiore
  - Manarola
  - Corniglia
  - Vernazza
  - Monterosso al Mare
- The Lakes
- Pisa
- Pompeii
- Tuscany
  - Florence
  - Siena
  - Pisa
  - Lucca
  - San Gimignano
  - The Chianti
  - Montepulciano
  - Pienza
  - Tuscan Itineraries

Guided tours

Walks, activities, tours, & guides
Viator.com
ContextTravel.com
SelectItaly.com
City-discovery.com

Italy hotels

Italy activities

Tourist Info

Tours

Palermo lodging

Find hotels in Palermo
www.booking.com
www.airbnb.com
www.bedandbreakfast.com
www.hostelworld.com

Reid's Recommended hotels in Palermo
★★ Centrale Palace Hotel [€€]
★★ Botique B&B Vintage [€€]
★★ B&B Ai Cartari [€€]
★ Hotel Posta [€€]
Hotel Cortese [€€]

» More hotels in Palermo[from €30]
» B&Bs in Palermo[from €30]
» Apartments in Palermo[from €49]

Useful links

General
Lodging
Transport

Tourism info
Italia.it (national tourism authority)
Beniculturali.it (historic and cultural sites ministry)
Culturaitalia.it (cultural patrimony)
Coopculture.it (runs many major museums and ancient sights)

Walks, activities, tours, & guides
Viator.com
ContextTravel.com
SelectItaly.com
City-discovery.com

Hotels
B&Bs
Apartments
Hostels
Residences
Farms

Air
Train
Car
Tour
Bus
Ship

Airport transfers
Viator.com

Airports
Rome: Adr.it
Milan: Sea-aeroportimilano.it
Venice: Veniceairport.it
Florence / Pisa: Aeroporto.firenze.it, Pisa-airport.com
Palermo: Gesap.it

Car resources
Emergency service/tow: tel. 803-116
Highway agency: Autostrade.it (traffic info, serivce areas, toll calculator, weather)
Italian automotive club (~AAA): Aci.it
ZTLs: Ztl-italia.blogspot.com (lightly outdated, but handy, links to cities' traffic-free zones)