Panoramic terrace

The Palermo Astronomical Observatory, with its three distinctive dark domes, overlooks the city’s historic center. It is located atop the highest tower of the Royal Palace of Palermo—the Pisan Tower, also known as the Tower of Saint Ninfa. Its current form is the result of over two centuries of architectural evolution, shaped by the need to accommodate new instruments as they were acquired and installed to meet the changing demands of astronomical research.

The original core, built between 1790 and 1791, included the Gallery of Movable Instruments, the Circular Room, and an early version of the Meridian Room. At that time, the Observatory’s exterior featured a single dome, positioned on the southern turret, which housed the Ramsden Circle. In 1795, two cubic side wings were added—today home to the Gallery of Directors and the Meteorological Room. In 1805, a second dome was built to the north to house a Troughton equatorial telescope.

Further modifications took place in the second half of the 19th century. In addition to the renovation of the Meridian Room, a mezzanine-level room was added in 1865, built above the Gallery to host the Merz equatorial telescope, accompanied by the Observatory’s large central dome.

Outside, a marble plaque honors two important monarchs: Roger II, to whom the existence of the Pisan Tower—upon which the Observatory was later built—is attributed, and Ferdinand of Bourbon, under whose reign the Specola was established.

The Observatory’s large terrace opens onto the historic city center, offering the most breathtaking skyline in Palermo—a panoramic view stretching to the sea, filled with domes, bell towers, and rooftops from the city's oldest heart.