Lampedusa Palace (XVII-XVIII cent.), situated in the alley that bears its name , at the back of Piazza Olivella where the Archaeological Museum has its seat, is by now only a bare prospect which covers the ruins. It is however worth going there to see what remains of the house most beloved by the author of The Leopard, demolished by the bombs of the last war and to start from there a route to the places crossed daily by Tomasi in real life and by the Salina family to go to the ball at Ponteleone Palace in the novelistic fiction. Lampedusa Palace borders the Oratorio di Santa Cita (XVII-XVII cent.), triumph of Serpotta's magnificent stuccos, that cannot be passed by without a visit. Then on along Via Valverde and down Discesa dei Bambinai. On this road you can see the Oratorio del Rosario in San Domenico (XVI-XVIII cent.), another place where Serpotta lavished his extraordinary genius. Following the route ridden by the Salinas, one reaches Piazza San Domenico , where Monteleone Palace used to stand, that is the Ponteleone Palace where the ball takes place in The Leopard. The Palace is no longer there, but the square still preserves many charms, also because, overlooking the cloister of the church that gives it its name (XVII-XVIII cent.) - the Pantheon of Palermo that gives shelter to the graves of distinguished people - there is a small but interesting Museum of the Risorgimento, rich in testimonies of the Garibaldian struggle. After completing the route that takes the Salinas to the ball, it is possible to reach the palace that Visconti chose to shoot the scene in the film. That's Valguarnera-Gangi Palace (XVIII cent.) in Piazza Croce di Vespri, the place where the anti-French rebellion (1282) of the inhabitants of Palermo occurred. Not far from there, Piazza Rivoluzione is instead dedicated to the Garibaldian rebellion, which is the historical background in The Leopard. This is reminded us by the commemorative inscriptions found on the fountain of the Corps of Engineers of Palermo and on the walls of the palaces. Other places not far from there which recall the risings of the Risorgimento are Piazza Magione, with Saint Euno Church in front of which Visconti shot the scene of a skirmish between Red Shirts and soldiers of the king of the Two Sicilies, Vicolo dei Risorti and St. Mary of the Angels Church called the Gancia (XVI cent.), with its "pit of salvation" which was used by some Garibaldian insurrectionists to escape from the Bourbon troops. The church is situated in Via Alloro, a street with many eighteenth century aristocratic palaces, close to Tomasi's last home and to the seat of the Literary Park. It is also near Via Merlo, where it is possible to visit the Palace of the Prince of Mirto, donated by the proprietors to the Sicilian Administration in excellent condition with many of its original furnishings and which therefore allows an understanding of the aristocratic lifestyle at the time of Leopard-like pomp. From Mirto Palace, crossing Piazza Marina, which at every step provides testimonies of the town's history, it is possible to reach the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Catena (XVI cent.) , which overlooks the little Harbour of the Cala . Both these places are mentioned in The Leopard. Just like the former Hotel della Trinacria (built in the nineteenth century), which is the place where the Prince of Salina dies, after receiving the viaticum by a priest who arrives in a great hurry from the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Pietà (XVII-XVIII cent.) which is situated almost opposite it. Also almost opposite Lanza Tomasi Palace (XVIII cent.), contiguous to it, in Via Butera n°28, which was Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampeusa's home in his last years. Here, after observing the eighteenth century façade from the Passeggiata delle Cattive, which, higher above the street level, borders the palaces overlooking the sea - that of the prince of Butera is magnificent - and shares with them the splendid view, the route ends. By appointment it is sometimes possible, for those who have a scholarly interest, to visit Tomasi' library, now belonging to his adopted son and heir. A short distance away from Lampedusa Palace, the Noviziato dei Crociferi (XVII -XVII cent.), beautifully restored by the Town Administration, deserves marking out; it is mentioned in The Leopard as one of the convents which, due to their proportions, dominated the town's landscape, marking, in Tomasi's opinion, its identity in an unmistakable way.