Built in 1856, The Grand Hotel et des Palmes was founded in 1874. Was originally the home of the aristocratic Ingham-Withaker family and was linked by an underground passage to a nearby Anglican chapel.
In 1907, Ernesto Basile, one of Italy's foremost Art Nouveau architects, made alterations to the Foyer, one of Europe's most attractive, and to the "Fireplace Saloon", where the ceiling, inlaid by English craftsmen, is similar to that of Palazzo Montecitorio, the Italian House of Deputies in Rome, also designed by Basile.
The hotel Grand Hotel et des Palmes was founded in 1874 and has seen several important moments in the history of Sicily. The future Prime Minister Francesco Crispi gave political lectures here, while the formidable twelve-course dinner served to another future premier. Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, is still remembered.
Richard Wagner and his wife Cosima Liszt were guests from 5 November 1881, and the armchair where the great composer sat while he wrote his opera "Parsifal" is still conserved in the hotel.

The Hotel can offer the maximum comfort for anything from 10 to 200 persons in its fully-equipped rooms of varying size.
In addition to local and international specialities, the La Palmetta restaurant at the hotel serves a delicious variety of mediterranean dishes.