A unique historical building can be found in the ancient Kalsa district of Palermo, Sicily’s capital: Palazzo Mirto. This national monument is a rare example of private residence that has survived over centuries, almost completely unchanged. It is one of the oldest and most luxurious aristocratic houses in the city, its basic structure dating as far back as the Middle Ages, although many radical transformations followed. Since the late 1500s, it was home to the Filangeri family, the most important Norman dynasty in Sicily and in all of Southern Italy. In 1982, the last descendant of the family, Donna Maria Concetta Lanza Filangeri di Mirto, decided to donate the building to Regione Sicilia so that this wonderful place could be protected and also be accessible to the public.