Palermitan architect and entrepreneur Giuseppe Forello, the founder of MEC [2], defines his new space in the heart of the Sicilian city as “a museum within a restaurant and a restaurant that’s also a museum.”

Located on the main floor of the Renaissance Palazzo Castrone Santa Ninfa and featuring a breathtaking view of the city’s Cathedral, the MEC museum - whose name stands for “Meet Eat Connect” - is comprised of a permanent collection, an exhibition space, and a gourmet restaurant.

The collection features a unique selection of objects from Forello’s own private collection consisting of 4000 examples of the earliest devices realized by Apple, including Apple 1, the first computer ever made by the famous technology company founded in Cupertino in 1976. 

These objects are divided according to eight thematic categories: Seed and Fruit, Innovation, Pirates, Apple Store, Prototypes, Pixar, Temple, and Competition.

The current exhibition, titled “Steve Jobs 1955-2011 – Why Join the Navy If You Can Be a Pirate?” stems from a collaboration with Italian entrepreneur Marco Boglione (head of the clothing conglomerate BasicNet [3]) and was curated by techonology historian and curator of BasicGallery Cecilia Botta. It traces the history of Apple as told through various objects and mediums. 

The final room, titled “Temple,” is dedicated to contemporary art and features photographs by Jean Pigozzi [4] and Diana Walker [5] as well as an installation by the Roman artist Edoardo Dionea Cicconi [6].

As for the restaurant, the “Eat” part of MEC, it takes the shape of a literary cafe in the morning, which then turns into a fine dining restaurant in the evening, featuring both an original tasting menu and à la carte dining options, all prepared by Chef Carmelo Trentacosti of the gorgeous Villa Igiea Hotel.

This latest addition to Palermo’s blossoming contemporary art scene opens its doors to the public on January 31st, adding to the already extensive list of reasons to visit this glorious city and the unique island of Sicily.