The palace of Casa Rocca Piccola was originally built in 1580 for Don Pietro La Rocca (a Knight of Malta) and is now the family home of the 9th Marquis de Piro and his family, who opened a part of it to the public in 1991. In later years, other parts of the palace were added to the visitor experience, and now it is possible to visit all 12 rooms on the piano nobile. Highlights within the museum’s collection include an 18th-century golden sedan chair, the largest collection of Maltese lace on the island, works by French painter Antoine de Favray as well as the great Maltese artist, Giuseppe Calì.

It is also possible to explore a network of underground passages and tunnels that have been cut out of the rock underneath the palace over the course of its 400-year history, including a particular tunnel that takes you into a huge cavern that was used during WW2 to shelter over 100 people from the heavy bombing. Casa Rocca Piccola holds a walled garden that is filled with orange trees in which Kiku III, a beautiful blue and gold macaw, lives. The old kitchens of the palace now house a Sicilian restaurant, and visitors can choose to stay in part of the property, which has been partially converted into a regal guesthouse.