Tomasi

Tomasi

Alias: Tommasi, de' Tomasi

Blazon: azure, a leopard or, on a mountain of three peaks vert. Motto: SPES MEA IN DEO EST ("In God is my hope").

Origins: Constantinople, Ancona, Capua

Seat: Palermo

Notable people: 

• Giulio Tomasi e Caro, "the duke saint", first Prince of Lampedusa and founder of the city of Palma di Montechiaro 
• Giuseppe Maria Tomasi, cardinal and saint 
• Ferdinando Maria Tomasi, Giulio Fabrizio Tomasi, Prince of Lampedusa and model for the character of the Prince of Salina in the novel "The Leopard", written by his descendant Giuseppe Maria Tomasi, the last Prince of Lampedusa.
• Pietro Tomasi, marques della Torretta, Italian ambassador to the UK and later Senator
• Giuseppe Maria Tomasi, prince of Lampedusa, writer and literary critic, author of the famous novel "The Leopard", from which famed director Luchino Visconti shot his movie "The Leopard" 

Titles: 

• Prince of Lampedusa
• Duke of Palma
• Baron of Falconeri
• Baron della Toretta

Bibliography: Mango 1912, s.v. 'Tomasi'

The Tomasi family claims descent from the Leopardi family of Constantinople, believed to have moved to Ancona in 646, changing their surname to Tomasi. The name "Tomasi" is said to derive from the Greek "thauma," meaning "marvelous," referencing the remarkable intellect of two twins, Artemio and Giuliano. The family later moved to Capua and then to Sicily with a Mario de Tomasi, who accompanied Viceroy Marcantonio Colonna. This Mario became captain-at-arms in Licata in 1585 and, through his marriage to Francesca Caro, acquired the barony of Palma.

Over generations, the Tomasi family held significant titles and positions. A Giulio Tomasi became the first Duke of Palma in 1638 and the first Prince of Lampedusa in 1667. Giuseppe Tomasi, son of an earlier Giulio, became a Theatine cleric, was elected Cardinal by Clement XI, and is venerated as a blessed saint for his holiness and doctrine. Other notable members include Ferdinando, who became a Grandee of Spain and a gentleman of the chamber to Emperor Charles VI, serving multiple times as Praetor of Palermo and captain of justice. The family also saw several members as Knights of Malta and other orders, and held various administrative roles, such as governor of the Monte di Pietà in Palermo. The lineage continued through various Giulio and Giuseppe Maria Tomasi, with one of the most recent mentioned being Giulio Tomasi, Prince of Lampedusa, whose titles were recognised by a ministerial decree in 1903.