SICILIAARTE STORIA E NATURA

L’amore per questa terra è il filo conduttore che accomuna coloro che hanno reso possibile la realizzazione diquest’opera. L’introduzione ed i testi della provincia di Palermo, Siracusa, Enna e Caltanissetta sono di StefaniaRuggeri. Agrigento, Catania, Trapani e Taormina di Romilda Nicotra e Maria Rosaria Falcone. Piazza Armerinadi Vincenzo Iannuzzi. Ragusa di Giuseppe Iacono. Le feste di Pasqua di Enna di Giuseppe Riggio. La Riserva diVendicari di Carmelo Iapichino ed infine la Processione di Misteri di Giovanni Cammareri. Grazie a ConcettaPerrone che ci ha aiutato a rileggere e correggere questa pubblicazione.

FOTOGRAFIE ED ILLUSTRAZIONI

Archivio Affinità Elettive: pagine 74, 75, 76, 81.Archivio fotografico del Museo archeologico regionale di Agrigento: pagine 48, 49.Franco Barbagallo: pagine 30, 67, 104, 109, 110, 135.Bastin e Evrard: pagina 63.Maurizio Bronzetti: pagine 15, 61, 68, 133.Giovanni Calleo: pagine 145.Salvatore Centorrino: pagine 98, 101, 129.Vincenzo Cuttitta: pagine 14, 17, 18, 20, 21, 25, 29, 34, 36, 37, 75, 112, 146, 157.Giangabriele Fiorentino: pagine 99, 100, 101, 105, 106, 107, 108, 110, 111.Renato Gallo: pagine 40, 115, 116, 133, 134, 144, 152, 154. Gaetano Gambino: pagine 5, 123 .Alfio Garozzo: pagine 4, 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, 16, 18, 24, 32, 35, 36, 43, 45, 47, 57, 60, 76, 77, 82, 83, 84, 85, 87, 88. 90, 91, 92, 94,96, 97, 99, 100, 106, 113, 115, , 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 122, 124, 128, 141, 146, 149, 150, 151, 155, 159.Giuseppe Garrafa: pagine 147 .Fausto Giaccone: pagine 16, .Giuseppe Iacono: pagine 19, 51, 136, 148, 150, 152, 153, 155.Walter Leonardi: pagine 39, 51, 54, 55, 57, 70, 80, 90, 91, 92, 95, 127, 135, 138.Giuseppe Leone: pagine 50, 153. Riccardo Lombardo: pagine 26, 66, 114, 119, 125 .Enzo Loverso: pagine 27, .Raimondo Marino: pagine 94, .Melo Minnella: pagine 10, 12, 15, 17, 24, 32, 38, 58, 59, 64, 89, 112, 143, 156Luigi Nifosì: pagine 1, 19, 26, 65, 73, 80, 102, 103, 131, 134, 135, 138, 139, 141, 143, 156, 157, 158, 159.Angelo Pitrone: pagine 44, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56.Publifoto: pagine 59.Federico Raiser: pagine 113.Roberto Rinaldi: pagina 84.Lamberto Rubino: pagine 132, 139.Salvatore Russo: pagine 98.Piero Sabatino: pagine 151.Alessandro Saffo: pagine 31, 52, 94, 104, 108.Veronique Sarano: pagine 3, 28, 41, 43, 46, 56, 60, 61, 64, 72.Foto Tomarchio: pagine129.Antonio Vanadia: pagine 42.Antonio Zimbone: pagine 104, 107, 127, 140, 142.Foto di copertina: 1a Walter Leonardi, Vincenzo Cuttitta; 4a Luigi Nifosì, Vincenzo Cuttitta, Alfio Garozzo, Ivan DePasquale.

REALIZZAZIONE GRAFICA: Claudio Falino

TRADUZIONIFrancese: Luigi Michaud - Inglese: Nicholas Whithorn

Spagnolo: Maria Teresa Monterisi - Tedesco: Doreen Lamek

Copyright 2010 della Società Editrice Affinità Elettivevia Reitano Spadafora 1 F - 98168 Messina - Italia

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EDIZIONI AFFINITÀ ELETTIVE

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Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean, one of the most beautiful places in the world, a placeof sea and sun like its precious golden Saints, always desired and coveted, raped and possessed butnever truly conquered, in the end always seduced and abandoned, Sicily is sour, occasionally acid andwild, disobedient and deceitful, indifferent and thoughtless, pampered, spiteful, arrogant, anarchic…But despite itself, it has a soft heart and a sharp brain and when you get up close and smile it openswide its arms and hugs you.Sicily is thousands of years old, well trodden like its ancient roadways, wrinkled like its ancient rocks,but in its heart it is still a child that has not had the time and the chance to grow up. The course of itshistory has frequently been interrupted by other peoples, who have landed on its beautiful shores,besieged it and sacked it, or made it a half-forgotten appendix to their far off empire, often wiping outall signs of its civilisation so as to impose their own, or sometimes overlaying cultures in a gradualprocess that is then always interrupted by the sight of new sails threatening on the horizon... Ironically, or perhaps as a necessary psychological preparation for their destiny, nature has given Sicil-ians a sense of great insecurity and a short-sighted sense of resignation: earthquakes, cataclysms anderuptions have often reduced it to ruins over the centuries, burying all that man has made and creat-ed, swallowing up the past and claiming it back for the land that created it all.A metaphor of the similarity between historical and natural events in Sicily is the destiny of its monu-ments and important buildings, which have been restored, demolished, rebuilt over the centuries,according to the whim of men and of nature, an expression of the longstanding lack of sense of iden-tity and continuity. With the annexation of Sicily, Italy undoubtedly acquired the valuable but difficultinheritance of an island suffering from chronic ills, marginal and far off. Indeed, Italy has largely aban-doned Sicily to its destiny, letting it become a slave to that form of violent underground government,that occult and pervasive power, which still today is proving to be the ‘enemy’ of Sicily’s culture anddevelopment, blocking any sign of growth.

Welcome

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Nonetheless, in recent decades there have been enthusiastic moves made by numerous local admin-istrators to start up a process of promoting and protecting the huge historical, artistic and environmen-tal heritage of the island. Indeed, the tourism potential of Sicily is still a long way from being fullyexploited, even though this land has been visited for centuries by famous travellers, who have writtenfamous books and essays on the island, something that has been used recently to create an interest-ing museum in Palazzolo Acreide (Syracuse).Indeed, Sicily gets under your skin with the silence of its temples, the imposing Giant that dominatesit, Mount Etna, or with the colourful noise of its lively markets; with the rugged motionless landscapesof the interior, or with the luxuriant vegetation of the coastline and the mountains; with the deep andvivid blue of its waters and currents, or with the black of its lava stone, which is the base on which thecolourful towns around Etna are built; with the metropolitan atmospheres of Palermo and Catania, orwith the quiet timeless breathing of the handful of islands dotted around like ornamental pearls off thecoast of Messina, Trapani, Agrigento and Palermo…Welcome, then, and please come back again: the Sicilians have inherited from the Greeks the sacredsense of hospitality. So, if you stop them in the street to ask for directions or anything else, they willforget that, like everybody nowadays, they were in a hurry.

HISTORY, MYTHS AND LEGENDS, HOPES AND DISAPPOINTMENTSMan has been present Sicily since prehistoric times, or to be exact since the Upper Palaeolithic andMesolithic periods (9th-8th millennium B.C.), as is testified by the stone instruments and cave draw-ings found inside certain caves. The first stable settlements were rupestrian villages with huts, belonging to the Stentinello civilisation,which grew up mainly in the Syracuse area, but also on Mount Etna and on the Aeolian Islands. Theywere born out of the radical changes in the lifestyle of the populations inhabiting Sicily, caused by thestart up of agriculture (5th millennium B.C.).Sicily was inhabited in ancient times by Sikels, Sicans and Elymians, but “early on” (around the 10th

century B.C.) it was opened up to settlement by Phoenician colonisers and, later on, from 734 B.C.onwards, the Greeks began to arrive, attracted by the ports and fertile soil. The Greeks called theisland Trinacria, from tréis ácra, or ‘with three promontories’, or ‘three apexes’.The Greek colonisation was the distinguishing event in Sicily’s ancient history and, indeed, it was thiscolonisation that brought the island into the historic age. The waves of migration from Greece were an

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organised phenomenon and this explains why the colonial set-tlements founded by the Greeks in the eastern part of Sicilyquickly grew into towns and cities, heavily populated andprosperous. This can be seen from the monuments of thetime and the intense trade activity between Sicily and otherareas of southern Italy, with Carthage and, from the 6th

century B.C., also with Rome.In contrast, the Phoenicians, for example, especial-ly the Carthaginians, who had settled in the westernpart of the island, initially set up towns (Panormo,Solunto and Mozia) which were simply trading poststo begin with: this allowed them to be allied with thenative Elymians, whose main settlements were atSegesta, Erice and Entella.The most important Greek cities were Naxos (735 B.C.), Leontinoi(729 B.C.) and Catana (729 B.C.), founded by ‘pioneers’ fromChalcis, Syracuse, founded by Corinthians (734 B.C. circa),Megara Hyblea, founded by settlers from Megara (728 B.C. accord-ing to Thucydides, 750 B.C. according to Diodorus) and Gela, found-ed by Rhodians and Cretans (689 B.C.). Megara Hyblea and Gela, inturn, created Selinunte (628 B.C. according to Thucydides and 650 B.C. according to Diodorus) andAgrigento (583 B.C.) respectively.In each of these cities the “Sicelioti” (the Sicilian Greeks) built great monuments to show off their powerand prestige, many of which survive in some form to the present day. They had a good eye for beau-ty and were experts at choosing the most strategic sites for their majestic buildings, so that they woulddominate the city and also be highly visible to ships arriving from over the sea: their temples, for exam-ple, were deliberately decorated with stuccoes containing white marble powder, so that they wouldshine brightly in the rays of the sun, so brightly they almost blinded you, their majesty and magnifi-cence acting as a kind of warning of the dangers of attacking them.However, the Greek colonies never achieved any kind of political unity and were, indeed, often at warwith one another, thus encouraging the expansionist ambitions of their enemies. The most importantof these enemies wasCarthage – forever strug-gling against the Greeks forcontrol over the island –which was able to exploitthe situation for a long time,finally succeeding in settingup its own coloniesbetween 408 and 405 B.C.,colonies that became pros-perous cities such as Selin-unte, Himera, Agrigentoand Gela, later partlydestroyed.The rise of Dionysius,tyrant of Syracuse (405B.C.), meant that theGreeks were able to save

• Colonie Greche

• Colonie Elime

• Colonie Fenicio-Puniche

In alto: l’aquila, simbolo dellacittà di Caltagirone. Nella

pagina precedente: l’Isola deiConigli a Lampedusa.

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Sicily from the Carthaginians, who gradually reduced their territory in the west of the island, followinga struggle that lasted almost two hundred years.With the end of the Second Punic War and the conquest by Marcellus (212 B.C.), Sicily became aProvince of the Roman Empire, taking over the dominant role played by Syracuse and playing a fun-damental part in the destruction of Carthage.Many of the monuments built by the Greeks, especially theatres and amphitheatres, were incorporat-ed into Roman style structures, so as to adapt them to the tastes and requirements of the new rulers.Examples of this are the Odeon and Theatre in Taormina and the Odeon in Catania, the first Sicilianbuildings to experience the eternal movement of stones from one construction to another, right up tothe 19th century, built up and then pulled down, as if they were Lego bricks, either at the hands ofman or because of the whims of nature…The new province of Sicily was destined to become a place simply for exploitation and for use as thesource of the grain supply for Rome. The old methods of agricultural organisation were dismantled andthe land was taken over by wealthy landowners. This phenomenon can be seen from the discovery ofgrandiose imperial villas during extensive archaeological excavations in the 20th century, the mostfamous one being the Villa Romana del Casale in Piazza Armerina, dating back to the 3rd century A.D. With the end of the Roman Empire of the West, in 476 A.D., Sicily suffered a series of invasions at thehands of the Barbarians, firstly the Vandals, in 468, and then the Ostrogoths, in 491, until, in 535, Belis-arius conquered the island, leading to a long period of Byzantine domination.This was characterised by the consolidation of the Christian traditions of the island, leading to the con-version of many of the existing holy sites and the construction of new cathedrals and monasteries – inwhich the classical Greek language and tradition were studied and passed on. The long period of peace that started with the Byzantine domination was brusquely interrupted in 827by the arrival of the Arabs in Mazara del Vallo.The Arab conquest of Sicily was long and bloody, but it saw the beginning of a period of religious andcultural tolerance, thanks to which Sicily experienced the establishment a modern cosmopolitan tradi-tion, which was then accepted and revitalised by the Normans, who took control of the island two cen-turies later. This was particularly true of Frederick II of Swabia, son of the last Norman heir, Constance

de Hauteville, a woman of great intelligenceand culture.As well as their culture, the Arabs also broughttheir advanced scientific and technical knowl-edge to Sicily. This was particularly beneficialfor agriculture, which was revived and gainednew crops, including citrus fruits, rice,aubergines, pistachio nuts, jasmine... Tradealso experienced a boom and the port of Paler-mo, capital of the Arab Emirate of Sicily,became a strategic point in the complex tradenetwork of the Arab Empire.Under the Normans and Suevians, as we havebriefly mentioned, there was a period of greatsplendour, in which the Kingdom of Sicily wasat the forefront of cultural development andPalermo was filled with beautiful and sumptu-ous monumental buildings, unlike anywhereelse in the world. The court of Frederick II,known as Stupor Mundi (“Wonder of theWorld”) because of his imposing image ofscholar and lover of the arts, saw the birth ofthe first Sicilian Poetry School, which provided

A fianco: Federico II. Nella pagina successiva: laCattedrale di Palermo.

the first examples of literaturewritten in ‘Italian’, rather thanin Latin and whose membersincluded, apart from Frederickhimself, scholars and poetssuch as Iacopo da Lentini andPier delle Vigne. It must nei-ther be forgotten that, in theperiod of Greek colonisation,Sicily had been the birthplaceof the art of rhetoric (in thecourts) and of the tradition ofmime (in the theatres) andthat, moreover, in the late19th and in the 20th centurythis island produced writers ofthe stature of Pirandello,Verga, De Roberto, Capuana,Vittorini, Tomasi di Lampe-dusa, Brancati, Sciascia,Bufalino… Not to mentionthose, like Martoglio, who‘sacrificed’ the spread of theirfame and fortune, preferringto write their works in Siciliandialect, a magnificent lan-guage that they passionatelyloved and cultivated.With the death of Frederick,Sicily entered a darker period:the Angevins, who succeededthe Suevians, were so quickto spread the bad reputationof the French in governing theisland that Dante, in theDivine Comedy (Paradise,canto VIII), defines it as «illsovereignty». Charles ofAnjou moved the capital ofthe Kingdom to Naples,imposed very heavy taxation and showed a total disregard towards local feelings, provoking thefamous revolt of the Sicilian Vespers, a cruel but fascinating page of Palermo’s history, which led tothe French being expelled from the island. The Kingdom then passed into the hands of the Crown ofAragon and then, in 1415, came under the control of a Spanish viceroy. However, within the rapidlyexpanding Spanish Empire, Sicily was destined to play a very minor role and was once again badlygoverned, while growing popular discontent induced the Spanish to introduce the Holy Inquisition,which operated in Sicily using the same methods and with the same consequences for which it is sadlyremembered elsewhere. In the space of just thirty years, during the 18th century, Sicily came underthe control firstly of the House of Savoy (1713), then the Austrians (1722) and finally the Bourbons(1734), whose style of government once again led to popular discontent and to the Revolution of 1848,which was bloodily suppressed.Finally, Sicily was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy, with Italian Unification in 1860, and in 1946, it wasgranted a special statute, making it an autonomous region.The light that was lit by Frederick II in Sicily, however, is nothing but a distant memory.

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Palermo can certainly be called ‘capital’ of Sici-ly, thanks to its prestigious past, signs of whichcan be seen in its sumptuously magnificentarchitecture, and thanks to its natural and cultur-al beauty. It stretches out across the plateau ofthe Conca d’Oro, hemmed in by the ruggedmountains that surround it and washed by thewaters of the beautiful gulf that is home to themain port of Sicily. The old Greek name for thecity Panormos means “all port” and was widelyused, even though Palermo was never a Greekcolony.The atmosphere created by the streets andarchitectural styles to be seen in the centre ofthis historic city show the traces of the varioushistorical periods it has passed through and thevarious peoples that have dominated it. Theyhave left behind an immensely varied andincomparably fascinating heritage, the emblemof which is the fusion of architectural styles to beseen in the Cathedral Palermo has been home to Sicans, Cretans andElymians, Phoenicians, Carthaginians andRomans. Its ancient names were Sis (“flower”),Ziz, for the Phoenicians, then, as we have said,Panormos, which became Panormus for theRomans and then Balarm for the Arabs.Under the Arab domination, which began in 831,Palermo became one of the most important cen-tres for trade in the Mediter-ranean and in 948, as Sicilywas made an emirate, Paler-mo became its capital. Thisbrought about a change inthe political, economic andcultural order of the city,which took on a new stamp.Indeed, there were aboutthree hundred mosques,numerous luxurious palaces,luxuriant gardens andcrowded markets packedwith precious merchandise,all of which put Palermo on apar with Cordova and Cairoregarding splendour andimportance.The Arab occupation lasteduntil 1072, when the Nor-mans, led by the brothers

Roger (Grand Count of Sicily) and Robert “theGuiscard” de Hauteville, captured the city follow-ing a long siege and made way for a new era,widening their control to the whole of the island.Under Roger II de Hauteville, King of Sicily(1130), Palermo became a centre for Europeanand Asian trade, achieving an incomparablelevel of splendour: in the 12th century the citywas the beautiful capital of the kingdom of Sici-ly, the first unitary state in Italy following the col-lapse of the Roman Empire of the West. Thisperiod saw the building of the Palatine Chapeland Monreale Cathedral, as well as the conver-sion of numerous mosques into churches, start-ing with Palermo Cathedral, then S. Giovannidegli Eremiti, S. Cataldo, S. Maria degliAmmalati, the “Martorana”, to mention but a few.In 1185, the Kingdom of Sicily passed from Nor-man control into the hands of the Swabiandynasty of the Hohenstaufen, following the mar-riage between Constance de Hauteville, daugh-ter of Roger II, and Henry VI of Swabia, thirdchild of Frederick Barbarossa, who was pro-claimed king of Sicily. He was succeeded byFrederick II, a cultured, refined and illuminatedking, who attracted to his court the greatestartists and reformers of the time. Palermobecame the centre of the Empire, which alsoincluded Puglia and other parts of southern Italy

and benefited, along with therest of Sicily, from themajesty of Frederick II,known by the title of StuporMundi (“wonder of theworld”). His reign saw thefoundation of the SicilianPoetic School and the devel-opment of science, medicineand natural history.After Frederick, the Swabi-ans followed a rigid policy ofcentral authoritarian controland the creation of a systemof alliances with the church,which led to the slow andinexorable decline of Paler-mo from 1266 onwards, alsobecause of the forced depar-ture of workers belonging tothe Muslim community, who

Palermo and the Conca d’Oro

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were of strategic importance for the economicstability of the city.Following the victory obtained by Charles ofAnjou over Frederick’s son, Manfredi, in the Bat-tle of Benevento, Palermo fell into French handsand lost most of its autonomy. Misgovernmentby the Angevins took on the shape of an outrightmilitary occupation and gave rise to the SicilianVespers revolt of 1282 and the expulsion of theFrench from Sicily.Under the Aragonese, after a brief spell of pros-perity, Palermo was no longer capital of the king-dom, now centred on Naples, until Sicily wasannexed by Spain in 1415, following a period ofgreat instability.Under the Spanish domination (1415-1713)Palermo became capital again, enjoying a limit-ed degree of autonomy and experiencing urbanrenewal and the building of new monuments,thanks to the power of the aristocracy, changingits layout and appearance. Moreover, the vari-ous religious orders operating in the citybecame more and more powerful and estab-lished a large number of churches and con-vents. In contrast with the wealth and opulenceof the clergy and the nobility, the ordinary peoplesuffered poverty and pestilence, giving rise towidespread rebellions that were often bloodilysuppressed.In the early 18th century Sicily came under thecontrol firstly of the House of Savoy and thenthe Austrians, a short break until Palermo andthe rest of Sicily came back under Spanishdomination, becoming an autonomous state ofthe Bourbon Kingdom of Naples.The revolutions of 1820 and 1848 against theBourbon tyranny were strongly supported bythe people of Palermo,but they were only tem-porary successes andfinal liberation came in1860, when Garibaldientered the city, follow-ing his victory in the Bat-tle of Calatafimi, andtook power in the nameof Victor Emanuel II.Palermo is the largestcity in Sicily for popula-tion and fifth largest inItaly.Since 1947 it has beenthe seat of theautonomous regional

government created after the Second WorldWar and is thus the city in which much of theadministrative, institutional and cultural activityis concentrated.

P ALERMO

In alto: mosaico che raffigura Ruggero II incoronatoda Cristo (XII sec. chiesa della Martorana).

In basso: antica stampa del Bova.

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Cathedral – As we briefly mentioned above, thefascinating image of Palermo Cathedral, symbolof the city since Norman times, shows the histor-ical and cultural changes that the city haspassed through, becoming a synthesis of cen-turies of overlapping architectural styles. In eachera, something was removed, added orchanged, as if there was a need to leave itsmark and guarantee a place in the city’s history.The Cathedral, therefore, is like a living organ-ism, its majestic body showing the signs of con-tinuity and fractures, allowing visitors to take abrief but extraordinary journey through a thou-sand years of history.It was built during the mandate (1169-1190) ofthe English Archbishop Gualtiero Offamilio (Wal-ter of the Mill) and consecrated for worship in1185. The site on which it stands, next to theancient course of the River Papireto, previouslyhosted a Byzantine basilica that was destroyedby the Vandals. It was rebuilt between the 7th

and 9th centuries and transformed by the Arabsinto the principal mosque of Palermo. When theNormans arrived, under Roger II, the mosquewas restored to Christian worship and theChapels of S. Maria Maddalena and e dell’In-coronata were added. It is possible to get an idea of the original layoutonly from old prints and descriptions of the inte-rior of the church. It had the layout of a basilicawith three very long naves covered by woodenceilings; at the eastern end there was a “sanctu-

ary”, characterised by the meeting point of thetransept with the apses, which gave it a T shape,peculiar to Norman buildings. This basilica, likeother Norman churches, was built on only onelevel and without a crypt beneath the choir.Additions and modifications took place in the1300s, 1400s, 1500s and between 1781and1801: a design by the architect FerdinandoFuga changed the layout from a basilica to aLatin cross, added the lateral naves and thewings of the transept, as well as the cupola.Inside, the wooden ceilings were replace byvaults, while pillars replaced the columns, givingthe whole a neoclassical look.The main façade of the Cathedral looks onto ViaMatteo Bonello and still maintains the appear-ance it took on in the 14th and 15th centuries: itis mounted between two high towers with twolancet windows and small columns, animated byblind arches decorated with Islamic style sculpt-ed motifs. A horizontal coping supports thesuperb portal from the same period and in Goth-ic style. Two ogival arches link the façade to thebell-tower that stands opposite it, mediaeval inthe lower part and made harmonious in its styleonly by the addition of the upper part in the1800s.The northern portico dates from the mid-1500s.The front wall of the apses, between the two

In basso e nella pagina a fianco: la Cattedrale diPalermo.

bell-towers, is the most beautiful part of theCathedral and has undergone few alter-ations, appearing almost as it did originallyin Norman times. Its spectacular appear-ance can be fully appreciated fromPiazzetta Sette Angeli.The portal in the southern façade, throughwhich you enter the Cathedral, was createdby the sculptor Antonio Gambara in 1426. Itis in Gothic-Catalan style and is of greatarchitectural importance (note the engrav-ing of a passage from the Koran on the firstcolumn on the left).On the left hand side of the Cathedral is the

gallery, called the Loggia dell’Incoronata,from where newly crowned Kings showedthemselves to the people. The interior of the Cathedral is the result ofthe great conversion works carried outbetween 1781 and 1801. The Gothic-Nor-man architectural layout was replaced by aneoclassical style, designed by Fuga andput into practice by the architects Marvugliaand Attinelli. There is a central nave and two

lateral ones, along which the chapels are tobe found. On the pillars of the central navethere are 18 statues, one for each pillar,clearly from the Gagini school. The Chapel of the Royal Tombs is at theend of the right hand nave of the Cathedral.

In alto: mosaico raffigurante la MadonnaPlatitera. Al centro: sarcofago dell’ImperatriceCostanza, moglie di Enrico VI e madre diFederico II. A fianco: trono regio.

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It houses four sarcophagi, the most impor-tant being that of Frederick II (d. 1250), HolyRoman Emperor, which is the most richlydecorated. However, they are all greatworks of art, made out of red Egyptian por-phyry and protected by canopies. The tombsituated near the entrance is that of HenryVI (d. 1197), Holy Roman Emperor andfather of Frederick II. Behind the tomb ofHenry VI is that of his wife Constance deHauteville (d. 1198), mother of Frederick II.To the right there is a white marble sarcoph-agus with reliefs showing hunting scenes.This contains the remains of Constance II ofAragon (d. 1222), Frederick’s first wife.Behind this tomb is that of Roger II, founderof the Kingdom of Sicily. An urn contains theremains of Peter II of Aragon (d. 1342);against the left hand wall is the sarcopha-gus of William Duke of Athens (d. 1338). The Chapel of Santa Rosalia, patron of thecity, is closed off by brass gates overhungby seven silver lamps. Silver was also usedto make the altar, behind which there is acopper gate (1655) protecting the precioussilver urn in which the remains of the Saintare kept. This urn is considered to be amasterpiece of Sicilian baroque silverware.Passing through a lovely 16th century mar-ble portal by Vincenzo Gagini, you comeinto the Treasury Room, which houses pre-cious objects in gold, vestments, osten-sories, chalices and the beautiful goldentiara that once belonged to Queen Con-stance de Hauteville, decorated with gemsand pearls. In the new sacristy there is a sculpture ofthe Virgin attributed to Antonello Gagini.The crypt probably dates back to the 6th

century and nowadays has two naves withcross vaults supported by perimeter walls

and 14 columns, almost all in Egyptiangranite, surmounted by Corinthian capitals.In the end nave you will notice seven apsid-ioles containing 23 sarcophagi and burialmonuments, including that of Archbishop G.Offamilio (d. 1190), founder of the Cathe-dral. In 1801, in the area of the high altarand across the whole of the central nave, acamera obscura meridian was installed,constituted by a long brass rod inserted intothe floor. The sun dial has the twelve signsof the zodiac, made of multicoloured mar-ble, which are illuminated according to theseason.Another curiosity to be seen in the Cathe-dral is a brass rod reproducing the length ofone ‘hand’, a unit of measurement intro-duced in Sicily in the 1800s.

In alto: la Meridiana.In basso: veduta d’insieme della cripta.

Palazzo dei Normanni and Palatine Chapel –Palazzo dei Normanni, or Palazzo Reale, is oneof the most important monuments in Palermofrom a historical and artistic point of view. It isderived from the restructuring of the ”Qasr” Cas-tle, which the Arabs had built in the 9th centuryon the site of a previous Punic-Roman strong-hold. Roger II, the first Norman king of Sicily,ordered in 1130 that the building should betransformed from an Arab fortress into a sump-tuous palace, while maintaining some of itsdefensive qualities. In 1132 construction of thePalatine Chapel began. Roger’s successorscontinued the transformation of the Palace,increasing its size, adding four towers, connect-ed to one another by walkways, and addingnumerous rooms to host a very cosmopolitancourt, as well as the Mint for the minting of coinsand the Tiraz, the workshop for the production ofhigh quality material. Up to the death of Freder-ick II of Swabia, Emperor of Germany and Kingof Sicily, the Palace was central to the politicaland economic life of the Kingdom and the was acentre of culture and civilisation on a Europeanlevel. It seems that members of the royal familylived in the Pisana and Ioaria (or Gioiaria) Tow-ers, where they whiled away the hours in thecompany of scientists, poets and illustrious men.It should be remembered that Frederick himselffounded the “Sicilian Poetry School” in thePalace. The Astronomical Observatory foundedby Ferdinand IV of Bourbon in 1790 is still situ-ated in the Pisana Tower today. With the decline

of the Swabian dynasty, the Palace lost some ofits importance and until the late 1500s waslargely abandoned and left in decline. In the sec-ond half of the century, under the SpanishViceroys, it was used as a royal residence againand underwent numerous alterations. The twoNorman towers called Chirimbi and Greca weredemolished and two large interior courtyardswere created, the Maqueda and the FontanaCourtyards, around which were positioned theapartments with 16th-17th century furniture anddecorations. Moreover, the present day façade,in 16th century style was created. Restorationwork has brought to light the so called politicalprisons, while in the Pisana Tower the TreasureRoom was discovered, protected by a doubledoor surrounded by parapet walks. Inside enor-mous jars were found, cemented into the floor,each capable of holding extraordinary quantitiesof gold coins. Nowadays the Palazzo dei Nor-manni is the seat of the Sicilian RegionalAssembly, the Parliament of the island createdby the Sicilian Region special statute and whichholds its meetings in the Salone d’Ercole or Saladel Parlamento, decorated in 1799 with frescoesby Velasquez, and belonging to the royal apart-ments.Guy de Maupassant, the famous French writerand tireless traveller, defined the PalatineChapel as an incomparable monument, «themost surprising religious jewel ever dreamt of byman». You enter it from the Maqueda Courtyardof Palazzo dei Normanni, climbing a monumen-

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lampione

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tal staircase. It brings together very different cul-tures (Byzantine, Arab, Norman, Sicilian) in anexhilarating artistic-architectural synthesis. Aswe have said, it was built for Roger II deHauteville in 1130, the year of his coronation. Itwas consecrated in 1143 and dedicated to SaintPeter. The chapel has a basilica layout withthree naves divided by granite columns withgold Corinthian capitals supporting the ogivalarches. The ceilings are the work of Muslimworkmen and cover the three naves of thechapel: the lateral ones jutting out, the centralone with ‘stalactites’’. Mosaics completely occu-py the higher part of the walls, the cupola andthe apses, depicting, with plenty of gold, biblicalevents, the lives of Saints and episodes from thelife of Jesus. Among the most significant expres-sions of the mosaic decoration, created byByzantine artists in the 12th century, in the cupo-la we find Christ Pantocrator, blessing in theGreek manner, surrounded by four archangelsand four angels; in the apses and on the walls ofthe sanctuary we find Episodes from the life ofChrist. On the left side of the apses there is adepiction of the Madonna Hodigitria, while onthe walls of the central nave there are scenesfrom the Bible.Church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti – Thisis one of the most important Norman monu-ments in Palermo, built by Roger II in 1136 onthe site of a previous Gregorian monastery. Ithas a square layout with an austere bell-tower

with single lancet windows, while the summithas domed cubical elements, that can be attrib-uted to Islamic craftsmen. The garden housesthe remains of an Arab cistern and a small clois-

In alto: interno della Cappella Palatina.In basso: San Giovanni degli Eremiti.

Nella pagina precedente: Palazzo dei Normanni.

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ter belonging to the original Benedictinemonastery from the late Norman era.Porta Nuova – This gateway was built in 1583by the Viceroy Colonna to celebrate the victoryof Charles V, the Hapsburg emperor and king ofSicily, against the Turks (Tunis, 1535). It wasconstructed on the site of a previous 15th centu-ry gateway adjacent to Palazzo dei Normanni. Ithas a widely arched double façade in manneris-tic style, equipped with gallery topped by amajolica cusp reproducing an eagle with spreadwings, symbol of the Senate of Palermo.Capuchin Catacombs – The monastery housingthe Capuchin Catacombs was annexed to the

small church of Santa Maria della Pace, theoriginal home of the first members of the Orderto settle in Palermo in 1533. It is famous all overthe world for its catacombs, popular with today’stourists and yesterday’s travellers. In the Cata-combs there are about 8,000 bodies on display,some mummified and others embalmed, mainlymembers of the clergy and nobility of the city,but also from the rich middle classes, includingwomen and children. Visitors may find it all a lit-tle macabre or a good reason to reflect on thefragility of life, or – who knows – feel pity anddisgust for the silence and darkness of the tombthat has been denied to these numerous deadbodies.La Cuba – This mysterious Norman buildingwas built for King William II de Hauteville in1180. Like the Zisa Castle, it is a compact rec-tangular building. There is very little evidence toindicate what its original purpose was. We doknow, however, that in later ages it was used asa lazaretto and then as a barracks for the Span-ish army. Moreover, certain old documentsrecount that it was once surrounded by a luxuri-ant garden and a large artificial lake, calledPescheria.La Zisa Castle – This is one of the most attrac-tive Arab style buildings in Europe. Its namederives from the Arabic al-aziz meaning ‘thesplendid one’. This lovely compact rectangularshaped castle was completed in 1167, built onthe orders of the Norman King William I deHauteville, but planned and constructed by Mus-lim architects and workmen, showing how muchthe Normans admired the Arab world, copyingits lifestyle, ceremonies and customs. The cas-tle is surrounded by a large park with an artificiallake and was the summer residence of the Nor-man royalty, later becoming a fortress and thena home to families belonging to the nobility.

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Inside, on the ground floor, there is a 16th cen-tury arch with an attractive fresco depictingmythological characters, known as “the Zisadevils”. Outside, on the northern side, there is aspa dating from the same period and the originalchapel. This is now home to the Islamic Muse-um. Nearby, you will find the ‘Cantieri Culturalidella Zisa’ housing contemporary art exhibitions,shows, conventions and seminars.Islamic Museum – This is situated inside theZisa Castle, which is the emblem of Islamicarchitecture in Palermo and thus is the ideal

place to house the collection of artefacts testify-ing to the Arab culture in Sicily, dating back tothe period of Arab domination (9th-11th cen-turies) and to the Norman period that followed(11th-12th centuries), when the influence ofIslamic culture in Sicily was still very strong. Thestructure also house works from various coun-tries of the Mediterranean. A Christian stoneinscription in four languages (Hebrew, Latin,Byzantine Greek and Arabic), dating from 1149,bears witness to the multiethnic streak in medi-aeval Palermo.I Quattro Canti, “Teatro del Sole” – PiazzaVigliena is the heart of the historical centre ofPalermo and for centuries it has been known to

the people of Palermo as the “Quattro Canti” oralso, with a colourful expression, “teatro delsole” (‘theatre of the sun’): indeed, the sun isalways visible from the piazza, from dawn tosunset. The piazza is situated at the junction ofthe city’s two main streets: Via VittorioEmanuele and Via Maqueda, which dividePalermo into four parts, called “mandamenti”.The four corners of the piazza are occupied bysumptuous 17th century baroque buildings.They have four floors and are decorated on theground floor by fountains representing the fourrivers of the ancients city (Oreto, Kemonia, Pan-naria, Papireto); there is then a floor on whch

P ALERMO

In alto: La Cuba, La Zisa, uno dei Quattro Canti diPiazza Vigliena. Nella pagina precedente, in alto:particolare del mosaico della fontana del Castello

della Zisa; in basso: Porta Nuova.

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the statues of Aeolus, Venus, Cerere and Bac-chus symbolise the four seasons; the next floorup has the statues of Charles V, Philip II, PhilipIII and Philip IV; finally the top floor has the effi-

gies of the four women saints from Palermo(Agata, Ninfa, Oliva and Cristina), who, beforethe arrival of Saint Rosalia, were the patrons ofthe city.Piazza Pretoria – This piazza is dominated bythe cupolas of the two churches of S. Caterinaand S. Giuseppe dei Teatini and it has a trape-zoid shape. It is of great visual effect, thanks tothe buildings that overlook it and the grandiosecentral fountain, a monumental work by the Flo-rentine sculptor Francesco Camilliani, assistedby Michelangelo Naccherino, dated 1554. How-ever, the fountain only arrived in Palermo in1581, when the original owners sold it to thePalermo Senate. The fountain is decorated byvarious groups of statues of great decorativevalue, depicting pagan divinities, allegoric sym-bols, herms and animal heads. The piazza isoverlooked by attractive buildings, including thePalazzo Senatorio, also known as Palazzodelle Aquile, built in 1463 but altered many timesup to 1823. It is now the City Hall. Above theclassical style portal there is a marble eagle andto the left a bell that used to announce the meet-ings of the Senate; the Church of S. Caterina isannexed to a huge Dominican monastery, builtbetween 1580 and 1596 in late renaissancestyle with a rich portal from the Gagini school, a

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large cloister from the same period and a mag-nificent cupola; the Church of S. Giuseppe deiTeatini, which overlooks the piazza from theside, was built in 1612-1645, with the lovelycanopy of the cupola decorated in multicolouredmajolica, the work of Giuseppe Mariani, and anattractive interior with a Latin cross layout,adorned with frescoes, stuccoes and statues.Church of S. Maria dell’Ammiraglio or “Mar-torana” – Built for Admiral Giorgio of Antioch in1143 and incorporated three centuries later intothe adjacent Benedictine convent founded byEloisa Martorana, it is in Norman style, thoughsimilar to Byzantine churches because of itsquadrangular structure. It now has a singularlook: having undergone numerous alterationsover the centuries, you are struck by the mixtureof Norman architectural elements and baroquestyle structures, such as the façade, dating fromthe late 16th century. It has a sumptuous bell-tower with two lancet windows, small columnsand inlaid sides. Its interior walls are decoratedin gold and marble slates, as well as amazinglybeautiful and well preserved mosaics, whichalong with those in the Palatine Chapel are theoldest and most prestigious example of the Sicil-ian mosaic cycle.

Church of S. Cataldo – It is situated opposite theMartorana. This church also dates from the Nor-man period and it maintains its original shape,interior, mosaic floor and the etchings on the altar.It is the seat of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre.

cielo

P ALERMO

In alto e a fianco: S. Cataldo e la Martorana.Nella pagina precedente: la “Fontana della

Vergogna” in Piazza Pretoria.

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Botanical Gardens – These lovely gardenswere laid out in the late 18th century and areone of the largest and most important botanicalgardens in Europe. They cover an area of about11 hectares and are home to over 12,000 plants(water-plants, textile plants, medicinal plants,carnivorous plants…) from all over the world,many of which are rare and valuable. Some ofthe most interesting are the giant specimens ofFicus Magnolioides, which have always attract-ed the attention of botanists and researchers.Church of Gesù – Also known as ‘Casa Profes-sa’, this is one of the most important baroque

churches in Palermo and in the whole of Sicily;it was the first church built by the Jesuits, whoarrived in the city in 1549 and started work onthe church in the late 1500s. the interior wallsare covered with multi-coloured inlays, marbledecorations and stuccoes in relief with sculp-tures and paintings. The mixed marble decora-tion with floral or figurative motifs is particularlyinteresting. The most spectacular part of thebuilding is the gallery of the apse, decoratedwith the Adoration of the Shepherds and theAdoration of the Magi, marble bas-reliefs creat-ed according to models by Giacomo Serpotta.Of particular interest is the concert organ, withfour keyboards and more than 4,000 pipes. Thechurch is the scene of one part of the famousnovel The Leopard, by Giuseppe Tomasi diLampedusa.Palazzo Steri or Chiaramonte - PalazzoChiaramonte belonged to one of the most pow-erful families in Palermo in the 1300s (it is alsocalled Palazzo Steri from hosterium, or fortifiedbuilding). Building started under ManfrediChiaramonte in 1307 and was completed in1380. In front of the Palazzo, in 1396, the last ofthe Chiaramonte dynasty, Andrea, was decapi-tated for rebelling against the Aragonese King.From the 1400s onwards Palazzo Steri becamethe seat of the Spanish Viceroys and from the1600s it housed the Court of the Inquisition. It isstill possible today to visit the prisons of thePalazzo, where you can see drawings, pictures,etchings and writings by victims of the Inquisi-tion. In a hall of the Palazzo you can view afamous painting, La Vucciria (1974), by the wellknown local artist Renato Guttuso.Porta Felice – This gateway was constructed in1582 on the orders of the Spanish Viceroy Mar-cantonio Colonna and is named after his wife,Lady Felice Orsini. It is in a symmetrically oppo-site position to Porta Nuova and is constitutedby two monumental pillars standing on the sideof the Marina.Church of S. Maria della Catena – So calledbecause of a chain with which the ancient gateto the city was closed. Built in the early 16th cen-tury, it is a magnificent example of the Gothic-Catalan style with the insertion of Renaissancetype elements. It is worth noting the bas-reliefsbelow the portico by Vincenzo Gagini, who wasalso responsible for the lovely portal.

In alto: “La Vucciria” di Renato Guttuso.A fianco: Villa Giulia, il Genio di Palermo.

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Sicilian Regional Gallery – The Gallerywas set up after the Second World War andhouses the mediaeval and modern sectionof the Archaeological Museum. It is locatedin Palazzo Abatellis, built by Matteo Carneli-vari in the years 1490-1495, which is one ofthe best examples of Gothic-Catalan and

Renaissance architecture in Sicily. The lay-out of the Gallery was designed by theVenetian architect Carlo Scarpa and the dis-plays include paintings and sculptures cov-ering the period from the 11th to the 18th

century, most of which were collectedtogether in the 1800s. The masterpiecesinclude the Bust of Eleonora d’Aragona, byFrancesco Laurana (1430-1502), a 50 cmmarble sculpture, representing a perfectexpression of feminine beauty; the veryfamous Annunziata (1476), by Antonelloda Messina, who introduced Flemish styleoil painting to Italy; the Triumph of Death,dating from the15th century, inwhich death isdepicted accordingto the mediaevalconception, anevent that frightensthe young, shootsmortal arrowsagainst priests andbishops, butspares the poorand the sick. Also worthy of noteare the Arab wood-en etchings, theHispanic-Moorishceramics from the13th-16th century,the wood and mar-ble fragments, the sculptures by Gagini andthe frescoes.“Antonino Salinas” Regional Archaeo-logical Museum – This museum is locatedin the centre of Palermo, in the ex-monastery of the Philippine Friars of theOlivella and houses a large quantity ofobjects from all over Sicily, including outlyingislands, archaeological artefacts of Etr-uscan, Phoenician, Greek and Roman ori-gin, which document Sicilian art from prehis-toric times up to the late Roman era. On theground floor there is a large hall dedicated tothe archaeological site of Selinunte, with a

Dall’alto: l’“Annunziata” di Antonello daMessina; “Ritratto di Giovinetto” del Gagini; il

“Tritone” del Museo Archeologico AntoninoSalinas.

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marvellous collection of monumental metopefrom the large temples and the famous Ephebus,a bronze statue from the 5th century B.C.On the first floor, on the other hand, you can seethe Ram of Syracuse from the 3rd century B.C.and Hercules killing a deer from Pompeii. [Themuseum has been temporarily closed since 13July last year!!!]International Marionette Museum – Thismuseum was founded in 1975 by the Associa-tion for the preservation of popular traditions andis an integral part of Sicilian culture. It houses themost important and comprehensive collection ofmarionettes in the world, together with thescenery and equipment needed to put on tradi-tional performances. The collection includesabout 3,500 puppets, marionettes and glovepuppets, all hand made according to the ancienttechniques used by craftsmen.Church of Santa Maria dello Spasimo – Situ-ated in the Kalsa district, this church has a histo-ry in which the religious and the secular mixtogether: created thanks to aprivate donation,the building was left unfinished for a long timeuntil, thanks to a papal concession, in 1582 itbecame a ‘theatre’. It later became a lazaretto,food warehouse, dormitory for the poor and hos-pital. It fell into decay over the years and endedup in very precarious conditions. In 1995, how-ever, it was restored and the Spasimo, as thismonumental complex is commonly called, nowhosts cultural events, theatre and musical per-formances. At the Prado Museum in Madridthere is a canvas by Raffaello Sanzio “Lo spasi-mo di Sicilia”, which depicts the dismay of Maryas Christ collapses under the weight of thecross, commissioned by the original donor of theland on which the church was built and then

given to King Philip V as a gift from a SpanishViceroy.Church of the Magione – Also known as theChurch of the Santissima Trinità, it was foundedin 1191 by Matteo d’Ajello, chancellor of the Nor-man Kingdom, and in 1197 it was passed on tothe order of the Teutonic Knights, becoming theseat of their “mansio”, or preceptor (hence thename). On the outside the church has a varietyof decorative motifs. The entrance is precededby a baroque portal and by an avenue runningbetween two gardens. The interior has a basilicalayout with three naves. Next to the church thereis a cloister, which was damaged by the bomb-ing in the Second World War, where you can seethe remains of an Arab tower. Through a door-way to the left of the façade you enter the chapelof Santa Cecilia, with a large fresco of the Cruci-fixion, a fragment of a 13th century fresco andthe sinopia in red ochre of the Crucifixion.La Vucciria Market – A visit to the Vucciria Mar-ket gives you a glimpse of the pulsating every-day life of Palermo. It is situated between ViaRoma and Corso Vittorio Emanuele. The Vuc-ciria is such a characteristic and picturesqueplace, with its mixture of typical Sicilian smells,colours and tastes, that it inspired Renato Gut-tuso to paint a famous picture, now housed inPalazzo Steri.Church of San Francesco d’Assisi – Thechurch is part of a convent complex built in a dis-trict of wealthy merchants and artisans. It wasconstructed between 1255 and 1277 and alteredmany times later on. It was seriously damagedby bombing in the last war but was restored andnow looks as splendid as it did in the 13th centu-ry. The façade is in late Romanic style and hasan attractive Gothic portal surmounted by a love-

ly rose window. The interior has threenaves, with wide Gothic arches and atrussed ceiling. In the central nave thereare ten allegorical statues by GiacomoSerpotta (1723), representing the Francis-can virtues. In the right hand nave, youcan admire a magnificent Renaissancearch and some side chapels. In the apsesyou will see the sumptuous Chapel of theImmacolata, inlaid with multicolouredmarble, the pleasant wooden choir andthe Chapel of San Francesco. The portal

A fianco: il Teatro Politeama Garibaldi.Nella pagina a fianco: il Teatro Massimo“Vittorio Emanuele”.

of the Mastrantonio Chapel, by Francesco Lau-rana, is a real jewel. Also of great interest is theTreasure, full of 16th century canvases andwooden statues. The church also houses aninteresting fresco by Novelli, transported ontocanvas, Saint Francis and two Saints, as well asworks by Gagini.Church of S. Giovanni dei Lebbrosi – This isone of the oldest churches from the Normanperiod and was the first in Palermo to have thattypical rounded cupola shape. Founded in 1071,Arab workmen were used for its construction,something that became normal practice underthe Normans and the Swabians. The name ofthe church derives from the fact that, in 1150, ithoused a leprorsarium. It is surrounded by alovely garden with palm trees, to the right ofwhich there are some ruins of a previous Arabconstruction, the Castle of Yahia. Legend has itthat the Norman conquerors built the church onthis site immediately after they had captured theCastle.“Vittorio Emanuele” Massimo Theatre – It is inclear neoclassical style and is the largest theatrein Palermo and, covering an area of almost8.000 sq. m, it is also the largest in Italy and thethird largest in Europe, with seating for up to3,200 spectators and equipped with perfectacoustics. It came into being in 1875, with adesign by Giovanni Basile, who followed thebuilding work until his death, after which it wascompleted by his son Ernesto until completion in

1897. The design includes elements fromancient theatres and from Roman public build-ings, such as temples, basilicas and spas. Theresult is one of architectural harmony and com-posure. It is decorated with the masterpieces ofthe numerous artists who created paintings andsculptures to be housed here. The interior has asplendid auditorium of 450 sq. m, in a horseshoeshape and a gallery with five levels of boxes.After several years of closure and neglect, it isnow open to the public again.Garibaldi Politeama Theatre – Designed byGiuseppe Damiani Almeyda between 1867 and1874. It has a circular structure in neoclassicalstyle, with a double order of Doric and Ionic stylecolumns. The façade has an advanced front thatforms a triumphal arch, crowned by a bronzehaut-relief by Mario Rutelli.Church of San Domenico – This is one of themost beautiful examples of Palermo Baroque. Itwas built in 1640 on the site of a pre-existing14th century building and decorated with thepresent day façade, with overlapping columnsand statues, when the piazza of the same namewas created in 1724-26. The interior houses thetombs of numerous famous Sicilians (but alsothe remains of Francesco Crispi) and numerousinteresting paintings and sculptures. To the left ofthe façade there is access to the 14th centurycloister, where, in the 15th century, the first Uni-versity of Palermo was housed and which cur-rently houses, also in the adjacent premises, the

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Society of National History, a library and theMuseum of the Risorgimento.Church and Oratorio of Santa Cita – Built in1369, it was reconstructed in 1586-1603. theinterior contains paintings and sculptures by A.Gagini, F. Paladino and G. Vitaliano. Below thechurch is the Crypt of the Lanza family, whereyou can admire a beautiful marble sculpturedepicting the Pietà, attributed to Giorgio daMilano, and lovely marble works. Next to thechurch stands the Oratorio, famous for the stuc-coes by Giacomo Serpotta.La Favorita Royal Estate and PalazzinaCinese – when the French army occupiedNaples in 1798, Ferdinand, King of the TwoSicilies, fled to Palermo, where he used theFavorita park as his hunting reserve, in the sameway as he used the one at his Palace in Portici,near Naples. He soon had a residence built inthe park, the Palazzina Cinese, constructed onthe foundations of a pre-existing building, andcreated a neoclassical style garden around it. Itcan still be admired for its uniqueness, an unusu-al mixture of neoclassical, Chinese and Gothicarchitectural styles. The various rooms containfrescoes by Giuseppe Patania, Vincenzo Rioloand Giuseppe Velasquez, as well as attractivecollections of English and Chinese prints, silksand antique furniture. On the altar of the royal

chapel there is a large late 18th century paintingdepicting the Madonna della Lettera.Since 1909 the premises adjacent to the Palazz-ina Cinese have been home to the SicilianEthnographic Museum, one of the most inter-esting of its kind in Europe. It is named afterGiuseppe Pitrè, the local ethnologist who found-ed it. The museum houses a rich and varied col-lection of objects reflecting the lifestyle, habitsand customs of the Sicilian people.Nowadays in the Favorita Park you can findsports facilities, as well as parkland, and it formspart of the Monte Pellegrino Nature Reserve.Monte Pellegrino and Sanctuary of SantaRosalia – The Gulf of Palermo is bordered to thenorth by Monte Pellegrino, a natural ‘wing’ form-ing a spectacular backdrop, which was notmissed by Goethe, who called it «the most beau-tiful promontory in the world»). The mountain isdotted with caves that are of great archaeologi-cal, geological and speleological interest.Moreover, the Patron Saint of Palermo, Rosalia(ca. 1130-1166), spent most of her life as a her-mit on Monte Pellegrino. She was born into thenobility but her family fell into disgrace and lostall their worldly goods. Saint Rosalia is attributedwith the miracle of ending the plague that wasafflicting the city in 1625: after an apparition ofthe Saint, her remains were found in a cave onMonte Pellegrino and were brought into the city,bringing an immediate end to the plague. Thisevent is celebrated on the 4th September with acharming procession and numerous peoplemake the pilgrimage to the cave and the adja-cent Sanctuary, built in the 17th century.

In alto: stucchi all’interno dell’Oratorio di Santa Cita.A fianco: la statua di Santa Rosalia.

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Mondello is a lively residential and tourist area,as well as a seaside location popular with thepeople of Palermo. It has an attractive bay bor-dered by Monte Pellegrino and Monte Gallo.The old fishing village used to stand on thenorthern side of the bay, around the tuna plant,of which two 15th century cylindrical watchtow-ers remain. One is enveloped by the town, theother is situated on the extreme rocky westerntip of the bay.Up to the 1800s it was surrounded by marsh-land, but these areas were drained in the early1900s and the Belgian company that had beengranted rights over them created a garden city.Thus, wealthy Palermo families soon used thisland to build attractive liberty style villas, suchas Villa Dagnino and Villa Pojero, and, in 1912,the Stabilimento Balneare (Kursaal al mare)was opened.

In the sides of Monte Pellegrino, between 150and 75 metres above sea level, there are cavescalled the Grotte dell’Addaura, inside of whicharchaeological material and drawings of humanfigures in naturalistic style from the UpperPalaeolithic have been found. Some of thecaves are of great interest for cavers.A trip around Capo Gallo by boat allows you tosee the intense activity of the geological phe-nomenon called the “solco del battente”: thecrashing waves have created a hollow in therock, which has then emerged from the waterbecause of the effect of coastal rising. Alsoalong the coastline, you can visit, among oth-ers, the “Grotta del Malpasso”, which hasplenty of stalactites.

La spiaggia di Mondello

Mondello e la sua spiaggia.

Just 8 kilometres from Palermo, stretched out onthe hills of the Conca d’Oro, stands the town ofMonreale, popular with tourists for the beauty ofits views but, above all, for its lavish and famousCathedral, a masterpiece of Norman architecturecontaining elements of Arab, Byzantine andRomanic culture, all coming together to create anincredible feeling of amazement and wonder thatvisitors experience when they find themselves inthe presence of such astounding beauty. It wasbuilt for William II in 1174, who incorporated it intoa huge complex that included the Benedictineabbey, the archbishop’s palace and the royalpalace, in order to emulate the two largest Nor-man constructions built for his grandfather, RogerII: the Palatine Chapel and Cefalù Cathedral. Hewas motivated not just by his strong desire toenter the history books, but also by his fervidCatholic faith, which he wanted to show off withthis majestic building.According to legend, the Sovereign fell asleepbeneath a carob tree and in a dream the Madon-na appeared to him, suggesting that he dugbeneath the tree to extract treasure that wasburied there and that he used it to build a churchdedicated to her. Uprooting the tree, he found thetreasure and thus set himself the task of fulfillingthe wishes of the Madonna…The façade of the Cathedral is encompassedbetween two high square towers; the one to theleft is unfinished, while the one to the right has

several concave floors. The higher part of thefaçade is decorated with the classic Arab orna-mental motif, consisting of entwined arches madeout of limestone and lava stone, with a largepointed arch window in the centre; in the lowerpart there is an 18th century portico with threearchways supported by Doric columns andtopped by a marble balustrade. Inside the portico,there is a beautiful portal decorated with carvingsand mosaics. The bronze doors are the work ofBonanno Pisano and are divided into 42 panelsdepicting biblical scenes. Along the left hand sideof the building there is an elegant portico oncolumns by Gian Domenico and Fazio Gagini,from which a doorway leads into the Cathedral.The bronze door is by Barisano da Trani and has28 panels in bas-relief depicting figures of saints.The interior of the Cathedral has a basilica layout

Monreale

In basso: veduta aerea di Monreale.Nella pagina a fianco: interno della Cattedrale.

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with three naves into which the Byzantine stylecross is inserted, with a square layout, withoutcupola and with three apses (m 102 x 40). Thethree naves are divided by 18 ancient columns,which support ogive arches in Arab style. Theoriginal floor mosaic has geometrical patterns, ingranite and porphyry, and was completed in the16th century.The walls of the naves, of the sanctuary, of theapses and of the transept are all covered bymosaics with a gold background, dating from the12th to the mid-13th century, the work of localcraftsmen of the Byzantine school and Venetiancraftsmen. The mosaics cover an area of morethan 6,000 square metres and depict episodesfrom the Old and New Testaments.On the right hand side of the sanctuary lie theremains of William I, kept in a porphyry sarcoph-agus, and those of William II, in a marble sar-cophagus.The Benedictine Chapel (1569) is a lovely exam-ple of Sicilian baroque and is completely coveredby attractive inlays and marble reliefs, the work ofGiovanni Marino. On the altar is the Glory of SaintBenedict by Ignazio Marabitti.The high altar is a refined 18th century piece ofwork by the Rome silversmith Luigi Valadier. It ismade from porphyry with decorations in bronzeand silver. Close by are the marble tombs of Mar-garet of Navarra, Roger and Henry, the wife andsons of William I.

Further on, a beautiful marble portal with inlaysand bronze fretworked doors gives you access tothe Chapel of the SS. Crocifisso, a real baroquejewel, richly decorated with multicoloured inlaysof Sicilian hardstones, built to house the 15th

century wooden Crucifix of the Sicilian-Catalanschool, which stands on the altar. The lateralniches of the transept hold marble statues ofFaith and Hope.From the Chapel of the SS. Crocifisso you canenter the Treasury of the Cathedral, which hous-es, among other things, vestments and churchplate of French origin, a 13th century enamelledcopper drawer and various reliquaries, one ofwhich was donated by Philip III of Spain.Next to the high altar is a large organ, with fivekeyboards, a 20th century work by the RuffattiBrothers of Padua.At the start of the right hand nave there is accessto the Terraces of the Cathedral, from where youcan enjoy a marvellous view over the Cloister,Monreale and the Conca d’Oro.The very famous Cloister of Monreale is situatedto the right of the Cathedral, in the Benedictineabbey dating from the same period, which under-went numerous alterations up to the end of the14th century. It is an authentic colourful architec-tural masterpiece, measuring 47 m x 47 m.Around the perimeter there are 228 twin columns,all richly decorated, many with mosaic inlays, oth-ers in arabesque, the work of Byzantine and

Islamic craftsmen. The plinths above are adornedwith acanthus. The capitals are decorated withfigures and depictions of biblical scenes and sup-port Arab style ogival arches.In the southern corner there is a square enclo-sure surrounded on each side by three arches,called the “Chiostrino”, in the centre of whichstands a small Arab style fountain with a trunksimilar to that of a stylized palm tree, on top ofwhich there is a bud depicting twelve figuresdancing or playing instruments. Above these, acircle of twelve lions’ heads pours water into thebasin below.

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In questa pagina: il Chiostro di Monreale.Nella pagina precedente: piazza della Cattedrale.

il chiostro

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The coastline of the province of Palermo is char-acterised by the lovely effect of mountains androcky promontories sloping right down to the seaand sometimes looming over the beaches,unsure whether they are protecting or threaten-ing them… This is also the case in Cefalù, a wellknown destination in the province, which wasmade beautiful by nature and further enhancedby the work of man. It is dominated by its Rock,which is the element for which it is most famous,a sort of backdrop that has become inseparablefrom the image of this town. It is probably for thisreason that the ancient name of the town wasKephaloídion, from Kephalis, or “head”, in refer-ence to the shape of the Rock.Historical sources make no mention of the datein which the town was founded or the identity ofthe first humans to live on the site of the presentday town. However, the first settlement probablygrew up at the foot of the Rock, where the medi-aeval town centre later developed. It was proba-bly a Phoenician trading post, a hypothesis sup-ported by numerous experts, although some nowbelieve that Cefalù was originally a native settle-ment that prospered under the control of Greeks

and Phoenicians, who alternated in theirsupremacy along this coastline from the 5th cen-tury B.C. onwards.As regards historical sources, the town is men-tioned for the first time by Diodorus Siculus, whorecounts that in 396 B.C. the Carthaginian Gen-eral Imilcone allied himself with the inhabitants ofKephaloídion. In 307 B.C. it wa captured usingsubterfuge by Dyonisius of Syracuse. In 254B.C. it became part of the Roman domain withthe name of Cephaloedium. Under the Byzantinedomination, the slow decline of the town began,caused by the moving of the centre onto theRock, for security reasons. Indeed, recentlyremains in clear upper mediaeval style (embat-tled walls, water tanks, small churches) havebeen found in this area. Under the Arabs, thetown took on the name of Gafludi.During the period of Norman rule under Roger II,the first King of Sicily, Cefalù experienced theheight of its splendour. The Sovereign founded abishopric here, granting it huge areas of proper-ty, including the town and the castle.In 1131 Roger had the Cathedral built in Cefalù:superb and gentle, imposing and slender, itstands out against the blue sky with its two tow-ers, almost as if trying to catch the clouds, whileeverything beneath it, at the bottom of the longstairway, seems to have surrendered to its dom-

Cefalù

31

ination. This is one of the very first masterpiecesof Norman architecture in Sicily and its splendouris down to the fusion of various different ele-ments: the genius and originality of the architectsand the Islamic craftsmen, the refined Byzantinetaste in painting and mosaics, the influence ofNorman culture and architecture. The paintingson the ceiling are particularly interesting as theydepict the Islamic heaven (1148).The Cathedral was also conceived as the mau-soleum for Roger, but the decline and decay ofthe building following his death convinced Fred-erick II to move the Norman King’s porphyry sar-cophagus to Palermo in 1215.A few years later, in 1240, restoration work wasstarted and this included numerous modifica-tions to the original structure, also in terms ofstyle, the most evident ones being the loweringof the wooden ceiling of the main nave, which isnow trussed, and the partial rotation of thetransept. The parvis of the Cathedral is an oldpublic cemetery and was laid down using “holy”earth, brought here from Jerusalem. The façadeis the work of the architect Panittera (1240) andthe attractive portal is by Ambrogio da Como(1473). Inside, you will be impressed by theByzantine style mosaic that dominates the bowlof the apse, depicting Christ Pantocrator, on agolden background, blessing with just three fin-gers of his right hand, according to the Greekrites.The magnificence of the decorations and the

brightness of the mosaics – which also cover thewalls of the presbytery and the vault – is in starkcontrast with the austere grey stone floor. In theapse, it is worth admiring the large double-front-ed Wooden cross, painted in the 15th century byGuglielmo da Pesaro.

In alto: la Cattedrale normanna domina il centrostorico di Cefalù. In basso: la Cattedrale.

Nella pagina precedente: veduta aerea dell’abitato edella rocca.

C EFALU’

32

Also of interest are the Romanic Baptismal Fontin the right hand nave, the Baroque stuccoes(1650) in the central nave by Scipione Livolsiwith paintings by Ignazio Bongiovanni and aMadonna with Child, attributed to AntonelloGagini, near the entrance in the left hand nave.The two lateral naves house interesting Monu-mental tombs of members of the nobility and theclergy. Along the lefthand side of thetransept you can visitthe Chapel of the Sacra-ment, completely deco-rated in silver, with analtar (1764-1779) creat-ed by the Palermo sil-versmiths Gregorio Bal-samo, Giovanni Rossiand Giuseppe Russo. The interior of this mar-vellous Cathedral andthe works of art housedhere are furtherenhanced by the light,which filters in throughthe splendid stainedglass windows createdby Michele Canzoneri in1990, creating an unfor-gettable and touchingatmosphere.

From the northern nave of the Cathedral you cangain access to the Cloister, decorated by twincolumns surmounted by carved capitals. Unfor-tunately, little remains today of the original struc-ture, above all because of a fire that destroyedthe eastern wing. You can, however, still seesome of the original capitals: the tenth (withepisodes from the Bible) and the fourteenth

(which depicts Noah’sArk) in the southernwing and the fourth (withdepictions of animals) inthe western wing.The MandraliscaMuseum includes a var-ied library and collec-tions regarding malacol-ogy, ornithology andnumismatics; besides,there are archaeologicalartefacts from the sur-rounding area and fromLipari and an interestingart gallery with worksdating back to the 15th-18th centuries, includingthe famous Portrait ofan unknown person byAntonello da Messina. Along the road leadingto the Rock of Cefalù

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you will see numerous ruins of old buildings, tes-tifying to the important strategic role that thisplace has had over the centuries: guardhouses,fortifications, embattled walls, warehouses,remains of houses, water tanks and ovens canall be seen as you pass by, until you reach anarea of level ground overlooking Cefalù and theso called Temple of Diana. This elegant mega-lithic sanctuary was built in the 9th century B.C.,but during the Greek period another constructionwas placed on top of it, later transformed into aByzanine church. Jean Houël, the famous 18th

century traveller and engraver, painted somefamous watercolours of this building when hevisited it. It is a polygonal structure, surroundedby imposing walls made of large stone blocks; ithas two rooms and a corridor and the onlyentrance has a finely moulded lintel. There is alarge water tank next to the sanctuary, coveredby eight large slabs of stone and fed by a watersource; material from the Bronze Age has beenfound here. Some believe that this building isconnected to the “worship of water”, very wide-

spread in Sicily three thousand years ago.Cefalù Castle stood overlooking the Tyrrheniancoast and dominated the landscape, providingon of the most important reference points forthose sailing between Palermo and Messina.The castle is located on the southern side of theupper defensive walls. The lower parts of theperimeter walls and of the interior dividing wallsare still standing. The layout of the castle was anirregular pentagonal shape with a massive quad-rangular tower sticking out on the eastern side,opposite the entrance. Another tower can beidentified on the northern side. Inside, about tenrooms have been identified laid out to the northand south respectively of a sort of narrow court-yard or passageway, running in an east-westdirection.On the eastern side of the Rock the oldest tracesof prehistoric life in this area have been found inthe caves known as the Grotte “delle Colombe”and “delle Giumente”, as well as other materialfrom the Graeco-Roman age, which testifies tohuman presence here in later eras as well.

In the streets of this town you still breathe the airof its past as capital of the earldom and then themarchioness of Geraci. The Ventimiglia Castle,with the lavish chapel of S. Anna, the gateways,the old parish church and the houses of the noble-men who wanted to live near the Count’s court, allgive Castelbuono a rather austere look. The cen-tre of the town is adorned with several fountains,including the central piazza, where a 16th centuryfountain stands in front of the elegant portico of

the old parish church. In recent times this town inthe Madonie mountains has also become a placewhere wealthy people from Palermo come forweekend retreats. This can be seen from thetourist facilities that have been around for severaldecades now. It is worth visiting the Nature Muse-um, named after the local scholar Minà Palumbo(open every day, except Mondays, only in themorning). Castelbuono is an ideal base for excur-sions up to the massif of the Carbonara, thanks tothe road that climbs up from 420 metres abovesea level in the town to 1,300 metres above sealevel at the Crispi mountain hut on Piano Sempria,passing through the shady wood of S. Guglielmo.

Castelbuono

34

Bagheria is the birthplace of Renato Guttusoand is surrounded by orchards and groves of cit-rus fruit, medlars and olives. Thanks to itsfavourable climatic conditions, from the 17th

century onwards it became a place for wealthyPalermo families to spend the summer. Thesefamilies built lovely baroque residences, includ-ing Villa Butera, the oldest, and Villa Gravina diValguarnera, built in 1721, in a more sober stylewith hints of Renaissance and with a façadeadorned with sculptures by Ignazio Marabitti.However, the most famous building in Bagheria,dating back to 1715, is Villa Gravina di Palag-onia, designed by Tommaso Maria Napoli forFerdinando Francesco Gravina, Prince ofPalagonia and magistrate of Palermo. His pecu-liar ornamental figures, grotesque and mon-strous, partly fascinating and partly unsettling,have made this villa famous and continue toinspire the fantasy of other artists… It waspraised by the famous poet Giovanni Meli.Villa Bonanni di Cattolica, built in 1736, ishome to the “Renato Guttuso” Gallery of Modernand Contemporary Art, with works donated to

the artist, who is also buried here.Villa Naselli d’Aragona Cutò, built in the early1700s, it houses the “F. Scaduto” MunicipalLibrary, with over 10,000 books, relics from theera of Garibaldi, 18th century arms and liveries,and the “Pietro Piraino” Museum of Toys andWaxworks, with around 600 toys (18th-20th cen-turies) and about sixty waxworks.

Bagheria

In alto: figura ornamentale di Villa Gravina diPalagonia. In basso: Villa Bonanni di Cattolica.

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Modern day Sòlunto stands on the slopes ofMonte Catalfano. It was once known as Soloeisor Solus and according to Thucydides, who wasthe first to mention it, it was one of the Phoeni-cian cities, along with Palermo and Mozia,already in existence in Sicily when the Greekcolonists arrived here. It was founded in the 4th

century B.C., but it is believed that an older cityof the same name probably existed somewherenearby, although its exact position has not beendiscovered and is the subject of controversialdebate. The discovery of two Punic sarcophagi(now housed in the Regional Museum in Paler-mo), in the nearby locality of Pizzo Cannito, hadled to the hypothesis that this was the site of theoriginal Solunto, but now there is too much con-flicting evidence and no further light has beenshed on the matter.We know that the Phoenician city was capturedby subterfuge by Dionysius the Elder, tyrant ofSyracuse, in 396 B.C. and conquered by theRomans in 250 B.C. At the end of the 2nd cen-tury A.D., it was voluntarily abandoned by itspopulation and was then completely destroyedby the Saracens.The digs undertaken to bring this ancient civili-sation to light began in 1826 being interrupted

and started up again several times and they arestill in progress. Of the remains so far uncov-ered, most belong to the Hellenistic and Romanperiods. The city seems to have a regular lay-out, made up of a series of orthogonal intersec-tions, which forms blocks of houses with narrowpassages between them to allow for drainage ofrainwater. The remains of the houses haveplastered or even painted walls, fragments ofwhich are housed in the Regional Museum inPalermo. The main street is paved in terracotta,while the other streets are cobbled. Theabsence of a water source in the city must bethe reason for the presence of so many watertanks, along with a complex system for the col-lection of water.In the Antiquarium you can see artefacts foundduring the digs, as well as maps showing thevarious aspects of the old city. The Gymnasiumis, in reality, a house from the Roman Hellenis-tic period with an atrium and peristyle with Doriccolumns. The House of Leda, a residence dat-ing from the same period, derives its name fromthe presence of a depiction of the myth Ledawith the swan on the wall of one of the rooms.The Roman Hellenistic Theatre survives only inthe form of the terraces, while the small buildingnext to it, probably an Odeon or bouleuterion isin a good state of repair.

Sòlunto

In alto: il Ginnasio.

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This is geologically the oldest among the islandsdotted around the coast of Sicily. Ustica is situat-ed in the Tyrrhenian Sea, 36 miles from Palermo,and is known as the Black pearl of the Mediter-ranean. Indeed, it is of volcanic origin, havingemerged from the sea about a million years ago,bursting forth like a fiery flower from a deep frac-ture that opened up in the seabed. It is, there-fore, the summit of a vey large marine volcanoand it bears the signs of this volcanic activity,along with those left by the wind and the waves,which have shaped its coastline creating spec-tacular ravines and caves.The island is famous around the world for itspopularity with sailors and divers, who are fasci-nated by the extraordinary biodiversity of themarine species living in these waters, by the infi-nite combinations of underwater colours thatdazzle you and take your breath like mirages.Ustica is also a ‘terrestrial paradise’, a place inwhich you can find yourself, breathing in and lis-tening to nature, something that is sadly difficultto do nowadays, as human ‘progress’ is indiffer-ent to nature, hiding and silencing it, followingour yearning for new technologies.The history of the island is varied and fascinat-ing, though characterised by strong elements ofcontrast and by the whims of destiny, sometimesfavourable and at other times less benevolent,with the island being the scene of dark humandramas. As is the case with most lands inhabitedby ancient civilisations, the origins of Ustica areunclear and our knowledge of them is a fragmen-tary mixture of history and legends. A goodexample is the interpretation of the meaning ofthe island’s name, which some say derives from

the Latin ustum, or “burnt”, in reference to theremains of the extinct craters on the island, whileothers attribute the name to the Greek Osteodes,or “ossuary”, based on the story told by DiodorusSiculus, who refers to six thousand Carthaginianmercenaries who were deported to the islandand left to die of hunger and thirst, making thecoastline of Ustica resplendent in the reflection oftheir bones in the sun.We know, however, from the artefacts found insome of the caves, that the history of Usticabegan in the Neolithic age and that in the BronzeAge it was home to a civilisation that was verysimilar to the one inhabiting the Aeolian Islands.Later on, historical sources and archaeologicalstudies have fond numerous traces of the pas-

sage of Phoenicians, Carthaginians,Greeks and Romans on the island.We also know that in the 6th century ofthe Christian era, a group of Benedictinemonks came to the island and foundeda monastery, being forced to abandon it,however, during the wars with the Arabs.In Norman times Ustica was repopulat-ed and the old monastery was enlargedand restarted. Other mediaeval sourcesmention Ustica: for example Idrisi, evenBoccaccio, who mentions it in theDecameron, and numerous other docu-ments that confirm it was inhabited right

Ustica

37

up to the 14th century. At that point it seems thatthe island was abandoned, probably because ofcontinual raids by Saracen pirates.In the second half of the 18th century, Charles IIIof Bourbon took a great interest in Ustica,encouraging its colonisation and fortifying theisland. The Bourbons also used Ustica as apenal colony, a sad role that the island was tokeep right up to 1961; one of the many who wereconfined here was Antonio Gramsci, who fell inlove with the beauty of the place and with its«very courteous population».On the northern tip of the island, at Tramontana,you will find the Villaggio dei Faraglioni, themost important Bronze Age (1450-1250 B.C.).settlement on the island, in terms ofposition and state of preservation. Thehigh cliffs were a natural defence for thevillage on the north-eastern side, whileimposing fortifications guaranteed secu-rity on the inland side.Jumping forward to the 3rd century B.C.,a new settlement was built on the rock ofthe Falconiera, characterised by habi-tations dug out of the rock and numer-ous water tanks.In the Bourbon Tower of Santa Mariayou will find the Antiquarium of Ustica,which houses a small but significant dis-play of archaeological artefacts uncov-

ered on the island. The building also houses theUnderwater Archaeological Museum.Ustica holds a prestigious record, having beenthe first Protected Marine Area created in thewhole of Europe. The island is also home to theInternational Academy of Underwater Scienceand Technology and there is an annual interna-tional event on this theme, with conventions,competitions, underwater photography and filmexhibitions, as well as underwater archaeology.There are numerous beaches and inlets suit-able for bathing: Caletta del Faro, PuntaCavazzi, Cala Sidoti, Punta and Caletta Spalma-tore. If you make a circumnavigation of Ustica,you are in for some particular surprises: the tuffwalls of Capo della Falconiera, the lighthouse atPunta Omo Morto, the Grotta dell’Oro, theStacks, the high cliffs of Cala Passo dellaMadonna, the cliff at Scoglio del Medico, theseries of caves called the Grotte delle Barche,della Pastizza, dell’Accademia and, finally, theGrotta Azzura.“Diving Capital”, the island offers enthusiasts alarge number of sites for amazing underwaterimmersions, as well as an intriguing and so farunique form of museum, an underwater Anti-quarium, with the artefacts on display linked toone another by three colours of cord, whichdenote the depth at which the objects are ‘dis-played’ and the degree of difficulty for diverswishing to see them.No less interesting are the itineraries on land,across the whole of this amazing island, which isofficially a Nature Reserve, created in order toprotect and preserve the rare bird species andthe Mediterranean brush terrain that covers it.

In alto: Cala Santa Maria.In basso: Punta Spalmatore.

Pagina a fianco: il faro di Punta Cavazzi.

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The presence of Prehistoric man in the province of Agri-gento is demonstrated by the numerous archaeologicalsites, among which the most important are at Sciacca,Licata, Palma di Montechiaro and Sant’ AngeloMuxaro, where you can see one of the most spectacu-lar necropolises of the island. Moreover, the characteris-tics of the Serraferlicchio site and its artistic productionare so peculiar as to represent a culture and a style in itsown right, taking its name from this settlement. In theBronze age the populations that inhabited Sicily(Sicans, Sikels, Elymians and Phoenicians) maintainedregular commercial and cultural relations with the Greekworld more than they did with the Italian peninsula. Theprocess of Hellenisation of the island and the birth of thefirst Greek colonies (8th century BC) must be seen in thislight. The foundation of Akragas, modern day Agrigen-to, happened much later on, in 580 BC, under the aus-pices of settlers from Rhodes, Crete and Gela, who gaveit the name of the nearby river. Very soon this shiningexample of harmony among colonies was clouded bycontrasts among various ethnic groups and class con-flict within the city, creating a fertile terrain for tyrannies.Just a decade after its foundation Akragas suffered ruleby its first tyrant Phalaris (570/555 BC). He applied apolicy of expansion in the direction of the Akragas and

Platani valleys, started up the process of Hellenisation ofthe surrounding area and, as is suitable for any tyrantworthy of the title, ended up being killed by a conspiracyof nobles. The city was rich and flowering and had start-ed to be decorated with monumental buildings.Between the end of the 6th century BC and the end of the5th century BC a total of ten temples were built, a phe-nomenon unique in the Greek world, with the exceptionof Athens. Between 488 and 472 BC Akragas was underthe control of Theron. He conquered Himera (483 BC)and made an alliance with Gelon, tyrant of Gela and Sir-acusa, complicated by a series of marriages. The resultof this alliance was the defeat of the Carthaginians atHimera in 480 BC. When he died he was succeeded byhis son Thrasydaeus, previously tyrant of Himera, whodistinguished himself by making a series of unsuccess-ful attacks against Hieron, tyrant of Siracusa and broth-er of Gelon. He was forced to flee and take refuge inGreece, at Megara Nisea, where he died. Akragas thenexperienced a period of democratic oligarchic govern-ment (471/406 BC), during which the cultural life of thecity was animated by great philosophers, poets, archi-tects, artists and musicians from all over Magna Grae-cia, first and foremost the eclectic Empedocles. Thiscultural ferment did nothing to dull the military tenden-

Agrigento

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cies of Akragas, which, in 467 BC, joined with Selinunte,Gela and Himera to repeatedly attack the tyrant of Sira-cusa Thrasybulus, brother of Hieron, who isforced to leave the city. A few years later,indeed, Carthage conquered Akragas(406 BC) after seven months of fight-ing. The inhabitants moved to Leon-tini and the city was sacked andplundered of many works of art. In264 BC the first Punic war start-ed. The Romans had beencalled in by the Mamertines tohelp them and intervened in Sici-ly against Carthage, firstly mov-ing against Siracusa, its ally.Soon afterwards it was the turn ofAkragas, which was conquered in261 BC after a six month siege. Fromthen on its name was changed to Agri-gentum. During the imperial period thewealth of Sicilian cities depended on shrewdexploitation of the land and on the consequent commer-cial and industrial activities. Agrigentum became themost important centre for sulphur mining. In 535 AD theforces of Justinian, under the command of Belisario,conquered Sicily, which became a Byzantine province.

The Berbersreached Agrigentum for the first time in 829and definitively occupied it in 840. The name of the city

was changed to Kerkent, which was incorrectlypronounced Gergent and led to the name

Girgenti. The legacy of the Arabs in theprovince of Agrigento, as in the whole

of Sicily, is particularly evident in thelayout of the streets in many oldertowns, in place names and in gas-tronomy. However, the list ofdominators does not end here.In 1087 the city was captured byRoger the Norman. The Nor-mans were followed by the Sue-vians, the Angevins and, after

the peace of Caltabellotta (1302),the Aragonese. And by Italian Uni-

fication in 1860, in which Agrigentoparticipated with strong patriotic fervour.

In 1927 the city took on its Latin name andwas called Agrigento.

AGRIGENTO

Dall’alto: Tempio della Concordiaed effigie di Empedocle.

Pagina a fianco: dipinto raffiguranteil Tempio della Concordia.

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Piazzale

ContradaCaos

Zona ar

Tempio deiDioscuri

Resti delTempio di

Zeus

Casa natale diLuigi Pirandello

Tomba diPirandello

Tomba diTerone

Tdi Escula

Tempio diHeracles

TTelamone

Una splendida immagine delle colossali rovine del Tempio di Zeus Olimpio o di Giove.

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Zona archeologica

T

Tempiodi Esculapio

T

Tempio dellaConcordia

Tempio diGiunone Lacinia

Fortificazioni

T

Il Tempio dei Dioscuri (più verosimilmente dedicato a Demetra), costruito verso la metà del V secolo a.C.

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The ancient city included the hill called theAthenian Rock and, probably, the Hill of Gir-genti, where the city stood in mediaeval timesfrom the Arab domination onwards. The Athen-ian Rock was an ideal defensive position andprobably constituted the acropolis of the city,as is testified by Poilibius. The city was protect-ed by massive walls and was bordered to theeast and west by two rivers, the Akragas andthe Hypsas (today the San Biagio and Sant’An-na), and to the south by the hilly area known asthe Valley of Temples since the time of thefoundation of these places of worship. Furthersouth, in the area now called San Leone, therewas the emporium. In Roman times the struc-ture of the city must have remained virtuallyunchanged. From the 4th century AD onwards,with the spread of Christianity, the temples ofthe valley were gradually abandoned while thepopulation tended to move inland, onto Girgen-ti Hill, because of the continuous threat of raidsfrom the sea.Nine gates have been identified in the citywalls, corresponding to points where access tothe city was easier because of the nature of thelandscape. The remains of Gate 1 are of partic-ular interest because of their good state of

repair and can be reached along a road thatgoes down from the cemetery. Nearby you cansee what remains of an admirable defensivestructure, known as a pincer bulwark, consti-tuted by two sections of walls, which convergeto form an acute angle, pointing inwards,strengthened by a tower, of which very littleremains.All over the area of ancient Akragas numerousnecropolises are scattered, dating from thearchaic period to the Byzantine age. The Greeknecropolis of contrada Pezzino, to the west ofthe city, is notable for the funeral objects foundthere, despite sackings, and for the cemeterypaths that divide it into sections.Your visit to these precious remains of a glori-ous past can begin from the eastern slope ofthe Athenian Rock, where you can take a roadstarting at the cemetery, which leads you to theruins of a Temple dedicated to Demeter; inNorman times the Church of Saint Biagio wasbuilt on top of this site. All you can see of theTemple from the early 5th century BC is the gridstructure of the ‘wasps’ nest’ (a hollow spacewhich acted as insulation of the foundationfrom the humidity of the ground) and pieces ofthe prnaos (the part in front of the divinity’s

The Valley of Temples

43

cella). The fact that the Temple wasdedicated to Demeter has been estab-lished on the basis of the uncovering ofbusts of the Goddess of harvests and ofher daughter Persephone in a bothros(a hole for offerings in the centre of thealtar).Near the Church you can see a rockySanctuary dedicated to the chthonicdivinities (of the earth), accessible onlyon foot. It is an ‘extra moenia’ structure,which, in part, dates back to an agebefore the foundation of the city andwas a place in which the local practiseda form of worship very similar to thatused by the Greeks here. The oldestpart of the Sanctuary is made up ofthree long tunnels dug into the rock. Atthe end of one of them there is a sourceof water that is channelled into a terra-cotta conduit and comes out into con-necting basins, positioned outside thetunnels. The large number of oil lampsand votive statuettes of Demeter andKore bear witness to the nature of theworship and the dedication of the Sanc-

AGRIGENTO

In alto: panorama della Valle dei Templi.A destra: necropoli Cristiano-bizantina. Pag-

ina a fianco: Rupe Atenea.

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tuary. The rectangular shaped constructionbefore the entrance to the tunnels dates backto the archaic Greek age.From the cemetery you take the via dei Templi,which, on the right, leads to the SS 118 road.Following this road in a short time you come,on the left, to the Hellenistic-Roman Quarter(open to the public every day from 9am to onehour before sunset), which has a regular streetlayout called ‘ippodameo’ (that is, charac-terised by orthoganally crossing streets), anddates back to the late 6th century BC. Thereare various types of house, some with mosaicfloors depicting animals, plants and geometri-cal patterns. The most interesting are thehouse of the abstract artist (so calledbecause of a mosaic with hexagonal decora-tions imitating the veining of marble), the peri-style house (because of a colonnade with abasin in the centre) and the swastika house(with a floor decorated with swastikas). Nearby,if you leave the main road and cross the bridgeover the Giacatello river, you will find a largehypogean cave with underground passages,which probably had the function of a storagetank for the water seeping into it and wasprobab-ly part of the famous Phaeaces watersystem mentioned by Diodorus.Returning to the main road you can make

another detour to reach the Church of SaintNicholas, on the hill of the same name,restored and altered in the 13th century. Theaustere facade is made of hewn tuff and has abeautiful portal with ogival arches. In the singlenave and four chapels you will see preciousworks of art, in particular a wooden crucifixcalled “the Lord of the ship” and the beautifulFedra Sarchophagus sculpted in the 2nd cen-tury AD. The Church is situated in an area thatwas one of the most important for the public lifeof the city. Here you will find the Ekklesiastéri-on (an amphitheatre where the ekklesia, or cit-izens’ assembly, met) and, opposite this, theBouleutérion (a rectangular or square buildingwith a tier of seats for the meetings of theboulè, the citizens’ council).Near the Ekklesiastérion are the remains of asanctuary and of the so called Phalaris Orato-ry, a small temple of the Roman age built on ahigh foundation and transformed into a Christ-ian chapel in Mediaeval times. Tradition has itthat it was built on the site where the tyrantPhalaris had his palace, hence the inappropri-ate name. Also in this area you will find themodern building housing the RegionalArchaeological Museum, built in 1967 andincorporating some parts of the Monastery ofSaint Nicholas. The rooms of the Museum con-

45

tain an enormous number of artefacts, a her-itage of incalculable value and of world impor-tance. Returning to the SS 118 road you travelsouth for a kilometre as far as the zone wherethe agorà was presumably situated, now most-ly occupied by a large car park (coach park,snack bar, ice-cream parlour). On the right,through a gate, you enter a large area (openfrom 9am to one hour before sunset) whichincludes many religious buildings and whichextends westwards from the ruins of the Tem-ple of Olympian Zeus or of Jupiter. Here youimmediately find yourself in front of the largefoundation of the altar, beyond which youglimpse the remains of the Temple scatteredover a wide area. At the altar the hecatombswere performed, that is the simultaneous sacri-fice of a hundred oxen. The building dates backto the happy period immediately after the victo-ry of Himera over the Carthaginians but it wasnever completed. The peristasis (the exterior

colonnade of the temple) was replaced by awall with a surface articulated by half columns.All that remains are the foundations of the cella,which go down about 6 metres into the ground,fragments of the trabeation (the structureabove the columns, which included architrave,frieze and cornice), portions of capitals and ofcolumns. Inside, the cella was subdivided intothree sections and was almost certainly uncov-ered. The grandiose bulk of the temple wascharacterised by the presence of colossal tela-mons, which supported the structure as well asbeing decorative. One of these was restored inthe 1800s and is now in the ArchaeologicalMuseum but you can see a cast of it in the Tem-ple area. Nearby a group of houses, probably

AGRIGENTO

In basso: ricostruzione di uno dei grandi Telamonidel Tempio di Giove.

Nella pagina a fianco: Quartiere EllenisticoRomano.

46

used by priests, have been uncovered, as wellas small archaic religious buildings. A little fur-ther on there is a wide esplanade, bordered bythe fortified walls and the remains of Gate V,and here a Sanctuary has been found, datingback to the 6th century BC. The most importantruins in this holy area are the remains of theSanctuary of Demeter and Kore, built in sev-eral phases between the 6th and 5th centuriesBC. The Sanctuary includes two temenoi(sacred enclosures) with altars, votivechapels (small chapels with an altar) and threesmall temples. Around the mid-5th century BCtwo other Temples were built, in close relationto the one just described. One is the Temple ofCastor and Pollux (the Dioscuri, but moreprobably dedicated to Demeter), of which youcan see four columns, put back into place in the1800s, and part of the relative trabeation, stillshowing traces of the plaster that coveredthem. The other is the so called Temple L, ofwhich the outline of the foundations, numerouscolumn drums and the altar remain.Along a pathway that leaves the SS 115 roadand runs alongside the Sant’Anna river you canreach the ruins of the Temple of Vulcan (late5th century BC), consisting of the foundationsand two columns.At this point you go back along the SS 115 road

and, after passing the junction of the SS 118,you come to the Roman necropolis, calledGiambertoni, on the left. There are varioustypes of tomb; among the most important is thefamous Tomb of Theron, in reality dated to theRoman period, built along the lines of similarAfrican burial chambers; above a high cubicfoundation stands the temple, which was prob-ably originally topped by a pinnacle. Continuingalong the SS 115 for a short stretch, a road tothe right allows you to get to the Temple ofAesculapius, God of medicine, a small build-ing dating from the 5th-4th century BC. TheTemple was frequented by pilgrims hoping tobe cured of their ailments by the priests of theGod. Near the Temple there was once a springand structures used to house the sick at theSanctuary have been found.Retracing your steps, you follow the SS 118 tothe right. Just beyond the ruins of Gate IV,called Aurea, the via dei Templi begins on theright. The first ruins that you meet are those ofthe Temple of Hercules, situated on a hill, ofwhich you can see eight columns put back intoplace in 1924, some with their capitals. TheTemple was peripteral (completely surroundedby columns), with six columns on the short

In alto: il Tempio dei Dioscuri.

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sides and an open air cella with prnaos andopistdomos (the area behind the cella). Con-sidering its structural and stylistic characteris-tics, it is regarded as the oldest peripteral tem-ple in the Valley and is dated to the end of the6th century BC.Continuing towards the Temple of Concord,you cross the area of the early Christiannecropolis, now partly incorporated in the gar-den of Villa Aurea. The most interesting andnoteworthy section of the necropolis is thatknown as the Fragapane Cave or Catacomb,a complex of hypogean tombs connected bypassages. At the extreme eastern end of thisesplanade stands the imposing and famousTemple of Concord; the name was coined byTommaso Fazello, who derived it from aninscription found nearby, but it probably had no-thing to do with the Temple. It was probablydedicated to the Dioscuri and is one of the mostimportant in the Greek world, both because ofits good state of repair and because of its pureDoric style. it was built in the second half of the5th century BC and is a peripteral temple withsix columns on the short sides and thirteen onthe long sides, resting on a base of steps. The

cella is divided into three parts with prnaos andopistdomos in antis (having two columnsbetween the doors). Originally it must havebeen covered with stuccoes in lively colours. Inthe 6th century AD the Temple was transformedinto a Christian basilica with three naves byBishop Gregory and the arches in the walls ofthe cella date from this period.The via dei Templi continues to run parallel tothe city walls and in this stretch you will noticethe ruins of Gate III and, in the part that turnsinwards, a large number of Christian-Byzantinearcosoli (tombs with an arched entrance). A lit-tle further ahead, if you climb to the summit ofthe Hill of Temples, you will get a marvellousview over the Valley and the sea and you willcome to the Temple of Hera or Juno Lacnia,built around 450 BC. The dedication of theTemple to Hera is far from certain. It has astructure very similar to that of the Temple ofConcord, being a peripteral hexastyle (with sixcolumns on the short side) in Doric style, ofwhich twenty-five columns, part of the trabeat-ion and of the cella remain.

AGRIGENTO

In alto: il Tempio di Eracle o Ercole.

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IL MUSEO ARCHEOLOGICO REGIONALE DI AGRIGENTO

Il museo archeologico sorge in unarea identificata come il sito dell’an-tica città greca ed ellenisticaromana, con particolare richiamo afunzioni di carattere religioso e pub-

blico. Si sviluppa nell’area dell’exabbazia cistercense di San Nicola distile romanico gotico.Il chiostro costituisce l’ingresso, ilrefettorio è stato adibito a biblioteca,la sala congressi ed il coro dellachiesa ad auditorium.La parte restante del museo è ospi-tata all’interno di una pregevole emoderna struttura museale.Dalla SALA I alla SALA XI è pre-sentata la storia della città antica edel suo territorio più immediato. dalla

SALA XII alla SALA XVII i materialiesposti completano e illustrano laforza politica di questa città su unpiù vasto territorio.Nella SALA III sono espostecollezioni di vasi provenienti, in granparte, dalle ricche necropoli agrigen-tine dal VI al IV-III Sec A.C..La VI SALA è riservata al tempio diZeus Olimpico; sulla parete di fondoè stata collocata la gigantesca figuradel Telamone nell’atto di sorreggereil possente architrave del tempio.Uno dei pezzi più significativi delmuseo è costituito dal celebre efebodi Agrigento, statua in marmo raffig-urante un atleta, datato al 480 A.C.ca. ed esposto nella SALA X.

Nella SALA XV è esposto un grandecratere attico a figure rosse prove-niente da Gela. E’ attribuito al pittoredei Niobidi (470 A.C. ca).

49

In alto: figura di Telamone dal tempio diZeus (sala VI).

A fianco: statua marmorea di Efebo480 a.C. circa (sala V bis).

Nella pagina precedente, in alto:Cratere attico a figure rosse con

deposizione o trasporto del corpo diPatroclo - pittore di Kleophrades -

500 - 490 a.C. (sala III);in basso:

Testa fittile di divinità femminile(Persefone ?) 500 - 490 a.C. (sala V).

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Your visit can begin from the eastern edge of theoldest part of the city, occupied by three adjacentsquares - Vittorio Emanuele, Moro and Marconi. Inone corner of Piazzale Moro (where a stone tombdating back to the 2nd millennium BC has beenplaced on a lawn) stands the Sanctuary of SaintCalogero, the greatly loved black Saint veneratedall over the province of Agrigento. A short distancefrom Piazzale Moro via Atenea begins. Via Ateneais the most elegant street in the city and here youcan see the ex-Civic Hospital of the 1500s andbeautiful noble residences, including PalazzoBorsellino of the 19th century, the 18th centuryPalazzo Carbonaro in classical style, PalazzoCenauro of the 1700s, whose illustrious guestshave included Goethe, and the baroque PalazzoContarini. From via Atenea, you can reach theChurch of the Holy Spirit. It was built, along withthe adjacent Monastery also called Ba-diaGrande, at the end of the 13th century. The beauti-ful cloister of the Monastery is worthy of note with itsarches and two-mullioned windows in pure Chiara-monte style. Continuing along via Foderà youarrive in Piazza Purgatorio, where two churchesstand; the Church of Saint Rosalia and theChurch of Saint Lawrence or of Purgatory, both

17th century. The Church of Saint Lawrence hasa beautiful baroque facade with an imposing portalbordered by small spiral columns and surmountedby a richly decorated split tympanum. At the end ofvia Atenea you come to Piazza Pirandello, wherethe 17th century Church of Saint Dominic standswith the adjacent ex-Dominican Convent, nowused as the Town Hall. In the small portico atrium ofthe Convent you find the entrance to the Pirandel-lo Theatre, one of the most beautiful the-atres inSicily with an interior decorated by G.B. Basile. Onthe other side of the square is the Civic Museum,home of the municipal art gallery. From PiazzaPirandello you can go down, on the left, into viaGaribaldi, where you will see the 18th centuryChurch of Saint Francis of Paola and the 17thcentury Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrowswith adelicate baroque facade. Astairway near the Sanc-tuary leads to the Church of the Holy Cross, dat-ing from the 16th century. At this point we are on theedge of the Arab Quarter of Rabbato, charac-terised by narrow streets, dead ends, archwaysand small stairways. In Piazza Don Minzoni, whereyou see the Episcopal Seminary, built between

Enjoy Agrigento

In alto: Chiesa di Santo Spirito.A fianco: Convento di Santo Spirito.

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the 16th and 17th centuries. Inside there is a largecourtyard with porticoes and two levels of loggias.Some lovely one and two-mullioned windowsremain from the 14th century Palazzo Ste-ri, whichwas built on the orders of the Chiaramonte familyand is partially incorporated into the Seminary. Awide stairway leads up from the square to theCathedral, a national monument, founded at theend of the 11th century by Bishop Gerlando andgreatly altered over the following centuries.In via Duomo, adjacent to the Cathedral, stands theBishop’s Palace, also built at the end of the 11thcentury by Bishop Gerlando and enlarged in the18th century. Then you come to the splendid Luc-chesiana Library, which houses more than50,000 volumes.

EVERYBODY TO THE BEACHIf you can’t wait to bask in the sun andtake a dip in the water there is just oneimportant piece of information: the wholecoastline of San Leone is sandy.Once San Leone was a fishing village,now it is the beach of Agrigento, fromwhere you can make lovely boat tripsalong the coast.

AGRIGENTO

A fianco: il Duomo. In basso: a sinistra, affreschi estucchi del presbiterio della Cattedrale; a destra

chiostro del Seminario.

We have no fear of exaggerating when we saythat, during the Festival, Agrigento becomesthe capital of the world.For fun try asking a passer-by for information inthe street. You might get an answer in Greek,English, Albanian, Russian, Spanish, Finnish,Romanian etc. etc. With a little luck, you mayeven run into someone from Agrigento, blondeor dark, completely hidden amongst the crowdsof foreigners.Fun, light-heartedness and friendship are themain ingredients of this beautiful spring festivaland it is no coincidence that its principal venueis the Temple of Concord.Every year for the Festival at least twenty folk-loristic and musical groups arrive in Agrigentofrom all over the world, about 900 guests,including singers, dancers, musicians and cho-reographers.

The delicately perfumed almond blossoms arethe setting for the sumptuously coloured cos-tumes of the dancers and singers and theunusual instruments of the musicians (Bulgari-an gadulkas, Cypriot duvals, Peruvian quenas,Korean koans).An international jury has the difficult task ofawarding the Golden Temple prize for the bestdance, the best traditional costume and thebest typical orchestra.Other juries have the equally hard task ofawarding the first prizes in four competitions.Undoubtedly the most popular competition (forthe jurors) is Miss Spring, in which girls fromthe folkloristic groups take part.The Sicilian Dialectal Poetry competition givesprizes for the best poems inspired by the springblossom in the Valley of the Temples. The Win-dow competition is for the shop with the bright-est and most choreographic window displaysinspired by the Almond Blossom Festival. Thejurors in the Balcony competition have the taskof walking around the town to choose the bestbalconies decorated with plants and flowers.As we began we will also finish, with a claimthat we believe cannot be refuted:if spring isthe sweetest season of the year, the “earlyspring” in the Valley of the Temples and Blos-som is certainly the most joyful and colourful ofall.

The almond blossom Festival:united colors of Agrigento

Agrigento festeggia la “Sagra del mandorlo in fiore”.

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Just a few kilometres from Agrigento and PortoEmpedocle, in contrada Caos, you will find theLuigi Pirandello museum-house, a nationalmonument. It is difficult to visit Pirandello’sbirthplace without having the feeling of beingan intruder, profane and ridiculous at the sametime. Certainly the writer would have laughedor would have been irritated by the venerationwith which people observe his objects, furni-ture, photographs, posters, the first editions ofsome of his works, signed letters and the neck-chain of his Nobel Prize of 1934. Maybe hewould have written a short story about it. At theend of the day it is extremely paradoxical thathe, who gave strict instructions that nobodywas to attend his funeral, neither relatives, norfriends, nor anybody else, should find hishouse invaded by hosts of visitors. Overall,however, his last wishes were respected. Hewanted his death to pass unnoticed, to be burntand his ashes scattered so that no-thingremained of him, or, alternatively, that they beplaced in an urn and walled up in a rough stonein the Girgenti countryside. All of this was donebut his death did not go unnoticed and stilltoday, after more than sixty years, thousands ofpeople stop to pay their respects in front of histombstone. It may or may not be necessary forhim to benevolently absolve us with the words

he wrote in a painful dialogue with his mother“shadow only since yesterday”: “Now that youare dead, I do not say that you are no longeralive for me; you are alive, as alive as yester-day, with the same reality that I attributed to youfrom afar, thinking of you, without seeing yourbody, and you will continue to live as long as Ilive…”.They are still there, the ashes of this great man,still alive, in the shadow of ‘his’ pine tree, dam-aged by the wind, entombed in the rough stonechosen by the artist Mazzacurati. On this stonehe placed a double faced bronze mask, an evi-dent symbol, a clear reference to Pirandello’sphilosophy and works of genius. “Masks,masks…A breath and they pass, giving way toothers.[…] Each person im-proves the mask asbest he can - the exterior mask. Because insidethere is the other one, which often is not con-sistent with the outer one. And nothing is real!The sea is real, yes, the mountain is real; astone is real; a blade of grass is real; but man?He is always masked, without wanting to be,without knowing it, appearing to be what hebelieves to be in good faith […] And this reallymakes you laugh, if you think about it”.

Luigi Pirandello

Una delle sale del museodella casa natale di Luigi Pirandello.

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It is easily reached from the town. You just haveto follow the road leading to Punta Rosselloand turn left towards Punta Grande, a populardestination for bathers looking for a quiet spot.The justly famous Scala dei Turchi is a purewhite marl cliff in which the wind and rain havecarved out a sort of natural stairway. Going upto the top on foot youhave the feeling of climb-ing a snow-coveredmountain magically situ-ated by the crystal clearsea. From the top theview is spectacular. Theblue of the sea, the whiteof the marl, almost blind-ing in the strong rays ofthe sun, and the pleasanthot air make it very diffi-cult to leave this wonder-ful place, even thoughyou can exchange it for alovely swim in the waterbelow. Yet, once upon atime this white cliff repre-sented a cause for con-stant concern among the inhabitants of the sur-rounding area. The greatly feared sea pirates,in simple words the Turks, could moor theirships here, protected by the ‘Scala’. Once theyhad climbed over the cliff, these marauders,who must have looked like horrible demonswith eyes of fire to the defenceless population,

fell upon the villages plundering men andgoods. Many centuries have passed since thenbut the name of the cliff remains to bear wit-ness to that dark, but nonetheless fascinating,age.Since sunbathing at Scala dei Turchi gets youa tan in the twinkling of an eye - the effect of the

sun can only be compared to that of snow fields-, we recommend the use of sun cream not onlyfor those with fair skin but also for those that donot normally need to use it.A short distance from Scala dei Turchi, in con-trada Durrueli, you can admire the remains ofa Roman villa from the 1st century AD, in a

splendid position with a beautiful viewover the sea. Some mosaic floors are stillvisible in some of the rooms.Continuing along the lovely coast roadtowards Punta Rossello, you can reachLido Rossello, with bathing establish-ments, the ideal destination for those onholiday with their children. The water isshallow so the younger members of thefamily have little chance of getting intotrouble and their parents can watch themquietly lying in the sun.

Scala dei Turchi

In alto: il bianco della marna della Scala deiTurchi. A fianco: Scala dei Turchi.

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Situated on the promontory of CapoBianco in a natural environment ofgreat beauty. In particular there isthe long beach and the pine-woodat the foot of the cliff (it is an idealplace for ‘bathing’ in culture and inthe sea). Today you can see theremains of Heraclea Minoa, broughtto light relatively recently (between1951 and 1964), a city historicallyidentified as a colony of Selinunte.After the arrival of a Doric colony inthe 6th century BC the name Hera-clea was added to that of Minoa, inhonour of Heracles, the Greekname for Hercules. Situated in aborderline position between Selinunte andAkragas, it soon became involved in the dis-putes between the two cities and, therefore, inthe rivalry between Greeks and Carthaginians,who alternated in their control of the city. In

spite of this it managed to reach a high degreeof splendour, particularly between the 6th and4th centuries BC. In the 3rd century BC it cameunder Roman control and became a ‘civitasdecumana’. Under the Romans HeracleaMinoa went into decline, being sacked duringthe slave revolts, and was finally abandonedaround the end of the 1st century BC. At theentrance to the archaeological park there is asmall Museum displaying artefacts found in thearea and interesting photographic documenta-tion relating to the ancient city. Only a fewstretches of the city walls remain, including

two towers in the north-eastern sector. Thesewalls were built of marl with rough bricks on topand extended for over 6 km. In the northernpart of the archaeological area you can see theremains of a Hellenistic Sanctuary. On thenorthern edge of the town stands the mostimportant and most famous relic of Heraclea:the Theatre, dating back to the 4th century BC.

Eraclea Minoa

EracleaMinoa

Capo Bianco

Mar Mediterraneo

EVERYBODY TO THE BEACHA track allows you to go down the hill ofHearaclea Minoa to the splendid beachwhere it is almost impossible to resist thetemptation to take a dip and to lie downand sunbathe on the soft sand.The River Platani Estuary Nature Reservewas set up in 1984 and covers an area of207 hectares, including the stretch ofcoastline from Capo Bianco to BorgoBonsignore.

In alto: il teatro greco. A fianco: Capo Bianco.

Sciacca has all the elements necessary to satis-fy the most demanding tourists and to guaranteean enjoyable, healthy and stimulating holiday: abeautiful beach, a world famous spa station,monuments and works of art, folklore and tradi-tions. The spa waters have always been a strongpoint of the town. We do not know whether thesecurative waters were known to Bronze age man,who settled here in a place many consider to bethe Sican Figuli, but they were certainly familiarto the inhabitants of Selinunte, who, around the6th century BC, used the place as a militarydetachment and called it Thermae Selinuntinae.The Romans also widely used the spas and,moreover, encouraged agricultural and commer-cial activities and constructed an importantpostal building, identified in documents by thename of Aquae Labodes. The Arabs were thefirst to take the security of the city seriously. Aswas their custom they built a castle, solid defen-sive walls and a tangle of narrow streets. Theyalso changed the name of the city to As-shaqqah, in other words crack, from which thepresent name is derived. The Normans expand-ed the town, lengthened the walls and threw outthe merchants and Jews, thus putting an end tothe peaceful cohabitation of the various ethnicgroups. At the end of the 1800s it was water thatagain came to the rescue of Sciacca; indeed, justoff the coast a coral reef was discovered breath-ing new life into the local economy. The settingup of the establishment for systematicallyexploiting the spa waters is part of the history ofthis century and, considering the wealth and

prosperity that they have brought, it certainlycannot be said that the people of Sciacca havebeen beating the air.

SciaccaThe typical costume of the Sciacca carni-val is that of a Sicilian farmer, poor but offine intellect. His farcical name is PeppeNappa and he represents the popular rootsof the Sciacca carnival, which, according tothe mediaeval tradition, tries to make fun ofthose in power during the few days of fes-tival. Through the gorges of food and thefun, it is connected to the Saturnian festi-vals of the Roman period. The festival lastssix days and on the Saturday, with the pro-cession of the floats and costumed groups,the town is literally invaded by more than ahundred thousand people, who mingle withthe locals and let themselves go.

The Carnival

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Lampedusa has an area of 20.2 square kilo-metres and is the largest island in the Pelagiearchipelago. It rises up gently from the south,reaching a height of about 100 metres, andsuddenly drops down into the sea to the north.It has the shape of a triangular table, heavilyeroded, inclined from the north-west towardsthe south-east.Even though most people who land on Lampe-dusa do so with the idea of basking in the sunand swimming in the lovely sea, which in ouropinion is unrivalled in Europe, there are inter-esting pla-ces to visit apart from the beaches.There are really so many beaches on which tosunbathe and each one more beautiful thananother.Sandy beaches are those at Cala Croce,Rabbit Island and Guitgia; the latter, with itswhite sand, is one of the most popular beach-es on Lampedusa. Rocky beaches can befound at Punta Sottile, Cala Calandra, alsocalled Mare Morto, and Cala Creta, so calledbecause it is near a fresh water spring, which,before reaching the sea creates a sort of whitemire.Finally, pebble beaches are to be found at

Cala Spugne, Cala Pisana, where the seabottom is sandy, and the lovely Cala Pulcino.

Lampedusa

In ancient times Linosa was called Aethusa. It has anarea of 5.4 sq.km and clearly shows its volcanic ori-gin, very evident in the black lava colour of the earthand from the craters of Monte Vulcano, Monte Nero,or di Ponente, and Monte Rosso. The island is verygreen and fertile, unlike Lampedusa, thanks to theparticular nature of the earth. There is a NatureReserve of over 80 hectares, including the wholecoastline and the extinct craters, which was created,above all, to protect the Caretta caretta turtle, whichlays its eggs on the only two sandy beaches of theisland, and Cory’s Shearwater, which lives here in acolony of about 10,000 pairs, one of the biggest in theMediterranean. Thanks to the extraordinary clear-ness of the sea around the island, snorkelling allowsyou to see the unparalleled depths of Linosa, amongthe most beautiful in the Mediterranean and teemingwith a huge variety of fish.

LinosaIn alto: l’isola dei Conigli.

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Trapani is the city of windmills and salt-worksthat whiten the coast as far as Marsala andwhich reflect the sun with magical lightingeffects, creating intense shades of colour; it isthe city that has the shape of a scythe andsticks out into the sea almost separating theTyrrhenian from the Mediterranean. This is thescythe that, according to legend, was lost by anexhausted Ceres, goddess of the harvests,while she was looking for her daughter Prospe-rina kidnapped by Pluto near Etna. The scytheis, however, also symbol of Saturn, anotheragricultural God, who, according to the legend,deliberately came down from Olympus to foundTrapani, or rather Drepano (from the Greekdrep¨no, in other words in the shape of ascythe). You can begin your visit to the city from theAnnunziata Sanctuary, called Our Lady of Tra-pani, which is in Via Conte A. Pepoli. The exte-rior has a pointed baroque bell-tower while theportal and part of the rose window date back tothe 1300s. On the altar, between baroquecolumns, is situated the precious statue of OurLady with Child, dating back to the 14th centu-ry, better known as Our Lady of Trapani. Through the garden of the Annunziata Sanctu-ary you can enter the Pepoli Museum, situatedin the ex-Carmelite convent and featuring acoloured princely staircase of the 17th century.The largest attraction is certainly the collectionof Trapani corals from the 17th and 18th cen-turies.in Piazza Vittorio Veneto, stand the Palazzo delGoverno or della Provincia (1878), the Palazzodelle Poste (1924), the Palazzo d'Alì or delMunicipio (1904) and the remains of the Castle

of Terra. From Piazza Vittorio Veneto you canturn onto via Garibaldi, one of the main streetsof the city, where you immediately notice thefaçade of the Palazzo Fardella Fontana, with abeautiful portal-balcony and late baroque deco-rations.In Via Badia Nuova you can visit the Church ofSanta Maria del Soccorso, called Badia Nuova,of the mid-17th century, but whose origins arelinked to Belisario, who had it built in 536 AD asa church following the Greek rite. From Via Badia Nuova, it is easy to reach ViaTorrearsa, where you will see Palazzo Senato-rio or Cavarretta with a baroque façade onthree levels enlivened by columns, windowsand nooks. Next to this building, built in 1672on the site of the old Pisani loggia and nowoccupied by council offices, stands the 12thcentury clocktower, one of the five featured inthe city's coat of arms. From here you can eas-ily go on to Piazzetta Saturno, dedicated to themythical founder of the city and whose statuestands above a pretty baroque shell fountain. Inthis square you will find the Church of SaintAugustine. In Largo San Giacomo, is theFardelliana Library , one of the most famous inSicily, and pride and joy of Trapani. , In Via Giudecca, there is a two-floored build-ing called La Giudecca or Palazzo Ciambara(early 16th century), recognisable from the lat-eral tower. At this point you should not miss vis-

Trapani

iting the Casalicchio Quarter: winding streets,Arab style courtyards, old houses in pureMediterranean 'style' and the remains of oldbuildings. You have the sensation of being sentback in time and taken to the fascinating Mus-lim Drepano. Nearby stands the Church of SanDomenico, in the square of the same name. Itis in Gothic-Cistercian style and was built in the13th century. You can get into the early 15thcentury bell-tower through a low-archedentrance and reach the top on a singular stair-case. Returning to Via Garibaldi and following itas far as the junction with via Torrearsa, you getto Piazza Mercato del Pesce, an exedra with aportico that occupies the site of the former Boc-ceria Gate. From Via Libertà you soon get toCorso Vittorio Emanuele, the main street of thePalazzo district, along which, in the 17th and18th centuries, noble families built splendidhouses in late baroque style: Palazzo BerardoFerro, Palazzo Alessandro Ferro, PalazzoManzo.The Church of Our Lady of Sorrows, built in1691, is characterised by a small refined 16thcentury portal.The Cathedral or Church of San Lorenzo datesback to the 14th century but was enlarged andrestored between the 15th and 17th centuries.It is a wide basilica with three naves separatedby columns and arches.The Church of Purgatory, built in 1688, thepresent façade was designed by G.B. Amico in1714, including decorative elements and stat-ues in stuccoed stone. The interior has a basil-ican design with three naves divided bycolumns and arches and contains the twentygroups of sculptures carried in the processionof the Mysteries on Good Friday. These valu-able works of art, which accurately representepisodes from the Passion of Christ, weremade between the 17th and 18th centuries inwood, canvas and paste by worthy Trapani arti-sans.There are still traces of the old city walls: theBotteghelle Gate, in the street of the samename, also called the Gate of Ossuna, datingback to Aragonese times at the end of the 13thcentury, and the Imperial Bastion, in Via DelleSirene, one of the bastions that Ligny had built

in the 17th century. The Castle of Colombaiasurvives from the mediaeval city. It wasrestored by the Aragonese and is an exampleof military architecture, protecting the city fromsea-borne attacks.Finally don't miss the Museum of PrehistoricTimes, which is situated in the 17th centuryLigny Tower, at the extreme western point ofthe city.

A fianco: pendente in oro, diamanti e smeraldi, orafosiciliano fine ‘600. In alto: fontana di Saturno.Nella pagina precedente, in alto: statua della

Madonna di Trapani; in basso: Palazzo Cavarretta.

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The performance originated in the early1600s, in a theatrical form, thanks to theCompany of the Precious Blood of Jesus. On26th February 1643 this company mergedwith the Confraternity of San Michele andtook on its name.This marked the introduction of the traditionalcostume: red tunic, hood and white cape.In the 17th century, from 1612 onwards, toimprove the procession, the Confraternityasked for the workmen's guilds, flourishing at

that time and willing to put their economic andsocial power to the service of God.This is why each group of statues is entrust-ed to a particular group (the Foot Washing tothe fishermen, the Crown of Thorns to thebakers, the Sentence to the butchers and soon), which pays all the costs for its upkeep.There is a great spirit of competition and eachgroup puts in months of work so that, on theday of the procession, theirs will be the bestdecorated and illuminated and their bearersand band will be the best too!

Holy Week in TrapaniEvery year, on the night of Good Friday,Trapani relives the calvary of Christ. In theafternoon the procession of the mysteriesleaves the Church of Purgatory. It is a longprocession of twenty spectacular groups ofsculptures, representing scenes from thePassion, which crosses most of the old cityall night long.

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Arriving in Trapani on the motorway andheading towards the port, your attention willbe drawn to a strange butfascinating landscape:the salt-works, a peculiarenvironment where histo-ry, culture and naturecombine to create some-thing unique.They are made up ofseries of regular basins,interrupted now andagain by piles of salt cov-ered with tiles and isolat-ed windmills, bearing wit-ness to an ancient activi-ty that still exploits thesame natural forces as in

the past: the sun and the wind.

Windmills and Salt-Works

A fianco: montagnole di salericoperte di tegole.

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Erice is situated 15km from Trapani (along thedirect Trapani-Erice road) on top of the luxuri-ant Monte Erice (751 metres high), from whereyou can enjoy a spectacular view that takes inTrapani, the Egadi Islands and Monte Cofano.It is particularly moving at sunset when thesalt-works reflect a rainbow of colours. Whenthe air is especially clear it is also possible tosee Ustica, Pantelleria and Cape Bon (Africa).Although traces of Neolithic settlements havebeen found on the slopes of the mountain,Erice is considered the city of the Elimi, whomade it their most important religious centreand built a sanctuary here. The Carthaginians,allies of the Elimi, dedicated the sanctuary toAstarte (the Romans' Venus) and introducedsacred prostitution, practised by the 'lerodule',the beautiful priestesses of the Goddess. It isnot difficult to believe that Erice quicklybecame a destination for religious pilgrimagesfrom all over the Mediterranean. The Goddessprotected the channel between Erice andCarthage (near present day Tunic) and sailorsused to look at the mountain-top to see if theGoddess would bring them good fortune -when the peak was clearly visible - or bad -when it was covered in cloud; at night theywere guided by the red light of a large fire, lit inthe témenos. Erice was not only a temple oflove but also a strategic city that theCarthaginians and Elimi fortified to such adegree that, in the 7th century BC, it was oneof the fortresses of the island, along with Ennaand Syracuse.If you had to describe a mediaeval city youwould probably talk about cobbled streets,castles, shops and ancientsmells. In short, you would talkabout Erice, without knowing it.This is a mediaeval city that haswisely taken on modern devel-opments without making revolu-tionary changes.Erice is neat, silent and tidy. Thepeople are polite and kind.Peeping behind the entrancedoors of the houses, built ofstone from Monte Erice, you geta glimpse of the courtyards typi-cal of Mediterranean countries.

That is where family life goes on, with the scentof the flowers and the shade of the pergolas.The people of Erice are justly proud of theircourtyards, in August there is even a floweringcourtyard show when you can easily ask tovisit them. The courtyards are not the only sur-prise Erice has to offer. Walking through thestreets, connected to one another by narrowalleys called 'venule', which also help to giveshelter from the wind, you are sometimesengulfed with the hot heady smell of thefamous Erice cakes called “di badia”. Oncethese were prepared only by the nuns of theSan Carlo monastery, who, in the silence of theseclusion, created real masterpieces of cakes.There are a lot of small shops selling craftproducts but you have to look carefully, espe-cially around Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, torecognise the remains of mediaeval shopsconsisting of 'balatari', heavy blocks of stone,from which the seller looked out onto thestreet.To the left of Trapani Gate you reach theCathedral, dedicated to Our Lady of theAssumption. The building stands in an unusu-al position, far from the town centre and wasbuilt by Frederick of Aragon in the 14th centu-ry.Nearby in Via Chiaramonte, stands PalazzoChiaramonte, ex-monastery of SS Salvatore,built in the 13th and 14th centuries. From hereit is easy to get to Piazzetta San Martino,where the church of the same name stands. Itwas built in the early 17th century on the site ofa small Norman church. Very near here is theChurch of San Carlo, an early 17th centurybuilding, restored in the following century. Theadjacent convent was once famous because ithoused the cloistered nuns that sold cakesmade according to ancient recipes.

Along Via Roma, you movetowards the most panoramic partof the town: the Balio Gardens,designed in 1878 by CountPepoli, who also restored theadjacent towers and the Turretbelow the Balio. The Castle isalso worth visiting. It dates backto the Normans who built it onthe ruins of the Sanctuary ofVenus. In the internal square ofthe fortress you can see, someremains of the Roman rebuildingof the temple.

Erice

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Marsala is an interesting place to visit, both forthose fascinated by history and its vestiges andthose attracted by the beauties of nature. There isthe splendid low sandy shoreline, which stretchesout to the south-east and the superb green land-scape of the 'Stagnone' lagoon, with the whitesalt-works and windmills. For those with a goodsense of taste Marsala, home of the famous wine,is an excellent place to go.Who knows if the Sybil, in the darkness of hercave, ever foresaw the troubled future of Marsala.Legend has it that she founded the city. History,on the other hand, demonstrates that it was thegeographical position of Lilibeo (opposite Libya)that determined its ups and downs. Situated onthe promontory of Capo Boeo, it was a strategicport much sought after by the civilisations of thepast. The 'discovery' of Marsala wine in the late18th century restored the good fortune of theancient Lilibeo, now called Marsala, from the Ara-bic 'Marsa Allah' (Port of God) or 'Marsa Alì (Portof Alì). In reality, this wine had been known aboutsince Roman times, but vine growing had neverreceived the attention that it merited. English mer-chants, including John Woodhouse, were the firstto attach value to the quality of the wine, around

1770. The flourishing trade brought about theplanting of new vines, the building of new wineproduction plants and the construction of a newjetty and port. The wine trade continued to growover the next century, thanks to several entrepre-neurs, such as: Ingham, Florio and Martinez. On11th May 1860 Garibaldi and the Thousand land-ed in the port of Marsala.

A SPASSO PER LA CITTAIn Piazza Castello, you will find the huge squaremass of the fortress built by the Normans in the12th century, on the site of a pre-existing Arab for-tification. Passing along via Dagotti and then viaAmendola, you reach Piazza Matteotti, the oldopening of Mazara Gate. From here you take viaXI Maggio, called 'Cassaro', which leads to Piaz-za della Vittoria. Along the way you pass theChurch of Santa Maria delle Grazie, of the late17th century, and Piazza della Repubblica, ordella Loggia, the centre of civil and religious lifeduring the baroque period and the heart of themodern city. Palazzo VII Aprile, or Palazzo Sena-torio, built in 1576, stands here. The elegant andwell-proportioned facade of the building has twoseries of round arches, supported by whitecolumns, which frame the colonnade and opengallery above, topped by the clock-tower. On theopposite side of the square is the side of thebaroque Church of San Giuseppe. Piazza dellaRepubblica is dominated by the imposing 18thcentury facade of the Cathedral, dedicated toSaint Thomas of Canterbury, the building of whichbegan in 1628 on already existing Norman foun-dations and ended in the early 1700s. Along viaGaribaldi you reach the imposing 'Sea Gate', now

Marsala

In alto: busto di Garibaldi.A fianco: Chiesa del Purgatorio.

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called 'Garibaldi Gate', topped by the Royal eagleon the outward side. A short distance away, onthe left, the massive building of the Spanish Mili-tary Quarter stretches out, with its crowning mer-lons. It was built towards the end of the 16th cen-tury and is now the Town Hall.On the right, meanwhile, you can see the 18thcentury Church of the Addolorata, in the square ofthe same name. The interior of this church is of acentric design, in neo-classical style, and housesa statue of Our Lady, which is venerated by thepeople of Marsala. Nearby, Piazza Purgatorio isdominated by the baroque facade of the church ofthe same name, which was built at the end of the17th century and is now the site of the auditoriumof Santa Cecilia. Between viale Vittorio Veneto and viale Piave arethe most important remains from the Imperialage, consisting of the ruins of a villa, the so called'Insula Romana', which can be dated to the late2nd or early 3rd century AD.The Archaeological Museum is situated in the ex-Baglio Anselmi, suitably restored. A great varietyof archaeological artefacts found at Marsala,Mozia and in the surrounding district are on dis-play in the bright white rooms of the Museum. Inthe room on the left you can find archaeologicalartefacts from the prehistoric period right up tomediaeval times. The room on the right houses

the remains of a Punic ship from the 3rd centuryBC, discovered in the late 1960s in the waters ofthe lagoon.

MARSALA

In alto: veduta aerea dell’abitato di Marsala.In basso: veduta aerea delle saline, di Mozia e delle

isole dello Stagnone.

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Just north of Marsala the sea forms a sort oflagoon called 'Stagnone' (big pool), closed tothe east by the Sicilian coast and to the westby Isola Grande.In the centre of this lagoon there are threesmall islands: Santa Maria, La Scuola andSan Pantaleo. The latter is the site of one ofthe most important and richest Phoeniciancities in the West, Mozia.Current knowledge indicates that the monu-ments that have yielded most of the ancientmaterials from the historic period (late 8thcentury BC - early 7th century BC) are the'Tofet' and the necropolis. The 'Tofet' is situat-ed on the outskirts of the town (on the north-ern coast) as is the case of other Phoeniciansanctuaries of this type in the West. Blockedfrom view by high walls, its final size, after var-ious renovations, is about 800 sq. metres.Most of this area was intended for the placingof vases containing ashes from sacrifices,while a smaller area was set aside for wor-ship.The archaic necropolis, situated on the northcoast, a little to the east of the 'Tofet', wascharacterised mainly by tombs with crematedremains between the end of the 8th centuryBC and the mid-6th century BC (when the for-tifications that cross it were built).A road across the sea was built, consisting ofan embankment made of stone, about 1,700metres long, connecting Mozia to the Siciliancoast.This considerable engineering feat was prob-ably built in the second half of the 6th centuryBC, when most of the important public workswere carried out on Mozia. and still resistserosion from the sea today.The fortifications around the island constitutethe most important monument of Mozia. Thewalls are still visible in part today and consist-ed of a stone plinth, topped by a structure ofrough bricks, of which only a small part remainnear the North Gate.The 'cothon' (6th- 5th century BC) is a smallinland port used for the loading and unloadingof goods and is one of the most fascinatingmonuments of Mozia.The basin is of rectangular shape and wasconnected to the sea by a canal which could

take boats up to 19 metres long and 4.5metres wide.

Mozia

In alto: stele del “Tofet” esposte all’esterno delMuseo. In basso: statua marmorea del cosiddetto“Giovane di Mozia”, esposto presso il museo diMozia il cui nucleo originario è costituito dallacollezione archeologica che il Whitaker costituì con ireperti provenienti dagli scavi di Mozia e da altrelocalità del Circondario (Lilibeo, Birgi) nonché daoggetti da lui acquistati nel mercato antiquario.

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Selinunte can be reached along the SS115road.The ancient city, like the river Selinon (nowModione), which washed it to the west, takesits name from a variety of wild parsley thatgrew extensively in the area. This plant was somuch the symbol of the city that it wasengraved on the coins. The settlers fromMegara Iblea, sent by the motherland MegaraNisea, founded Selinunte around the mid-7thcentury BC due to the pressure for new lands,a fundamental means of production in theancient world. The foundation of the city was tothe detriment of the native population of Sicaniand Elimi, with whom relations were alwaysconflictual, indeed the historical ups anddowns of Selinunte depended largely on clash-es with the capital of the Elimi, Segesta. Thecity was built on a calcareous plateau, whichends in a short stretch of high coastline, easilydefendable from attacks from the sea, whichwas under the control of Phoenician ships. Theplateau, finishing with the acropolis, extendstowards the interior with the Manuzza hill,which was also part of the city. On two sidesthe city was washed by the rivers Cottone and

Selinus, whose mouths formed two inletshousing two separate ports. On the hills to theeast and west of the city were two holy com-plexes. The necropolis was obviously outsidethe town. The city was prosperous and heavily

Selinunte

In basso: veduta aerea dell’Acropoli di Selinunte.

68

populated from the beginning, as is demon-strated by its size and inscriptions and, aboveall, by the enormous dimensions of the necrop-olis.The beautiful setting of Selinunte, whose whiteruins stand out against the blue of the sea andsky, make your visit there all the more memo-

rable. The archaeological park, set up to pro-tect the various finds, is divided into four areas:1) The eastern hill with three temples called E,F and G.2) The acropolis hill to the west of the previouswalls and with temples O, A, C, B and D andthe 'mégaron'.3) The Manuzza hill, now practically deserted,to the north of the acropolis, the main centre ofthe Greek city.4) The holy area beyond the river Modione, inwhich is situated the sanctuary dedicated tothe Goddess Malphóros. The eastern hill has the gigantic ruins of threetemples very near one another and is effective-ly an out of town area, when considering thesite from an commercial point of view. TempleE, built between 460 and 450BC is the mostsoutherly of the three temples. The walls of the cella were decorated with afrieze, which went all the way round, withmetope (rectangular portion of Doric friezeswith motifs in bas-relief) sculpted in the cal-careous tuff, but with the naked parts of thebas-relief figures in marble. Four of thesemetope, which show mythical figures (Athena,Artemis, Apollo and Zeus), were found almostintact and are now kept in the ArchaeologicalMuseum in Palermo.The temple F is the smallest of the three and isin line with temple E and the adjacent templeG, perhaps along the route of a processionalroad, and it was built around 550/540BC. It hadsix columns at the front and fourteen on each

69

side and a long cella with a prŸnaos and anádyton, but without an opisthódomos. Finally,the imposing ruins of the majestic temple G,the largest of the Selinunte temples and one ofthe most grandiose of the whole Greek world(it was more than 100 metres long and 30metres high). The shaft of a column, restoredin 1832, emerging from the mass of ruins givesyou an idea of the size of the building. Theoriginal design of temple G is known, althoughits remains are all but a heap of ruins.. It is difficult to understand what form of wor-ship went on in temple G, as is the case for theother temples too. It probably must have beenan Apollonian or Olympian temple (dedicatedto Zeus).By crossing the village of Marinella or the drybed of the river Cottone, you can climb up tothe acropolis. On the northern slopes of the hillyou will immediately see the most importantpart of the city's fortifications: a colossal tieredconstruction that supported the terrace of thetemples. It is believed that the defensive sys-tem included city-walls, of which little is knownand which were destroyed in 409BC. Theacropolis appears to be largely surrounded bya line of fortifications with towers and gates,which is the result of a reconstruction carriedout in the first half of the 4th century BC usingthe remains of older walls. The north gate com-plex has three semicircular towers and under-ground catapults and communication trenchesand is one of the most majestic military struc-tures of ancient Sicily. There was a very deep

trench dug between the acropolis and the res-idential area of Manuzza, with a bridge thatgave access to the city.The southern zone of the acropolis appears tobe largely occupied by smaller buildings fromthe Punic period with terracotta floors includingmosaics of the sign of Tanit. To the north of thisarea are situated the ruins of the témenos,which enclosed the temples of the acropolis,split in half by a wide road from the Punic era.You find the ruins of temple O immediately infront of you - a Doric peripteral temple, with sixcolumns at the front and fourteen on each side,whose cella had a prónaos and an opisthódo-mos, of which only the foundations remain. Alittle further on stood temple A, which had anidentical design to the previous one, althoughit was slightly smaller; the visible remains areof the base and drums of fluted columns. By

S ELINUNTE

crossing the aforementioned Punic road, youfind yourself in the part of the témenos in whichthere are the greatest number of buildings. Thefirst building, going from south to north, is amégaron (sanctuary), a long construction witha cella and ádyton, which was used in Punictimes as an arms depot. Next comes the small

temple B, which was, maybe, a sanctuary ded-icated to Asklepius. It is a peripteral temple,preceded by a portico in the facade, with Ioniccolumns and Doric trabeation (in other words,the part above the columns is composed ofarchitrave, frieze and cornice). The limestoneis covered by a thick layer of plaster, which still

shows traces of polychromy. A square altar issituated in front of the temple. At the centre ofthe témenos stands temple C, the oldest andmost majestic of the temples of the acropolis,whose construction began around 560BC.Three of the sculpted metope that decoratedthe front remain and depict Hercules, Apollo,

Perseus and the Gorgon. Some of the remainsof temple C can be found in the ArchaeologicalMuseum in Palermo.

In basso: il Tempio E si erge in tutta la suamaestosità.

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If you intend to visit Mazara, we suggest startingwith a pleasant archaeological tour of the out-skirts. At Miragghianu there are the importantremains of a catacomb called of San Bar-tolomeo, or of the Beati Paoli; in the districts ofRoccazzo and Gattolo there are numeroustombs from the Bronze Age; in the Costa diPiraino zone you will find the remains of aRoman villa from the late Imperial age. Outsideof town, it is worth visiting the lookout tower ofMaskaro, situated in the district of Santa Maria,which was built in 1584 and has withstood thetest of time quite well and the Church of Madon-na dell'Alto, on a hill about a kilometre out of thecity. Also called Santa Maria delle Giummare(from the dialectal name for a type of dwarfpalm), it has a single quadripartite nave and, onthe outside, a small portico with two round,slightly ogive, arches opening on the left-handwall.You can start your walk around the centre ofMazara in via Marina, where you will see asplendid example of Arab-Norman architecture:the Church of San Nicolò Regale, otherwiseknown as Santa Niculicchia. It is a small squarebuilding with three apses, from the second halfof the 12th century, although the semicircularmerlons were added in the following century.Almost in front of the church is the canal-port ofMazara, the centre of life and trade in the city. Inthe morning especially, the port is crowded withfishermen arriving with fish to be auctioned, buy-ers and sightseers and echoes to the sound ofvoices and shouts.Not far away, in Piazza del'Immacolata, stands

the Church of Purgatorio or of San Calcedonio,built towards the end of the 1600s and charac-terised by a single nave with barrel vaults. Fromhere it easy to reach Piazza del Plebiscito,where you will see the facade of the 18th centu-ry Church of Sant'Ignazio and the imposing Col-legio dei Gesuiti (Jesuit College). Built of tuff inthe second half of the 17th century, it has a mon-umental facade with a portal framed by telam-ons, which leads into a rectangular courtyard,surrounded by a portico with round-headedarches. The lower floor houses the premises ofthe Multivalent Centre, which includes themunicipal library, the civic museum, the histori-cal archives and a museum of the fishing indus-try.A short distance away, in Piazza della Repubbli-ca, you can see one side of the Cathedral, whichwas built between 1086 and 1093 according tothe wishes of Roger. The only remaining parts ofthe Norman original are the apse and part of the

nave, on the wall of which is aByzantine fresco depicting ChristPantocrator and a wooden crossdating back to the 12th/13th cen-tury. Today the church has a basil-ican layout with three naves and aharmonious facade with threeorders. The lower order is domi-nated by a 17th century portal,framed by two columns andtopped by a high relief depictingRoger on horseback, victor overthe Arab leader Mokarta; in thesecond order, the semi-columnsthat circumscribe the statues of

Mazara

73

Christ and Our Lady take up the theme of theportal; in the upper order a central round windowstands out, surrounded by friezes and almostsupported by two angels. Inside there are stuc-coes from the late 17th century, paintings, amarble portal of 1525 by Berrettaro, sarcophagiin relief from the Roman era and, in the apse,the magnificent group of sculptures of the Trans-figuration, a masterpiece of Antonello and Anto-nio Gagini. A covered bridge links the Cathedralto the right wing of the Bishops' Palace, built inthe second half of the 16th century using a wingof the already existing Palazzo Chiaramonte. Inthe same square stands the 18th century Palaz-zo del Seminario, a splendid monumental build-ing in neo-classical style. Its facade wasdesigned by G.B.Amico and has a long proces-sion of arches in two superimposed orders, fromwhich come the lowercolonnade and the upperopen gallery, both withcross-vaults. On theground floor, you will findthe Diocesan Museum,which displays the treas-ure of the Bishops: old sil-ver objects, crosses, reli-quaries, ostensories andliturgical furnishings ofgreat value and beauty. Inthe background of thenearby Piazza Mokarta,you can see what remainsof Roger's Castle: theruins of a wall with anacute round arch, whichbelonged to the entrancedoor. From this square,you can take pleasantwalks: you can go shop-ping in Corso Umberto,relax in the pretty park or head for the simpleChurch of San Vito, which stands on theseashore.Having left Piazza Mokarta and arrived in Piaz-za Santa Caterina, you can visit the church ofthe same name, built in the early 14th centuryand restored in the 17th century. The massivefacade has a robust bell-tower beside it, withgoose-breast gratings, and is decorated with aportal framed by columns and embellished withangels, cornices and friezes. The interior has asingle nave with barrel vaults and is home tocanvases, frescoes and a delicate marble icon

depicting Saint Catherine, sculpted by AntonelloGagini. Not far away stands the Church of SantaVeneranda, in the baroque square of the samename, connected to the ex-Benedictinemonastery. Dating back to Norman times, it wasrebuilt and altered between the 17th and 18thcenturies. It has a facade characterised by aniron goose-breast balcony and two bell-towerswith pagoda spires. From here, it is easy toreach Piazza San Michele, with the church ofthe same name and the adjacent Benedictinemonastery, whose monks dedicate themselvesto the ancient art of embroidery and the prepa-ration of tasty cakes, according to traditionalrecipes. Next to the monastery there is a bell-tower with a small Oriental cupola. Founded inthe 12th century but rebuilt in the 17th century,the church has a single nave with a deep apse

and barrel vaults. The exte-rior is characterised by acupola, covered withmajolica tiles, and statuesof Saints, which occupy thenooks and cornices of therough facade. Inside therich decorations of stuc-coes, frescoes and bal-conies with goose-breastgrating are spaced out bytwenty statues of the Ser-potta school; the whole isembellished with a beauti-ful multi-coloured majolicafloor. From via Gotti, youcan set off to explore theold districts of La Giudeccaand San Francesco, withtheir labyrinth of narrowalleys and courtyards, laidout according to the tradi-tional Islamic town plan. In

the Arab quarter, now called the Kasbah, youwill find the Church of San Francesco d'Assisi,which was entirely rebuilt at the end of the 17thcentury on the site of a previous Normanchurch. The church has a single nave decoratedwith stuccoes and with barrel vaults. Thebaroque facade is decorated with friezes andthe bell-tower has aspire covered with majolica.

MAZARA

In alto: il Satiro Danzante.Nella pagina precedente,

in alto: San Nicolò Regale;in basso: collegio dei Gesuiti.

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Overlooked by Monte Inici, the town of Castel-lammare stands on the splendid gulf of thesame name, a privileged position that hasmade it a 'Mecca' for seaside tourism. It wasthe mysterious Elimi of Segesta who foundedthe first centre of Castellammare in order toengage in trade with foreign ships. The newtrade centre immediately found itself involvedin the struggle between Segesta and Selin-unte, which obviously made it necessary tofortify the town.In truth, the history of Castellammare is noth-ing but a series of fortifications. The most ver-satile occupiers of the site were certainly theArabs.They were specialised in fortresses and built atower that was the centre of attention for allthe future occupiers (indeed, from a tower itbecame a castle), set up a tuna fishing plant,constructed a 'loader' for transporting andtrading grain and, as was their custom,changed the name of the place to Al Madarig,in other words the steps, probably referring to

its impregnability.Before starting your visit to the town, we sug-gest you take a look at it 'from up above' bystopping at the pleasant viewpoint on theSS187 road.The view over Castellammare is decidedlycharming: a seemingly endless white beach,the sky merging with the deep blue crystal-clear sea, the castle seemingly anchored tothe jetty of the port and the fishermen's hous-es. Even if you have come to Castellammarefor its beach, don't forget, between swims, tohave a look at its monuments.Those of particular interest are: the baroqueChurch of Sant'Antonio di Padova charac-terised by its two bell-towers; the small Churchof Purgatory; the Cathedral with its imposing16th century style facade, which contains thealtar of Our Lady of Succour, patron of thetown.However, the most fascinating building is,without doubt, the Castle.

Castellammare del Golfo

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BAYS AND COVESLeaving Castellammare behind you, after a fewkilometres along the main road (the SS187towards Trapani), you reach the turn-off forScopello. The secondary road that leads to thecharacteristic town winds through a steppe-likearea covered, here and there, by bushes ofdwarf palm and flanked by the slopes of themountains on the left, covered by carob treesand olive trees. The stretch of the Gulf of Castel-lammare that comes into view is characterisedby a series of points and inlets along a highjagged coastline. The road first runs alongsidethe inlet of Cala Bianca,which takes its name from thecolour of its sheer cliffs andits white pebble beach; imme-diately afterwards come thesplendid Baia di Guidalocaand the cliff of Cala Rossa.You then arrive at a pointnear Scopello, where you cansee the faraglioni (crags)emerging impressively fromthe water, covered by prickly-pears, in front of the oldTuna-fishing Plant. After theTuna Plant of Scopello theroad leads to a tunnel, whichis the entrance to the ZingaroNature Reserve.

SEA AND FRIENDLY PEOPLEThe old 'baglio' of Scopello is a charming magi-cal place. If you have the opportunity, visit it intwo different periods of the year: it will be like vis-iting two completely different places. In winter itwill seem to be a place isolated from the rest ofthe world, silent and enchanted; in summer it willgive the image of being a folkloristic tourist town,noisy and lively.Which of these is the real soul of this little para-dise, you can decide for yourself but, in anycase, you will be charmed.

C ASTELLAMMARE - riserva dello Zingaro

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Segesta was certainly the political capital of theElimi and, along with Erice and Entella, one oftheir principal cities. Although Greek in its cus-toms and architecture, Segesta was in constantconflict with Selinunte because of the frontiersmarked by the upper stretches of the riverMazaro.At this point Segesta formed an alliance withCarthage and, in 409BC, decisively defeatedSelinunte. However, the alliance with Carthageangered Dionysius II the Elder, tyrant of Sira-cusa, who besieged the city in 397BC. The finalblow was delivered by Agathocles, anothertyrant of Siracusa, who conquered it and prac-tically destroyed it in 307BC.Segesta is situated in the administrative area ofCalatifimi, on Monte Barbaro (415 metres).Recent archaeological research has allowedthe experts to confirm that the city covered theentire area of the mountain, had two acropolis-es (called north and south acropolis), which fol-lowed the contours of the top of the mountainand were divided by a saddle, and was sur-rounded by two sets of walls from different peri-ods. The lower walls, from the classical age,had five gates and eleven square towers, whilethe higher ones, from the Hellenistic-Romanage, had thirteen towers and two gates. At the

highest point of the north acropolis the agorà ofthe Hellenistic-Roman city has been uncovered(225BC-50AD), set out on three terraces andsurrounded by porticoes. On the highest ter-race of the agorà, the remains of large publicbuilding with a portico have been found.In the district of Mango, on the western slopesof Monte Barbaro, about 800 metres from themain road, a sanctuary was partially uncoveredin the 1950s. This is marked by a large rectan-

Segesta

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gular témenos (83.4 metres by 47.8), whoseexterior is decorated with panels divided bywide grooves. Inside the témenos, the remainsof two Doric temples dating back to the 6th and5th centuries BC and of smaller buildings havebeen discovered.

UN TEMPIO STUPEFACENTEThe temple is situated on a hill on the slopes ofMonte Barbaro, just outside the old perimeterwalls. It can only be reached on foot, along ashort climb bordered with agaves, beyondwhich there is a beautiful view. It is a white tem-ple, solitary and imposing, which instils aweand respect. It seems to have always beenhere on this hill, a detached and insensitive wit-ness to the greatness and wretchedness ofman.Dating back to the 5th century BC, it was builtaccording to typical Doric architectural styleand is constituted by a stilobate (base) withthree steps, unfluted columns 9.36 metres inheight, six at the front and fourteen on eachside, 2.4 metres apart, whose trunk is made upof 10/12 drums. The columns have a slightbulge, which corrects optical illusions, a refine-ment that can also be found in the Parthenon inAthens. The structure is topped by architraveand friezes with two tympanums at the front. Itis open-air (the only open construction knownin the ancient world), without a cella of the Godand lacking in some refinements; indeed, the

blocks of stone in the steps are not chiselledand the abachi (square elements which crownthe capitals and on which the architrave rests)are not finished.

S EGESTA

In alto: il tempio di Segesta al tramonto.In basso: torre di avvistamento medievale.

Nella pagina precedente,in alto: colonnato del tempio di Segesta.

In basso: panoramica del tempio.

THE PANORAMIC THEATREAfter visiting the temple, you can return to thecar park area and go up to the theatre along a3.5km stretch of road. This can be done on footin about thirty minutes or, alternatively, you canuse the shuttle bus service, which leaves everyhalf hour.

The theatre is at a height of about 400 metreson the northern slopes of Monte Barbaro and,unlike other constructions of this type, facesnorth, probably to enjoy the splendid view,which takes in the sea and the mountains ofErice, Bonifato and Inici. The semicircularcavea is 63 metres in diameter and surrounded

on all sides by a strong perimeter wall. It hastwenty tiers of seats cut out of the rock and splitinto seven wedges leading down to the U-shaped orchestra. The latter had an under-ground passage, which allowed the actors toappear suddenly on the scene. The scene hasunfortunately been changed from the original

and consisted of a sumptuous two-storey build-ing bordered by two lateral walls adorned withfigures of Pan. The front part of the scene wasdecorated with two telamons.

In basso: panoramica del teatro.

San Vito Lo Capo, an old fishingtown that grew up around the16th century. The legend tellsthat the job of founding the townwas given to Santa Crescenziaand San Vito who, however hadto keep to a pact: never to turnback during their journey. SantaCrescenzia, however, turnedround when she arrived at thepoint where there is now achapel dedicated to her, so wasturned into stone; San Vito, onthe other hand, completed his mission. Thedelightful and arabesque chapel of SantaCrescenzia is a place of pilgrimage for people'pigghiati i scantu' (in other words shocked by asudden fear), who, according to tradition, haveto turn their back on the chapel and throw astone. They then go away without turninground. The picturesque town stands on the promonto-ry of Capo San Vito, at the point in which thehigh coastline spreads out to form a wide plat-

form, which has one of the most beautifulbeaches in Sicily. The most important monu-ment in San Vito is the Cathedral, called Sanc-tuary, with a characteristic quadrangulardesign, built in the 1600s on the site of a 16thcentury fortress, which, in its turn, substituted aprevious chapel visited by pilgrims since medi-aeval times.

San Vito

In alto: la Chiesa Madre di San Vito.In basso: il porto di San Vito e Monte Monaco.

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Puoi avanzare tutti i pretesti di questomondo, ripeterti che per te è un cibo nuovo,che potrebbe risultarti eccessivamente pic-cante, che non è per niente indicato per lostato di perenne cura dimagrante che osses-siona la tua vita, puoi far finta di ignorarlonelle carte dei ristoranti. Al momento didecidere, provi persino piacere nel pronun-ziare il suo nome. A San Vito Lo Capo, cous-cous. Couscous di pesce. Qui è consacratopiatto tipico e ogni anno, a settembre, ha ilsuo bravo festival con una manifestazione diassoluto rispetto, che travalica gli ambitiangusti della gastronomia, per assurgere asignificati di politica aggregante tra i popoli diciviltà mediterranea. A me il couscous piace,ma ciò che mi entusiasma è l’atmosfera dacouscous che accompagna la pietanza. Ilcouscous è altra cosa e richiede tutta unafase preparatoria farcita di desiderio, pazien-za e amore per una cultura che ti sta nascos-ta dentro e che diventa indispensabile tirarefuori. Ecco, un buon couscous nasce già inquesta fase preparatoria, nella scelta delpesce da zuppa, nella ricerca degli aromi,nella consapevolezza che se lo vuoi per ilpranzo la semola devi lavorarla (’ncucciarla)di buon mattino, quando le tue energie hannoancora sapore di freschezza più di quel

pesce e di quelle spezie che hai davanti.Devi accettare e condividere la flemmaticitàdi un incessante movimento rotatorio delledita che ’ncoccianu la semola di grano durocon un filino di acqua salata e che continu-ano con la cannella in polvere, il pepe nero eil trito di mandorle, aglio, cipolle, prezzemoloe olio d’oliva, come invocazioni musulmaneuna dopo l’altra sui grani di un rosario. Operad’arte nemica della fretta, lo capisci subito.Anche per quell’ora e mezza abbondanteche richiede la cottura a vapore. E poi, illungo riposo dopo averlo bagnato con brododi pesce. Lento, flemmatico, sedentario esolare, questo è il couscous, come gli Arabiche ce lo hanno trasmesso, come quella mil-lenaria abitudine all’attesa sedentaria di cuisiamo impastati.

Tratto da “Storie, cose ed emozioni” di Enzo Battaglia

Couscous

SUGGESTED EXCURSIONSWe recommend two pleasant excursions forlovers of archaeology and nature: a walk alongthe coast to discover the numerous caves thatopen up in the calcareous rock ofthe promontory, both to the east(Capreria cave, Ciaravelli caveand tonnara del Secco) and tothe west (Racchio cave, CalaMancina cave, Isulidda cave andPerciata cave), in many of whichincisions and paintings can befound; the not too difficult climb,or if you prefer drive, up MonteMonaco (532 metres), whichdominates the two gulfs of

Castellammare and Cofano and is home tonow rare birds of prey, such as the Bonellieagle.

S AN VITO LO CAPO

A fianco: la bellissima spiaggia di SanVito Lo Capo con il Monte Monaco.

If you want a relaxing holiday, the Egadi archi-pelago is the ideal place to go. The mere men-tion of the Egadi Islands evokes images ofswimming in crystal clear blue water, sun-bathing, peace and tranquillity. The only prob-lem is choosing one of the three principalislands which, along with the islets of Maraoneand Formica, make up this archipelago: Favig-nana, Levanzano, Marettimo. After all theEgadi Islands (whose ancient name is Aegadesor Aegates, meaning goat islands) are easy toreach. The archipelago is so close to the coastthat it is part and parcel of the landscape.Despite being so near the coast, they maintain,like all islands, a sense of mystery that fires theimagination of even the most disenchantedtourist. Since prehistoric times men of variousraces and cultures have passed through here:Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Normans,Spaniards and Turks. If you decide to visit theEgadi Islands, you’ll discover that myth and his-tory are still very much alive here.It is an understatement to say that beach-loversare spoilt for choice. There are so many beach-

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Egadi

es, rocky and sandy, that it can be confusing.The best thing to do is to get on a bike and tryall of them. Let’s take them in order: rockybeaches - Cala Rossa has superb naturalscenery. Climb up its rocks or swim out andadmire it: fantastic. The Cala del Bue Marino isone of the best loved beaches for bathers as itwas for the seals that used to live here andgave the bay its name. Cala Rotonda is lovely.Punta Sottile has a wonderful view and crystalclear water. What can we say about PuntaMarsala, Grotta Perciata, Punta Lunga, PuntaFerro and Punta Faraglione? Try them, trythem all and you’ll thank us.For those who prefer sand there is a widechoice including the lovely little beach of CalaAzzura, the large beach of Lido Burrone withchanging rooms, showers and bar and thebeach of Marasolo. Clear blue sea, white sandand beautiful beaches. What more can you askof an island?Finally, some advice for lovers of diving. Thebest places for diving are Punta Marsala,Secca del Tonno, Cala Marasolo, Punta Fanfa-lo and in the underwater cavern between CalaRotonda and Scoglio Corrente. The coastline isa series of headlands and caves including theGrotta dei Sospiri (Cave of Whispers) and theGrotta degli Innamorati (Cave of Lovers).

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In alto: grotta Bombarda a Marettimo.In basso: il Faraglione di Levanzo. Nella pagina

a fianco, in alto: Cala Rossa; in basso: la mattanza.

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Pantelleria is so extraordinary as to be almostimpossible to describe. It is... grandiose, also interms of size: it is the third of the minor Italianislands after Elba and Sant’ Antioco. You mustbear in mind that it is impossible to visit theisland without some means of transport. Just ashort distance from Tunisia, Pantelleria has atypically Mediterranean climate, with hot sum-mers, mild winters, scarce rainfall and constantwind. Strangely the people of Pantelleria havenever been great fishermen, even though theyhave one of the most beautiful parts of theMediterranean at their disposal, and they have

always concentrated on agriculture. Zibibbograpes and capers are grown in huge quanti-ties, with the help of the fertile volcanic soil, andprotected from the wind by drystone wallboundaries.Pantelleria is an island for all tastes: hiking, spatreatment, seaside holidays, underwater fishingand photography, bird-watching, archaeologyand mineral collecting.

A Green and Black Pearl

In alto: Lago di Venere.In basso: abitato di Pantelleria.Nella pagina a fianco: Arco dell’Elefante.

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The town of Caltanissetta is situated in the centre ofSicily, surrounded by hilly wooded countryside, over-looking the Salso Valley from the foot of Monte SanGiuliano.The town has ancient origins, inscriptions indicatingthat it was founded by the Romans in the area nearMonte Gal El Abib, but it was not until the arrival of theByzantines in the late 8th century that it moved to itspresent site, where the Castle of Pietrarossa oncestood, dominating the valley right down to the RiverSalso. However, it was probably the Arabs, who gavethe town its name, calling it Qal’at al-nisa, “castle ofwomen”. The earliest reliable historical evidence, how-ever, dates from the Norman period, when CountRoger de Hauteville occupied the area, defeating theArabs and conquering the Castle of Pietrarossa. TheNorman presence is testified by the two beautifulbuildings. The Abbazia di Santo Spirito was builtaccording to the wishes of Count Roger, probably onthe site of a pre-existing Byzantine place of worshipand incorporating certain architectural elements of anancient Arab manor house. It was consecrated in 1153and was the town’s first parish church.The Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, commonlycalled “la Vetere”, stands close to the Castle ofPietrarossa; unfortunately, nothing is left of the originalinterior of the building but you can still see the typical-ly Norman layout, which includes a single nave. Themain western door is of particular importance, deco-rated with interesting friezes.The Church of Sant’Agata, with the adjacent JesuitCollege, is a late 16th century building of particularbeauty and certainly one of the most sumptuous reli-gious buildings in Caltanissetta, constructed accord-ing to the wishes of Lady Luisa Moncada and her sonPrince Francesco, who wanted to make Caltanissettaone of the most important cultural centres in Sicilyand, among other things, invited the Jesuits to take upresidence in the town, giving them control of thischurch. The church has a Greek cross layout; the inte-rior is covered with marble decorations and stuccoesthat simulate the texture of marble and the walls aredecorated with interesting frescoes and attractive bas-reliefs, while the altar is enhanced by a beautifulfrontal inlaid with marble and hardstones. The impres-sive College building is now home to the “LucianoScarabelli” Municipal Library. The Cathedral ofSanta Maria la Nuova was built between 1560 and1620; the name “la Nuova” was added to distinguish itfrom the church of the same name constructed during

the Norman period. The cathedral has a wide façadewith two orders, divided by pilaster strips and twoimposing bell-towers rising above Piazza Garibaldi inthe town centre. The cathedral has a Latin cross lay-out with three naves supported by fourteen arches,each one inspired by a character from the Old Testa-ment.The ceiling of the central nave is decorated with love-ly frescoes, many of which are the work of GuglielmoBorremans (1670-1744), a Flemish artist who livedmainly in Italy and was active particularly in Sicily andCampania. The second chapel on the right houses aparticularly beautiful wooden statue of the ImmaculateVirgin (1700). Other important marble and woodensculptures are to be found in the chapel next to themain one. There is also a fine altarpiece by Borre-mans on the high altar.Piazza Garibaldi, which is overlooked by the cathe-dral, is the heart of Caltanissetta and is also home toa monument which is considered to be the symbol ofCaltanissetta: this is the famous Fontana del Tritone,sculpted by the local artist Michele Tripisciano in1890, made up of an attractive group of bronze sculp-tures depicting a triton driving a seahorse and two seamonsters chasing him. Among the important archaeo-logical sites bearing witness to the pre-Greek originsof Caltanissetta, it is worth remembering the site ofSabucina, situated on the mountain of the samename, which was built by the Sicans and is particular-ly interesting because it was inhabited as early as theBronze Age and right up to the classical period. Thishas been the site of important finds, such as somerock tombs, a hut used as a sanctuary, as well as thefamous “Sacello di Sabucina” (see ArchaeologicalMuseum). The archaeological site of Gibil-Habib,home to prehistoric and Greek settlements, is about25 km from Caltanissetta. This site is also very impor-tant because of the wide variety of buildings andobjects that have been found here from the 19th cen-tury right up to the present day. Caltanissetta is home

Caltanissetta

The town of Gela overlooks the largest gulf inSicily and was one of the first and most impor-tant sites of the Greek colonisation of Sicily,being founded in 689 B.C., on the site of pre-vious Sikel settlement, by settlers fromRhodes and Crete, who gave the town thesame name as that of the river running throughit, Gela. It is thought that it was Gela that cre-ated, among other sub-colonies, Akragas,present day Agrigento, and that Gela was alsothe first colony in Sicily to set up a tyrannicalform of government, with widespread effects,given that Gela succeeded in conqueringnumerous other important Greek colonies,even defeating the very powerful city of Syra-cuse.Gela gradually lost its importance and by theRoman era it had become nothing more than amodest village; then, when the Arabs arrived inSicily, they called it the “city of columns”because of the remains of its ancient glorylying scattered around, after the city had beendestroyed several times.In 1233 Frederick II rebuilt the town and forti-fied it, building the Castelluccio, but theancient beauty of Gela was lost forever andindeed recent history has seen the devastationof the town, thanks to the post-war buildingboom.Now Gela is growing again as a tourist desti-nation, promoting itself as an importantarchaeological centre, seaside town and hometo the Biviere, the largest coastal lake in Sici-ly, which has been made a Nature Reserve.There are numerous archaeological sitesaround Gela. At Capo Soprano we find theremains of fortifications, the TimoleonteeWalls, dating back to the 4th century B.C.About 400 metres of walls have been brought

to light, mostly in excellent condition and builtusing peculiar materials: large square blocksof sandstone in the lower part of the walls anda thick layer of unbaked or “sun baked” bricksin the upper part.Nearby, we can find the remains of the Hel-lenistic Spa (4th century B.C.), composed ofabout forty pools and equipped with a sophis-ticated underground heating and drainage sys-tem. The area of the Acropolis is made up ofthe remains of houses, shrines, workshopsand walls, to the north of which a we find theruins of the sacred area, with the foundationsof three temples. All that remains of theAthenaion is a Doric style column (almost 8metres high), which is one of the symbols ofthe city. To the south of the Acropolis, in theLIttorio Wood, we find the archaic GreekEmporium complex (7th-6th century B.C.),which housed workshops, warehouses andshops. Its importance is testified to by theinteresting underwater archaeological discov-eries in the Gulf of Gela, where the wrecks ofthree ships have been found, one of whichwas recovered.The Regional Archaeological Museum is dedi-cated to Greek and prehistoric art, Normanceramics and ancient coins. It houses numer-ous important artefacts uncovered in the Geladistrict and in the depths of the Gulf.

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to various museums, the most important being: theArchaeological Museum, situated next to theAbbazia di Santo Spirito, housing a large number ofartefacts, including the famous “Sacello di Sabucina”,a stone model of a small temple with a pronaos inantis, supported by a pedestal and with the tympanumdecorated with apotropaic figures and Dioscuri onhorseback on the edge of the roof; the DiocesanMuseum, in Viale Regina Margherita, houses various

collections from the churches of the surrounding area,including numerous paintings, vases and religiousvestments. Caltanissetta is home to the RegalpetraLiterary Park, named after the famous Sicilian writerLeonardo Sciascia, who attended a school where hewas taught by Vitaliano Brancati, who became hismodel and guide. The town was also the birthplace ofthe famous playwright and journalist Pier MariaRosso di San Secondo.

C ALTANISSETTA - GELA

Gela

EnnaAttractively perched on a rugged mountain top,Enna occupies a peculiar position in manyrespects: firstly, it is the geographical centre ofSicily; secondly, its location on a highpoint ofthe Erei mountain range makes it the highestprovincial capital in Sicily (at 931 metres, orjust over 3,000 feet, above sea level), andindeed in the whole of Italy; finally, it is the onlySicilian province without a coastline.Its charm and peculiar character, which haveso far been unfairly neglected by the touristindustry, derive directly from its geographicalposition: indeed, Enna is the “Belvedere dellaSicilia”, its picturesque narrow streetsstretched out along a mountain ridge whichoverlooks the upper valley of the River Dit-taino, offering views of incomparably beautifulcountryside, allowing a glimpse of the otherface of Sicily, which is just as fascinating andattractive as the better known scenery associ-ated with sea and beaches.The climate in Enna is also different from thatfound in the rest of Sicily: cold weather, fog andsnow (the latter now quite rare) create anunusual atmosphere during winter, while insummer it is unlikely you will find the sameunbearable heat in Enna that you will meet inthe rest of Sicily. The district once called San-t’Anna, now known as “Enna Bassa”, expand-ing rapidly and administratively part of the townof Enna, has a slightly less rigid climate, being

situated at the foot of the mountain, about 250metres (810 feet) lower.The natural stronghold position of Enna, apartfrom making it one of the quietest and mostpleasant Sicilian towns to live in, has also influ-enced its long history. The Romans describedit as Urbs inexpugnabilis (unconquerabletown), arriving here after the Sicans, the Sikelsand the Greeks, and before the Arabs, Nor-mans, Suevians, Aragonese.The Lombardia Castle is one of the largest inSicily and the main attraction for visitors to thetown. It stands on ground occupied in the 5th

century B.C. by a sanctuary dedicated toCerere, which the Byzantines turned into acastrum and then became the site of the cas-tle built by the Normans. Originally it had 20towers, of which 6 survive, the most importantone being the Pisana Tower, topped with bat-tlements. The choice of this site was perfect:the austere castle takes you back in time andfrom the wide green open space in front youcan enjoy views that take in the north andsouth coasts of Sicily, as well as much of thecentral and eastern parts of the island.The same can be said for the nearby Rocca diCerere, which faces east and was a place ofworship from its settlement in the 14th centuryB.C., later linked to the sanctuary created onthe site where the castle now stands.In the centre of the public park, on a woodedhill, stands the octagonal Tower of FrederickII, built on the orders of the emperor of thesame name (13th century) in order to controlan otherwise unprotected part of the town.

In alto: il Castello di Lombardia.A fianco: il Duomo.

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Enna Cathedral was built in the 14th century,but was restored during the baroque period fol-lowing a fire that caused serious damage. Ithas three naves and the same number ofapses with imposing Corinthian columns andhouses valuable works of art, including fres-coes by the Flemish artist Borremans. A widestairway leads up to the façade and the bulkybell-tower dominates the town.The Sanctuary of Papardura is wedged into asheer rock face overlooking the lush RizzutoValley. It has a fascinating history of religiousdevotion, which grew up ‘around’ an ancientholy image, discovered in 1659, painted on therock inside a cave. The inside of the single

nave church is decorated with stuccoes bySerpotta and has a wooden ceiling which wasadded later.The church is surrounded by twelve life-sizestatues depicting the Apostles.5 km from Enna is the Pergusa Lake SpecialNature Reserve, which was set up to protectand enhance this lake encircled by the Per-gusa motor-racing circuit, a Sicilian sportingvenue with a prestigious history and promisingfuture. The district of Pergusa is home to alarge number of hotels and other types ofaccommodation as numerous internationalsporting events are held here.

I RITI DI CALTANISSETTAQuelli di Caltanissetta sono fra i riti meglioorganizzati. Le tradizionali processioni cheormai da decenni si snodano all’interno delcentro cittadino fanno parte di un calendariogestito dalle maestranze e dai vari enti pubblicicittadini incaricati della promozione turistica.Gli appuntamenti più rilevanti si svolgono ilmercoledì, con le cosiddette varette cioè i grup-pi statuari della Via Crucis in scala ridotta, esoprattutto il giovedì pomeriggio, con le rappre-sentazioni scultoree dellevarie fasi della Passioneche vengono trasportate,per tutta la serata, per levie della città dalle maes-tranze che hanno cura diciascun gruppo e gareg-giano anche nella bellezzadegli addobbi floreali. L’ap-puntamento più sentitodella Settimana Santa aCaltanissetta resta, però,quello del venerdìpomeriggio intorno alle 17,quando il simulacro di unesile Cristo nero, ritrovatocasualmente in campagna, viene portato sullespalle dagli appartenenti alla confraternita defogli amari, ovvero dai rappresentanti di quelliche un tempo facevano come mestiere i rac-coglitori di erbe selvatiche mangerecce. Gliappartenenti a questa confraternita intonano

ancora oggi antiche ed incomprensibili nenieche vengono cantate solo in occasione dellaprocessione del Cristo nero.

IL VENERDÌ SANTO A BUTERATutto il paese viene coinvolto dai riti della Setti-mana Santa. Il Venerdì Santo di Butera, uncentro collinare a pochi chilometri da Gela, nonha la notorietà di altri riti religiosi dedicati allaPassione, ma ha la singolare caratteristica diessere cadenzato da quattro diverse proces-

sioni organizzate dalleparrocchie del piccolocentro durante l’interagiornata. A partire dallamattinata i quattro cortei,con i rispettivi simulacri,rievocano i diversimomenti della Passione:l’Ecce Homo (ore 10,chiesa di San Giuseppe),la Salita al Calvario (ore13.30, chiesa di Maria SSdelle Grazie), il Cristo Cro-cifisso (ore 17, chiesa diSanta Maria di Gesù), ilCristo Morto “ncatalettu”

(ore 21.30 chiesa Madre). Le processioni delleore serali possiedono indubbiamente un fasci-no maggiore, grazie ai lunghi cortei che attra-versano lentamente le strette stradine del cen-tro storico accompagnati da mesti motivi musi-cali.

Le feste di Pasqua

E NNA

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Piazza ArmerinaThe history of the town of Piazza (Armerina wasadded in 1862) began in Norman times, but thearea was already inhabited in prehistoric times, asis demonstrated by the archaeological finds onMonte Navone and, above all, on Montagna diMarzo. The area must have flourished in theRoman era: this can be seen from the splendidRoman Villa Casale, dating from the early 4th cen-tury AD, with its world famous mosaic floors.You experience a feeling of wonder when youcatch sight of the cupola of the Cathedral risingup above the roof-tops, as you make your wayalong via Roma and into Piazza Garibaldi. Ittowers above the façade of the Palazzo di città(18th century), the Palazzo Capodarso (18thcentury), the church of Fundrò (17th century)and the ex-Benedictine monastery (17th centu-ry), almost as if tounderline its architec-tural superiority over allthe other monumentsof the town. All thesebuildings are notablefor their simplicity andelegance and, althoughthey can each beadmired independently,they can also be con-sidered as a singlearchitectural complex.Each building fits har-

moniously into the framework of the beautifulPiazza Garibaldi, the pulsating heart of thetown. From this square streets lead off into theold town, where every stone has a story to tell ifyou look carefully and appreciate the intrinsicbeauty of the buildings. To Piazza S. Rosalia,here you will see Palazzo Trigona di Canicarao(17th century) on the right, a noble 17th centu-ry residence. Further on, you arrive in PiazzaDuomo, dominated by the imposing mass of theCathedral. It took nearly three centuries to buildthis colossal monument, with its majestic portaland tortile columns and the Gothic-Catalanstyle bell tower; the statue of Baron Marco Trig-ona, portrayed offering the Cathedral to thetown. Overlooking the square is Palazzo Trigo-na della Floresta (18th century). The Aragonese

Castle was built at theend of the 14th centuryand was the residenceof King Martin I ofAragon for a long time.It has a quadrilaterallayout with quadrangu-lar towers and looksover a wide valley.

In alto: vedutapanoramica della città.A fianco: statua delbarone Marco Trigona.

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1 Praefurnia - Ovens for heating thewater and air of the spa complex2/A Male Calidarium; 2/B Sauna; 2/C Female Calidarium3 Tepidarium 3/A Room for greasing and massage afterbathing. 4 Frigidarium - Seascapes in the centreand bathing scenes in some of the niches 5 Large latrine6 Shrine of Venus6/A Spa Vestibule for servants7 Polygonal courtyard with Ionic columns8 Ancient entrance to the Villa, originallywith 3 arches9 Adventus Vestibule - Guests weregreeted in this room10 Peristyle - Rectangular four-sidedportico with 32 columns10/A Garden containing large pond withstatue of Cupid11 Votive shrine for worship of the Lareswho protected Roman households12 Courtyard13 Latrine with mosaics depicting runningwild animals14 Large gymnasium - The mosaics depictchariot races in the Circus Maximus15 Trapezoidal Vestibule - The mosaicsprobably depict Eutropia, Maximianus’wife and mistress of the Villa, with herchildren16 Arab or Norman furnace room17 Servants’ room with geometrical

mosaics17/A Kitchen with basin18 Room with star patterned mosaic19 Rectangular room without mosaics20 Bedroom with dance or theatre inspireddecorations21 Four seasons room22 Fishing cupids room23 Small Hunting Room - Hunters makinga sacrifice to Diana 24 Servants’ room with octagonalpatterned mosaic25 Servants’ bedroom. Square patternedmosaics26 Large Hunting Ambulacrum or corridor(60 metres long)26/A On the left: apse with mosaicsdepicting Mauritania (Africa)26/B On the right: apse with mosaicsshowing scenes from India or Armenia27 Servants’ room with geometricalpatterned mosaic28 Room depicting ten girls in “bikinis”doing gymnastics29 Diaeta of Orpheus - Rectangular roomfor listening to music 30 Xystus - Wide open-air atrium inan ellipsoid shape30/A Triclinium kitchen30/B Corridor linking the four-sidedportico with the Xystus31 Putti pressing grapes;32 Cupids harvesting grapes;33 Vine growing;

34 Cupids fishing;35 Eroti fishing;36 Seafaring putti37 Triclinium - Large dining-hall withapses on three sides38 Secondary aqueduct39 Castellum Aquae (water collection tank)40 Octagonal latrine for members of thefamily 41 Diaeta of Arion - The mistress’ssitting-room41/A Atrium with semicircular portico withIonic columns and central impluvium42 Vestibule of the small circus - mosaicsof chariots driven by children43 Bedroom (cubicle) used by themistress’s daughter44 Vestibule of Eros and Pan - The mosaicshows Eros and Pan wrestling45 Bedroom used by one of the children ofthe owner of the Villa. In the ante-roommosaics with children hunting46 Basilica - Large hall for officialfunctions47 Vestibule of Polyphemus - Largemosaic portraying Ulysses andPolyphemus48 Fruit cubicle - Bedroom used by themistress (domina) of the Villa. Themosaics in the ante-room depict laurelwreaths with fruit49 Bedroom used by the owner of the Villa.Mosaic with erotic scenes

LAYOUTOF THE ROMAN VILLA

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Among the large country houses of the late Romanperiod, the Villa of Casale is perhaps the best pre-served of those surviving. It is especially famousfor the splendid mosaic floors that decorate almostall the rooms and is considered to be one of themost important Roman monuments in the world. Itis composed of four groups of buildings on four dif-ferent levels (following the slope of the hillside), setin peaceful green countryside at the foot of MonteMangone, in the Gela river valley.Its existence had been known of for some consid-erable time, but only in 1881 did digging begin andonly since 1950 have there been serious efforts touncover it systematically and to preserve it; theservants quarters still remain to be uncovered.

The building (2nd century AD), was originally asimple construction, but was enlarged and rebuiltat the end of the 3rd century so as to become a lux-urious country house in the centre of a large es-tate. The estate was composed of a small villageand several mansiones (farms) where slaves andprocuratores (overseers) were engaged in culti-vating the fertile land.Nearby, there was a place used for as a stop-offpoint and market place called Philosophiana, onthe road connecting Catania to Agrigento, men-tioned in the “Itineraria Antoninii”, a sort of touristguide book of the 1st century AD.The new owner of the Villa could have been a richlandowner, a Senator, or even the Emperor Max-

The Roman Villa of Casale

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imianus himself, a man of humble origins fromPannonia.He became Emperor after having served in theRoman army as a General under Diocletian, whoappointed him co-regent and gave him the nameof Herculius (under the divine protection of Her-cules).He achieved numerous military victories, particu-larly in Gaul, and was Emperor from 286 to 305 AD.The richly decorated Villa could date back to theage of Maximianus but some researchers date itlater.Stylistically the mosaics are similar to those inTunisia and Algeria around 300 AD.The mosaic designs, made of African stone help in

the task of dating them: the hairstyles and beardsof the figures were fashionable at that time; thecylindrical hats worn by state officials and militaryofficers are of Illyrian type, popular at the time ofDiocletian, and the stick with a mushroom shapedhandle carried by some of the dignitaries comesfrom the tetrarchy period.The capitals of the columns found in several roomsbelong to a type mass produced at the time of Dio-cletian and were also used in the Palace in Split.

In alto: Sala degli Amorini Pescatori.Nella pagina precedente,

in alto: Sala della Piccola Caccia.In basso: Sala della Grande Caccia.

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Throughout the Villa the common theme is that ofHercules, symbol of the reigning Emperor, accord-ing to a panegyric of 289 AD, offered by the Emper-or Maximianus Herculius, who compared his vic-tories to the labours of Hercules.It is interesting to note that the Liber Pontificalisrefers to Constantine’s possessions in Sicily(around Catania) and it is possible that he inherit-ed these lands from Maxentius, son of Maximi-anus, after having defeated him in 312.Continuing along the avenue you arrive at the firstof the four levels on which the Villa is built.

This level is a spa complex, including pools, a gym-nasium and a sauna, equipped with a heating sys-tem that allowed hot air to circulate under the floorand in the cavities between the brickwork of thewalls.The spa in the Villa is a small scale reproduction ofthose which graced every Roman town and werewidely used both in Rome and in every province ofthe Empire. Hot air was circulated through the cav-ities under the floors, which rested on brick sup-ports in order to allow this to happen. Having concluded your visit to the spa, you moveon to the second level, before entering the Villaproper, and here you will find the Large latrine (5),the Shrine of Venus (6), the Polygonal courtyard(7) and the original three-sided entrance to theVilla (8).The POLYGONAL COURTYARD (7), it is a spa-cious courtyard, surrounded by eleven columnswith Ionic style capitals, once the atrium (entrancehall) of the Villa. Visitors in the 3rd century ADwould certainly have been impressed by themajesty of the entrance hall: three wide archesgave access to the Villa. The central entrance archwas 4.5 metres wide and those to the side meas-ured 2.6 metres. ADVENTUS VESTIBULE (TABLINIUM) (9)Gave access to the large colonnade of the Villaand it was here that guests were welcomed.Climbing a few steps from the Vestibule you comeinto the beautiful Peristyle: a wide rectangularfour-sided portico surrounded by 32 columns withcapitals in Corinthian style supporting roofs juttingout into the garden. The garden was once home topeacocks, pheasants and doves and is now full oftrees and box-tree hedges.Following the walkway you can observe the Large

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Gymnasium of the Villa from above. It is a rectan-gular room with an apse on either side. The domi-nus and his family entered through the Vestibule(15). The design decorating the floor depictedchariot races in the Circus Maximus in Rome.ROOM OF THE FISHING CUPIDS (22)The mosaic is in good condition and depicts fourboats with cupids fishing and a sea full of fish.LARGE HUNTING AMBULACRUM (26)In this room you can see the most beautiful mo-saics of the whole complex.It is called the ”Large Hunting Ambulacrum” be-cause of the magnificent hunting scene represent-ed here. The Ambulacrum served as access to therooms used by the dominus (47/49), to the Basilica(46) and to the rooms occupied by the domina andthe children (41/45) situated to the right of theBasilica.The room is basically a 65 metre long corridor, withan apse at either end, decorated by mosaics de-picting the personifications of two Romanprovinces. The whole central part of the room is oc-cupied by the hunting scene, which takes place inthe African countryside, with buildings and colon-nades, on a hillside near a river and the sea.ROOM OF THE GIRLS IN “BIKINI” (28)The present mosaic depicts ten girls doing gym-nastics or taking part in some kind of race. The fig-

ure in a tunic is acting as a referee and is offering acrown to one of the winners.The gymnasts are extremely modern looking,wearing subligar, the briefs of that time, and strop-kion, a sort of top. TRICLINIUM (37) The Triclinium is a large square dining room withthree apses and an entrance with two columns.This is where the dominus received his importantguests. The origin of the name triclinium derives from theancient habit of setting out three sofas perpendi-cular to one another, with a table in the centre.The mosaics in the central part of the room depictthe twelve mythological labours of Hercules.The imposing Basilica (46) is the largest room inthe Villa and was reached by passing through theLarge Hunting Ambulacrum. The basilica was theplace where the basileus (emperor or king)reigned, imparted justice and received importantguests.

P IAZZA ARMERINA

In alto: Sala delle Ragazze in Bikini.Nella pagina precedente, in alto: basamento

su cui poggiava la vasca per riscaldare l’acqua;in basso a sinistra: il Tepidarium;

a destra: tubi di argilla attraverso i qualiveniva introdotta l’aria calda.

The walls were once decorated with beautiful mar-ble, remains of which can be seen at the base ofthe walls. In the apse, slightly higher than the rest

of the room, was the Emperor’s throne.Vestibule of Polyphemus (47)This luxurious room was entered through theLarge Hunting Ambulacrum. The room was usedas a vestibule for the bedrooms (48-49) occu-pied by the dominus and by the domina of theVilla. The walls are decorated with mouldedsquares and the entrance doorway still has thefour holes for the door hinges. The real beautyof this room, however, is in the mosaic, whichportrays the Cyclops Polyphemus and Ulysseswith some of his companions in a cave. Theenormous Cyclops, with three eyes, a beard andlong hair, is seated on a rock, naked and with aram on one of his legs, while Ulysses hands hima crater full of wine. This Homeric theme is oftento be found in Roman mosaics.BEDROOM WITH EROTIC SCENE (49)Moving to the left, you come into the bedroom usedby the dominus.This room has a rectangular alcove with two stonepillars.

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P IAZZA ARMERINA

In alto: Vestibolo di Polifemo.A fianco: Cubicolo della Scena Erotica.

This was an architecturally beautiful city andone of great historical importance in the eventsof ancient history in Sicily.Morgantina is situated in the heart of Sicily at apoint where the mountainous interior begins toslope down eastwards into the Gornalunga val-ley, towards the vast plain of Catania and theIonian coast.The site on which the city stood was, therefore,of great strategic importance, so much so that itwas already inhabited in prehistoric times(early bronze age).In addition to its strategic importance, it wasalso a zone with a very good water supply andfertile land, unlike most of the arid countrysideof the Sicilian interior.You can begin your visit to the ruins at theCitadel since it is the site of the first settlement(founded around the beginning of the 2nd mil-lennium BC).This place was chosen by the first settlers, theMorgeti, because it was the highest point andthus the most easily defended.After a long period of abandonment the Citadelwas refortified around the middle of the 3rdcentury BC.The area with most monuments is the agora,the heart of classical and Hellenistic cities.

Built between the late 4th and early 3rd cen-turies BC. The construction of the theatre in thesouth-western corner of the lower agora datesfrom the same period.On the eastern side of the lower agora there is along building with adjacent rooms of varyingsizes.For this reason, this building has been identi-fied as the public granary of Morgantina,.In the northern stoa the end wall was occupiedby a series of public buildings, including theprytaneum and the gymnasium.In the western corner of the area bordered bythe stoai, there is a rectangular building with acourtyard leading into a large room. In this roomthere is a semicircular foundation, followed bya rectangular one, leading experts to believethat this was the bouleuterion, the meetingplace for the city assembly, a kind of senate.The hillsides to the east and west of the agorawere home to the wealthy inhabitants of Mor-gantina.One of the most impressive residences is theso-called “House with the Doric capital”. Someof the rooms had mosaic or earthenware floors.

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As the ferry leaves from the coast of Calabriato cross the short stretch of sea separating itfrom the other side you begin to feel the intox-icating sensation given by the knowledge thatyou have undertaken a journey into anotherdimension, into history, in a land of legends.Your eyes scrutinise the horizon in expecta-tion as you approach your destination, thesickle-shaped harbour wall surrounding thewaters of the port.If you arrive in Sicily by train or by car, it isMessina that welcomes you to the island. Avery warm welcome.Messina has experienced power and decay,expansion and destruction.Despite this, the people of Messina havealways found the strength, patience andcourage to rewrite the history of their city, ahistory with roots in the remote past, so muchso that there is a saying that goes: “WhenMessina came into being, Rome was stillcountryside”.The origins of the city are lost in the mists oftime; there are few certainties about the moreancient history of the city and these are oftenconfused by myths and legends. Even themore authoritative sources, Diodorus Apollo-nius and Silius Italicus, say that the city wasfounded by Saturn, more than two thousandyears before the Christian age.

The historian Strabone attributes the founda-tion of Zancle (a Siceliot word that meanssickle, in reference to the natural shape of theport) to the Chalcidians from Euboea.The best place to start your visit is PiazzaDuomo, where you will see the Cathedral andthe Fountain of Orion. The fountain is dedi-cated to the mythical founder of the city andwas completed in 1553.According to the most reliable research theCathedral was built in Norman times, on the

Messina

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orders of Count Roger. It was almostcertainly consecrated in September1197.The Cathedral was almost com-pletely destroyed during the violentearthquake of 1908. The post-warreconstruction gave the Cathedralits present appearance, which faith-fully reproduces the original styleand shapes.The Treasury attached to theCathedral is particularly interesting

to visit. The most important worksof art belonging to the Basilicainclude: the “Golden Manta“ of OurLady of the Letter, by the Floren-tine goldsmith Innocenzo Mangani(1668). The building of the BellTower which stands alongside thefaçade of the Cathedral datesback to Norman times.In 1933 the bell tower wasequipped with a large astronomi-cal clock, connected to a complexmechanism that brings to life gild-ed mechanical figures represent-ing characters and events fromlocal history, civil and religious,

MESSINA

A fianco: il Duomo e la fontana diOrione. In alto: la “Manta” d’Oro dellaMadonna della Lettera. Nella pagina

precedente: in alto, la Madonnina;in basso: lo Stretto di Messina.

and symbolic figures. This mechanism func-tions every day when the clock strikes midday.This clock was made by the highly skilledUngerer brothers of Strasbourg and is animportant tourist attraction.Church of Our Lady of the Annunciation ofthe Catalans, built around 1150 on the ruinsof the temple of Neptune.The church still represents one of the mostimportant monuments of its time, with its mix-ture of Norman, Byzantine, Arab and latePisan Romanesque and Lombard architectur-al styles. On the tip of the S. Raineri peninsu-

la, on top of a 16th century fortress, stands thestatue of Our Lady of the Letter, with herhand held up to bless the city.

In alto: la Chiesa dei Catalani.In basso: il Teatro Vittorio Emanuele.Nella pagina a fianco, in alto: Polittico di S. Gregoriodi Antonello da Messina; in basso: tavoletta del ‘400di Antonello da Messina, raffigurante “La Madonna colBambino” da una parte e un “Ecce Homo” dall’altra.

The Regional Museum of Messina, successor to the “Peloritano Public Museum” founded in1806, still stands on the coast road leading to the lakes, on the same site on which the BasilianMonastery of SS. Salvatore dei Greci stood in the 1500s. Custodisce opere di eccezionale inter-esse tra cui segnaliamo i dipinti raffiguranti l’“Adorazione dei Pastori” e la Resurrezione di Laz-zaro di Caravaggio; il Polittico di San Gregorio e una tavoletta del ‘400 di Antonello da Messina.

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Inhabited since 4000 B.C., Milazzowas home to the Sikels before thearrival of the Greeks, who came herein 716 B.C., founding Mylai on the nar-row peninsula that seems to stretchout into the Tyrrhenian Sea in order toenjoy the view of the lovely Seven Sis-ters, the Aeolian Islands. Milazzo liesin a strategic position and has alwaysbeen the site of important battles,from those of the Punic Wars, to thoseinvolving Garibaldi and the morerecent landings in Sicily in the SecondWorld War. The Castle of Frederick IIis the most important monument inthe town, built in the 13th century onthe site of a pre-existing Arab construction and laterequipped with defensive walls by the Spanish.

PattiThe town of Patti has a sandy coastline about 12 km(19 miles) long, characterised by the presence ofcaves, stacks and small bays. The sea is crystalclear and perfect for swimming. There are beautiful

views, such as the one you can enjoy from the dis-trict called Sorrentini, situated at an altitude of 450metres (1,450 feet), taking in the Gulf of Patti, theAeolian Islands, Mount Etna, the Nebrodi andPeloritani mountains and the coast of Calabria. Thetown is home to numerous interesting monuments,the most important being the Norman Cathedral,built in the 12th century on the site of a previousByzantine church.

Milazzo

In alto: veduta aerea di Capo Milazzo.In basso: lungomare di Patti.

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As well as being an important archaeologicalsite (here you can see the remains of a GreekTheatre, parts of the ancient city walls and ofa Spa from the Roman era), Tindari is alsobeautiful from the point of view of nature, withits picturesque lagoon and the seawater lakeswhich change shape, protected as part of theMarinello Nature Reserve. Tindari is dominatedby the famous Sanctuary of Our Lady of Tin-dari, which houses an ancient wooden Byzan-tine sculpture depicting a Black Madonna.

Gioiosa MareaThis is a popular tourist destination, offeringlovely beaches surrounded by mountains andbreathtaking views, such as those enjoyedfrom the promontory of Capo Calavà. Theparish church is home to canvases by OlivioSozzi and a sculpture of the Madonna, by anartist of the Gagini school.

Capo d’OrlandoThe town received this name in Norman times, inhonour of the fact that the paladin Orlando is saidto have stopped here on his way to a crusade inthe Holy Land. The town is dominated by a sheerrugged promontory on which you can see theruins of a 14th century castle and the Sanctuaryof Our Lady, once a lookout point against incur-sions by pirates, which was built in 1598 andhouses various interesting canvases.

Tindari

In alto: veduta aerea dei laghetti di Tindari e delSantuario. In basso: veduta aerea di Capo

d’Orlando.

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358BC is generally considered the year inwhich the city of Tauromenion was founded byAndromachus, a Greek from Naxos, father ofthe historian Timaeus. In 212BC Tauromenionvoluntarily subjected itself to Roman.The town was given the name of Tauromoeni-um and became one of the first federatedtowns in Sicily, thus enjoying a certain degreeof autonomy and some privileges. Under therule of the Byzantine empire the town becamethe most important place in eastern Sicilybecause of its militarily strategic position.In 902 Tauromoenium fell to the Arabs. Thename of the town was changed by Caliph AlMoez to Almoezia.The conquest of Sicily by the Normans put anend to the Arab domination.In 1078 Count Roger conquered the town andrestored its previous name. Under the Nor-mans and the Swabians Tauromoenium experi-enced a renewed period of peace and prosper-ity, particularly during the reign of Frederick II.If you want to fully appreciate the beauty ofTaormina, the best times of year to visit arespring and autumn, when the air is warm andfragrant and the main tourist season is yet to

start or has already finished.Taormina is an aristocratic town sitting on its250 metre high hilltop and overlooking a crystalclear blue sea; Etna in the background, distantbut forbiddingly ever present, as if offering youunforgettable emotions. Alleyways and pictur-esque courtyards, artistic arches and stair-ways, surprises round every corner: wandering

Taormina

slowly around the town is the best way of visit-ing it, admiring its beauty and soaking up theatmosphere.The Catania Gate marks the southern bound-ary of the old Town, the heart of Taormina andthe area containing numerous examples of15th century architecture.Near the Gate, in via De Spuches, stands themassive structure of the Palazzo dei Duchi diSanto Stefano. It was built in Gothic style andalso included elements in clear Arab-Normanstyle.the ex-Monastery of Saint Dominic. The build-ing dates from the 14th century and was origi-nally a fortified palace belonging to the Princeof Cerami, Damiano Rosso, who became amonk and donated it to the Dominicans. Today,the San Domenico Palace Hotel is one of themost prestigious and best known hotels in Italy.The monks’ cells of the old monastery are nowluxurious rooms for the hotel guests and youcan still see some of the original furniture of the

monastery , as well as the charming 17th cen-tury cloister with its arched columns.Also from the San Domenico square, you cango up the stairway which leads to PiazzaDuomo, where you will find the Cathedral, ded-icated to Saint Nicholas of Bari. It was built inthe late 15th century on the site of a pre-exist-ing mediaeval church.The two side portals of the Cathedral are par-ticularly interesting.In front of the Cathedral you can see the artis-tic Tauro Fountain, so called because on top ithas the figure of a biped female centaur whichhas become the civic emblem of Taormina.Slightly uphill from Corso Umberto stands themassive construction of the so called BadiaVecchia, which owes its peculiar castle keepshape to its Norman origins. Its later adaptationto a noble residence and the inclusion of lateGothic decorative motifs date from the 14thcentury.a little further on from Piazza Duomo, on theleft you come to Palazzo Ciampoli, at the top ofa wide staircase. The lower of the two floorshas an attractive portal decorated with vigorous

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T AORMINA

In basso: Palazzo dei Duchi di Santo Stefano.Nella pagina precedente: in basso, Porta Catania.In alto: particolare della decorazione di un carretto

siciliano che raffigura Arabi e Normanni in lotta.

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profiles in relief in the two top corners; it datesfrom 1412.Continuing along Corso Umberto I you come tothe Clock Tower, which marks the end of the oldtown. The Tower was built in the 12th century,probably on pre-existing foundations from theGreek period, and it encompasses the so-

called Halfway Gate.After passing the Halfway Gate, you turn intothe panoramic Piazza IX Aprile, where it is

In alto: a sinistra, pregevole mosaico della Porta diMezzo; a destra, palazzo Corvaja.In basso: il San Domenico Palace Hotel.

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worth stopping a while to enjoy the spectacularview of Mount Etna. In this square you will findthe ex-Church of Saint Augustine, now home to

the Municipal Library.On the opposite side of the square, at the topof beautiful stairway with balustrades, standsthe Church of Saint Joseph, which was built inthe late 17th century.At the end of Corso Umberto stands the splen-did Palazzo Corvaja, which overlooks Piazza

In alto: la trifora di Palazzo Corvaja e la Chiesa diSanta Caterina d’Alessandria. In basso: La

Cattedrale di San Nicolò e la fontana del Tauro.

T AORMINA

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Vittorio Emanuele II.This complex and stylish building belongs tothree different historical periods: the Arabs builta cubic shaped military tower on top of ruinsfrom the Greek period; in the 13th century themain body of the building, called the “Salonedel Maestro Giustiziere”, to the left of theentrance portal was added; finally, in the early15th century the part of the building overlookingthe square was built, with four two-mullionedwindows on the first floor resting on an attrac-tive coloured frieze. The south-western façadeis characterised by a single three-mullionedwindow and a portal leading into the courtyardwith an exterior staircase climbing up to the firstfloor. Today it houses the “Museum of SicilianArts and Traditions Panarello Collection”, whichexhibits a large collection of art and craftobjects dating from the 16th to the 20th cen-turies.In the Greek period the present day Piazza Vit-torio Emanuele II was the Agora, the mainsquare of Tauromoenion, situated at the junc-

A fianco: Palazzo Corvaja. In basso: il Teatro Greco e sullo sfondoNaxos e l’Etna. Nella pagina accanto: veduta aereadel Teatro Greco.

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tion of the two principal streets, the ‘consolareValeria’ (now Corso Umberto) and thedecumano (now via Teatro Greco). This wasthe heart of the town, where the assemblies ofthe town council and the markets were heldand where the most important public buildingswere located.This square also housed the Roman Forumfrom 201BC onwards. From the Piazza you can go uphill along viaTeatro Greco to reach the Greek-Roman The-atre, the largest ancient theatre in Sicily afterthe one in Siracusa (open to visitors every dayfrom 9 a.m. until one hour before sunset). Nextto the Theatre you can visit a small Antiquariumhousing artefacts of various origins: epigraphs,carvings and pieces recovered from the variousmonuments of Taormina. There is a particularlyinteresting torso of Apollo from the Hellenisticage and numerous tablets documenting detailsof the administrative and political life of theGreek town.The theatre was built in a depression in the hill-side and was originally in accordance with thestandard Greek architecture, consisting of anorchestra, a cavea and a stage, like the one in

Syracuse; the maximum diameter of the the-atre is 109 metres, that of the orchestra is 35metres. The stage was fixed and representedthe façade of a two storey building. The orches-tra is the open area low down in the centre,dividing the stage from the cavea. In the Greekperiod the orchestra, housed the musicianswho accompanied the performance of thetragedy or the comedy; in the Roman period itwas also used as an arena. The cavea consistsof the tiers of seats which rose up from the levelof the orchestra to the top of the theatre, widen-ing as they rose. The acoustics were, and stillare, perfect. The shape of the theatre creates asort of soundbox, making it easy to hear clear-ly what is said on the stage from anywhere youare sitting. The extraordinary beauty of the the-atre and the incomparable scenery of the bayof Naxos, dominated by Etna, fascinated Fred-erick II, who transformed the structure to theright of the stage into an imperial palace.On the road leading up to Castelmola there is aturn-off that leads to the Sanctuary of Our Ladyof the Rock.Near the Sanctuary, a stairway leads up to theruins of the Medieval Castle, built on the sum-

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mit of Monte Tauro (400m) on the site of theacropolis of the ancient town.

CASTELMOLACastelmola is situated at a height of 550 metresabove sea level on the site of the primitivedefensive settlement founded by the Sikels inthe 8th century BC. Piazza S. Antonio is apanoramic viewpoint overlooking the coastbelow and is the heart of the town. A stairway

to the right of the Piazza leads to the highestpart of Castelmola, where you will find the ruinsof the 16th century Castle.

THE SEA AT TAORMINA’S FEETAlong with the many other attractions Taormina

offers you the chance of getting to the beach injust a few minutes.The coastline at the foot of the town has some-thing for everyone: sandy or pebble beaches ofall shapes and sizes, quiet cliffs, charming baysand spectacular rocky outcrops, caves toexplore and, above all, a crystal clear invitingsea both above and below the water.While everybody can admire the cliffs andstacks, divers have the added pleasure of dis-covering an underwater world full of caves andgorges. Coming down from Taormina towards

In alto, il mare ai piedi di Taormina; al centro,pregiate ceramiche ed oggetti di artigianato deinegozi di souvenir di Castelmola e in basso, vedutapanoramica della spiaggia di Giardini Naxos.

the coast and turning left along the main SS114 road, you come to Cape Sant’Andrea,where there are some lovely grottos that can bevisited on board small boats, such as thesuperb grotta azzurra. A boat trip is the bestway of viewing the rocky coastline, which isotherwise rather inaccessible.After Cape Sant’Andrea there is a series ofsandy beaches with bathing establishments,very popular with tourists: Spisone, Mazzarò -opposite which you can admire the luxuriantisland of Isola Bella - connected to Taormina bya cable car.Immediately after Mazzarò, after anotherstretch of rocky coastline, is the beach of Leto-janni, a pleasant town overlooking a magnifi-cent bay, which offers visitors interesting cultur-al and artistic events all year round. The mildseaside climate, the luxuriant Mediterraneanvegetation and the groves of lemon trees all goto make Letojanni a popular tourist destination.Further on, finally, you reach the beach of CapeSant’Alessio, at the foot of a promontory with acastle. Off the coastline of Cape Sant’Alessioseveral shipwrecks have been found, alongwith their loads of amphorae.Above Cape Sant’Alessio, just four kilometresaway, stands Forza d’Agrò, situated at a heightof 400 metres above sea level on the slopes of

the Peloritani mountains. This old town (thename is an abbreviation of the word fortress)was founded and expanded in Norman timesaround the Basilian monastery and the castle,the remains of which dominate the town andthe coastline from on high. Forza d’Agrò is amediaeval town and still has the characteristicnarrow streets that make it so picturesque.

In alto, la lunga spiaggia di Letojanni.A fianco: abitato e spiaggia di Sant’Alessio.

T AORMINA

In the past, like today, great and famous trav-ellers like Dumas, Houel, Guy de Maupassant,De Dolomieu and the Archduke Luigi Salvatoreof Austria, explored the islands and studiedtheir economy, traditions and customs, givingthem early recognition in important works likethe eight volumes of the Archduke of Austria.The Eolian islands are volcanic creatures born

from the active presence of the four elements:air, water, earth and fire. They emerged fromthe sea during the Pleistocene period and sincethen have changed shape several times. Evo-lution is still ongoing and indeed, in 1955, nearStromboli, a small new island emerged andthen sank again; on Lipari, the pumice andobsidian flows of Monte Pelato and Forgia Vec-chia date back to 729 AD. The volcanoes ofVulcano and Stromboli and the spa waters andmud baths on Vulcano, Lipari and Panarearemind us that all is not dormant underground.The islands offer their natural beauty totourists, scholars and sea lovers. A clean sea,still full of fish, grottoes and high cliffs, cragsand fine black sandy beaches, sulphur springsand white pumice mountains and all the charmof an island environment.You can get here all year round by hydrofoiland ferry and easy connections are one of thereasons for the increase in tourism. You canboard from Naples by car without having to goto Sicily. In summer, hydrofoils serve theislands, with varying daily routes, to ReggioCalabria, Gioia Tauro, Messina, Palermo,Cefalù, Sant'Agata di Militello, Patti, CapoD'Orlando, Giardini and Milazzo. There is a fasthelicopter service, based on Panarea, linkingthe islands to the main airports of the region(Air Panarea 090/9834428). Furthermore, thereare plans for a small airport on Lipari.The climate is mild and in winter the tempera-ture never drops below 10°. Summers are nottorrid as they are freshened by a sea breeze.That is why, even out of season, long, pleasant

Eolie

stays are possible. In spring, the vegetationthat carpets the islands is an explosion ofcolour and scent. Once they were covered bythick woods, but today Mediterranean scrubprevails. Man has cleared almost every avail-able centimetre of woodland to cultivategrapes, olives, capers, pulses and vegetables.The widespread terraces, now abandoned, areevidence of great human work over thousandsof years. Man and geographical features havegiven each island a different identity. Filicudiand Alicudi are "anti-stress refuges" with anuncontaminated environment. Panarea is afashionable island, the destination of elitetourists. Stromboli and Vulcano, rough and wild, attractyoung, rather bohemian tourists. Salina, thegreenest, with its twin mountains, appeals tofamilies with children because of its peace andquiet.Lipari is the biggest and most heavily populat-ed, the municipality which administers all theother islands (excluding Salina), offering plentyof comfort, space, and all kinds of services,including a fully-equipped hospital and a shel-tered port.

A fianco: Stromboli in eruzione. In basso: Dattilovisto da Panarea. Nella pagina precedente,

in alto: il Castello di Lipari;in basso: Vulcano e sullo sfondo Salina.

The real mystery about the history of Catania isthat it has remained here, in the same place, for2,700 years at the foot of the volcano, despiteearthquakes, eruptions, destruction of all kindsthat have often threatened its existence.The Chalcidians from Naxos, who Thucydidessays founded the Greek colony of Katane in 792BC.Under Roman rule, after 262 BC, Cataniaincreased its prestige as a large city, despite thedestruction caused by Etna in 121. In 21 BCAugustus gave Catania the statute of Romancolony, repopulating it with veterans. It was thenthat the amphitheatre, theatre, odeon, gymna-sium, naumachia, forum and numerous spaswere founded. The earthquake of 1169, which leftonly the apse of the Cathedral standing. The cityarose again, however, and became a productiveand lively urban centre.The double destruction of the eruption of 1669

and the earthquake of 1693 demonstrated thefinancial and organisational strength of theChurch, of the monastic orders and of the aris-tocracy, who invested sufficient money to rebuildthe city from its foundations. The commonpeople, particularly merchants and professionalpeople from the University, also played a signif-icant role in the rebuilding. In the last twohundred years Catania has been a city of sulphurrefineries, weaving mills and trade, while main-taining its control over the surrounding rich agri-cultural lands. However, the city managed to

Catania

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In alto: il Teatro Greco di Catania.A fianco: palazzo Biscari.

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arise again after the bombing of 1943, transform-ing the rubble into new economic activities.Our first itinerary in Catania begins in PiazzaDuomo, where your attention is drawn to theElephant Fountain, one of the most originalmonuments in Sicily surrounded by legend andmystery.One of the most famous legends is connectedwith the figure of the wizard Heliodorus, who,according to M. Amari, really existed in Cataniain the 8th century AD. It is said that he dared to

challenge Christianity with his occult arts androde upon an elephant that he then turned intolava stone. Despite the imaginative story, it is anundoubted fact that the people of Catania calltheir elephant ‘liotru’. The Amenano Fountainis situated in the south-western corner of thesquare. Once the Amenano River flowed throughthe city and frequently burst its banks, causingflooding and turning the city into a swamp. Inorder to keep things under control, it wasdecided to redirect the waters of the river. TheAmenano Fountain was commissioned inmemory of the event and was made by the sculp-tor Tito Angelini in 1867. Also in Piazza Duomo,

opposite the Clerical Seminary, stands the CityHall, also called the Senate building or of theElephants.The Clerical Seminary is situated on the south-ern side of Piazza Duomo. The building housesmunicipal offices and dates back to 1614.On the eastern side of the square stands theCathedral, which forms a right angle with theSeminary and the City Hall. The Cathedral isdedicated to Saint Agatha and was built on theorders of Roger the Norman between 1078 and1093. The only parts remaining from that time arethe three apses and part of the transept.Along with the Cathedral of Modena, the Cathe-dral of Catania is the only example of a church-fortress in Italy.Originally, indeed, it acted as a fortress indefence of the city against raids from the sea.To the right of the entrance is the room where youcan see the 16th century carriage used, inFebruary, to carry in procession the bust andcasket containing the holy remains of SaintAgatha. The chapel of Saint Agatha (right apse)is always full of devotees and is closed by

Dall’alto: il Duomo di Catania;la fontana dell’Elefante, simbolo di Catania;

la fontana dell’Amenano.

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wrought iron railings.Uzeda Gate, erected in 1695 duringthe rebuilding of Piazza del Duomoafter the earthquake, along viaDusmet.You immediately come to the Arch-bishop’s Palace with its beautifulbalcony and the 17th century Foun-tain of Saint Agatha.A little further on, you come to the18th century Palazzo Biscari,which was built over a long period bysome of the most famous architectsof the time.The facade that overlooks viaDusmet, the oldest part of the build-ing, dates back to the early 18th

century and is the inspiring work ofAntonio Amato: the facade iscoloured black, the colour of lava,and is decorated with putti, flowerfestoons, telamons crowd along thepilaster strips and around thewindows of the large balcony, stand-ing out with great expressivestrength.At the end of via Landolina you enterPiazza Bellini, where the MassimoBellini Theatre stands. This is theundisputed home of opera in Sicily

and was designed by the architect Carlo Sada,who gained inspiration from the eclectic style ofthe Paris Opera House.On the outside the Massimo Bellini Theatre hasarched porticoes articulated by semi-columnswhich are repeated in the design of the upperfloor, in which the portico arches have corre-sponding windows.You reach Piazza Cutelli, overlooked by the 18th

century facade of the College of Nobles or Cutel-li Boarding-School. On request you can visitthe original interior courtyard, circular in shape,surrounded by an arched portico articulated byrobust marble semi-columns.Ursino Castle is a building highly representativeof the history of Catania. Its construction wasordered by Frederick II and was carried out in1239-50 on a promontory overlooking the seaand dominating the city. It was surrounded bywalls and renovated in the 15th century. Theapproximately 15,000 archaeological and histor-ical-cultural pieces kept in the Ursino CastleCivic Museum represent a heritage of ines-timable value for the City of Catania.

THE FISH MARKET OF CATANIA

Visiting Catania and experiencing it are two com-pletely different things. In order to visit the city itmay be enough to tour the monuments and artis-tic heritage, but if you want to really experiencethe city you have to go where Catania pulsatesand throbs, rejoices and suffers. The Fish Mar-ket is not only one of the street markets of Cata-nia, but is also one of the most genuine exam-ples of working-class life in Catania.

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The Garibaldi Gate was designed by S. Ittar andwas erected in 1768 to celebrate the weddingbetween Ferdinand IV and Maria Caroline ofAustria. For this reason it was called the Ferdi-nandea Gate until Garibaldi became morefamous than the king.The peculiar colour effect is achieved by alternat-ing lava stone and limestone and the structure isenriched by the white symbolic sculptures byG.B. Marino.In the square Dante is overlooked by the majes-tic Benedictine Monastery, now home to the Fac-ulty of Arts, and the Church of Saint Nicholas.This is the area where the acropolis of theancient city stood and, for this reason, has beenthe site of numerous digs that have brought tolight the remains of a spa building from Romantimes, the so-called Roman Spa (visible oppo-site the Monastery), Greek artefacts dating backto the 7th century BC and evidence from prehis-toric times.During the rearrangement of the city streets dur-ing the 18th century, the square was altered withthe intention of making the monumental Bene-dictine Monastery of Saint Nicolò l’Arenamore prominent, since it was previously over-shadowed by the presence of poor run downbuildings.The main staircase and the northern wing of thecomplex are particularly worthy of note.

The cloisters must not be missed, two of the fourplanned in the original project, both on the south-

C ATANIA

In alto: la cappella di Sant’Agata. In basso: ilCastello Ursino. Nella pagina precedente: il Teatro

Massimo Bellini.

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ern side. On request you can visit the premisesthat house the Ursino Recupero Civic Library,containing the volumes belonging to the Bene-dictine collection, to which other collections have

been added. The Roman heatre probablystands on the same site as the Greek theatreand can be dated to the 1st-2nd century AD. Theparts that remain are the cavea, almost integral,part of the orchestra and the stage. It was built inlava stone with limestone seats and could hostabout seven thousand spectators. Next to theTheatre is the Odeon, the only example of thistype of building in Sicily, which was certainly builtlater than the Theatre and can be dated to the2nd-3rd century AD. The cavea is the only partremaining and this is partly in poor condition.It is just a short walk from Piazza San Francescoto via Crociferi, which Carlo Levi described as“one of the most beautiful streets in Italy.”Via Crociferi is, indeed, undoubtedly lovely, evensplendid. It is the highest expression of Cataniabaroque, shown off by sumptuous noble man-sions, convents and churches, often with attrac-tive wrought iron railings.From Piazza Duomo you go up along via Etneaas far as Piazza Università, an attractive squarein which the University is situated, along withsome other noble buildings, among the mostbeautiful in the city.The imposing and severe University building wasreconstructed, on the same site as the previous

garozzo

In alto: il Monastero dei Benedettini.A fianco: veduta del Teatro Romano.

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one, from 1696 onwards, but the foundation ofthe University of Catania, the first Sicilian Univer-sity, dates back to the era of Alphonse the Mag-nanimous, who set it up in 1434.It is only a short distance from the Church of theMinorites to Piazza Stesicoro, where you will findone of the most important archaeological sites inthe city, the Roman Amphitheatre. It wasbrought to light in the early 20th century and hasa circumference of 309 metres, making it one ofthe largest in Italy.A short distance from Piazza Stesicoro, follow-ing via Etnea, at the junc-tion with via Umberto,you come to Villa Bellini,the prettiest park in thecity. The park is dedi-cated to Bellini, whosebust is situated oppositethe swan pond, betweenthe clock and the datary.There are numerousfountains, busts, statuesand monuments.

EVERYBODY TO THE BEACHFor bathing in Catania you can either headfor the sand of the Lido Plaja, in thedirection of the airport and Siracusa, or thelava rocks of San Giovanni Li Cuti andCannizzaro, towards Messina. Just beyondthe beautiful black rocky lava beach of AciCastello and Aci Trezza begins, one longseafront overlooking the Isles of the Cyclopsand with plenty of bathing establishments,some free and some with a charge.

THE FEAST OF SAINT AGATHA

The feast of Saint Agatha is a phantamasgor-ical event, with the white shirts of the devo-tees, the swaying Candlemas, the character-istic rites of the offering of a candle by theSenate and the throwing of paper strips bythe clerics, the extraordinary illuminations,the deafening fireworks and the immensecrowds of people.

C ATANIA

A fianco: la fontanadi Villa Bellini.

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Leaving Catania and heading towards Messinayou can visit numerous pretty towns (andvillages) built along the so called CyclopsRiviera and which mostly have the prefix Acibefore their name.The reason for so many names with ‘Aci’ islinked to the myth of Aci and Galatea, which wewill now explain.According to the myth, Aci, son of King Faun ofLatium, fell in love with the sea nymph Galatea.Unfortunately, the Cyclops Polyphemus wasalso infatuated with her and, blind with jealousy,he crushed Aci under a boulder.Aci was transformed into a river by themagnanimous gods.After this sentimental adventure Polyphemusmet the person who was destined to change hislife and vision of the world radically.Ulysses arrived almost by chance on the Cata-nia coastline and found himself obliged torefuse the hospitality offered by Polyphemus,above all when he realised that for the Cyclopshe and his companions were no more than afood supply. Using shrewdness against thecolossal strength and limited intelligence of hiscannibal host the Homeric hero blinded theCyclops and fled towards the sea.

Polyphemus was determined to resolve thissituation with the use of force again and,despite being blinded, tried to sink the depart-ing ship by throwing rocks at it. These rocks correspond to the crags off thecoast of Aci Trezza, which are called theFaraglioni or the Isles of the Cyclops.

ACI CASTELLO: THE ROCK OF MARVELSAbout 10km from Catania stands the town ofAci Castello, which can be reached along theSS 114 road. The name of the town comes fromthe Norman Castle, dating back to the late 11th

century, built in lava stone on a rock sheerabove the sea.Historical sources document the existence of afortress under the Arab domination of Sicily, afortress destroyed by the Arabs themselves in902. The present Castle was built between1071-81 to the orders of Roger d’Altavilla andwas completely surrounded by the sea until1169, connected to the mainland by a draw-bridge. In 1169 a volcanic eruption affected thewhole area and practically joined the Castlerock to the coast. The Norman Castle housesthe Civic Museum, with a small adjacentBotanical Garden, which brings together

The Aci and Cyclops Riviera

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specimens of considerable interest.Aci Trezza is the most important and famousdistrict of Aci Castello. The two are very closeto each other and are joined by a beautifulpromenade, dominated by the black of the lava,the orange of the citrus fruit, the green of thecapers and the Mediterranean vegetation. It isa very sought-after holiday destination, thanksto the lovely sea and the coastline that offersyou hundreds of opportunities for sunbathing,but it still maintains the cosy appearance of afishing village, even though it is well preparedfor guaranteeing tourist services and conven-iences.It is not difficult to see in the faces of the localpeople those characteristics described in thebook ‘Malavoglia’ (Reluctance) by GiovanniVerga or in the Luchino Visconti film ‘La Terratrema’ (the Earth quakes). The writer anddirector set their works here, inspired by thehumble and courageous life of the people of thesea, by the uncertain and troubled existence ofa population in symbiosis with their land andtheir beloved-hated Etna. he so called Isles ofthe Cyclops stick up out of the waters of AciTrezza. They have been protected since theearly 1990s as a Nature Reserve. They arelovely crags out to sea (the highest reachesmore than 70 metres) and are the consequenceof a volcanic eruption that happened in theQuaternary.

In alto: il castello di Aci Castello.In basso: i Faraglioni dell’isola dei Ciclopi.

Nella pagina precedente: il litorale di Aci Castello.

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Following the SS 114 road, after about 6km, youcome to Acireale, the most important coastaltown in the province.Your visit to Acireale can start from the pictur-esque Piazza Duomo, the heart of the town,overlooked by the facades of religious and civilbuildings of considerable architectural and artis-tic interest. The Cathedral was built in the late16th and early 17th century and was greatlyextended in the 18th century.Adjacent to the Cathedral, but placed furtherback, is the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul,with a facade designed by Vasta that is deco-rated by thin columns and a beautiful bell-tower.In the same square stands the Town Hall, richlydecorated in typical Catania baroque style.The grandiose architecture of Piazza Duomo iscompleted by Palazzo Modò, which, although itis at the start of via Davì, can be considered a

full and integral part of the Piazza.The building is in baroque style with an interest-ing lava stone portal and in the early 1900s washome to the Eldorado Theatre. All that can beseen of the theatre today is the name under agrotesque mask.A short distance away is Piazza Vigo, where youcan see the 18th century Collegiate Basilica ofSaint Sebastian, preceded by a broken linebalustrade enclosing the small parvis with its ten18th century statues.

Acireale: the most splendid

Acireale CarnivalIt is rightly described as thebest Carnival in Sicily andconsists of seven days of cele-brations, during which thereare parades of sumptuouslydecorated allegorical floatsand floats decorated with flow-ers, each one adorned withthousands of fresh blooms. Allof this is accompanied by folk-loristic groups, musical bands,displays, street entertainmentand fireworks.

EVERYBODY TO THE BEACHAcireale is not only famous for itssumptuous and elegant baroque but also forother characteristics, maybe less intellectualand more down to earth, that have made it atourist destination. During the summer,which lasts practically half the year here,Acireale and some of its outlying districtssuch as Santa Maria La Scala (twokilometres from the town), Santa Tecla (atthe foot of the Timpa, a terraced lava stonehill of extraordinary beauty) and Pozzillo arefilled with hosts of tourists, attracted by theprospect of combining a stay by the sea withbeautiful countryside, relaxation withenjoyment. The clear clean waters of therocky beaches at Santa Maria La Scala,Santa Tecla, Stazzo and Pozzillo are idealfor those who want to swim and sunbathe.From the small ports of these localities youcan set off on boat trips along the coast.In alto: piazza Duomo

e la Basilica dei SS. Pietro e Paolo.

Caltagirone

suoi manufatti, ogni angolo di Caltagirone,museo all’aperto, coglie di sorpresa il visita-tore, qui con un inserimento colorato e origi-nale, lì con un vaso, per non parlare di quel cap-olavoro indiscusso che è la scalinata di SantaMaria del Monte.

Caltagirone é disposta ad anfiteatro e si pre-senta agli occhi del visitatore in tutto il suosplendore con le grandi chiese, i campanili, letorri ed una distesa di tetti dalle caratteristichetegole in cotto. All’imbrunire sembra proprio unpresepe. Le sue nebbie invernali la rendonomisteriosa, alta e inespugnabile tra i monti chela racchiudono. Il centro storico di Caltagironeriserva gradite sorprese, infatti è una dellepoche cittadine di questa parte della Sicilia adaver conservato, dopo il terremoto del 1693,parte delle testimonianze dell’arte e dell’ar-chitettura medioevali e, soprattutto, la tipologiadell’abitato.Ma la vera attrazione della città è rappresenta-ta dalla ceramica che qui ha una tradizione mil-lenaria che risale al V sec. a.C: le sue fornacinon hanno mai smesso di ardere. Oltre a vis-itare il Museo della Ceramica, per conoscere lastoria e l’evoluzione di quest’arte attraverso i

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The foundation of the present town can be attrib-uted to the Normans, who first began to build publicand private buildings here. Randazzo was almostimmediately divided into three districts: the SantaMaria district, inhabited by the Normans calledLatins, that of San Nicola, populated by Ortho-doxChristians called Greeks, and that of San Martino,where the Lombards lived. Under the Swabians,thanks to Henry VI and the great Frederick, Ran-dazzo took on the role of a fortress-town. It wasFrederick II that had the Church of Santa Maria builtand brought Randazzo into the circle of stateowned towns. The War of the Vespers, despite itsbloody battles, marked the beginning of the eco-nomic and artistic rise of Randazzo. Indeed, theRoyal Family lived in the town with their noble Sicil-ian court and turned the town into a real artistic

jewel. It was the Bourbons, with their policy ofrepression, that brought an end to Randazzo’s longperiod of splendour.

UNDER THE ARCHES OF TIMERather than visiting Randazzo, you should ‘walk’ it.Indeed, the ideal thing to do is to stroll around with-out any particular destination, letting yourself becharmed by the outlines of old ephemeral noblebuildings, by the black of the lava stone with whichthe principal monuments of the oldest part of thetown were built. This part of town has a cosy pleas-antly old-fashioned atmosphere with its mediaevallayout of narrow covered streets.Examples of mediaeval streets can be found in viaFrisauli, characterised by the presence of arches,and via Degli Archi, which owes its name to thenumerous round-headed arches.In Piazza Basilica stands the Basilica Minore, alsocalled the Church of Santa Maria. The Church was

built in the early XIII century usinglava stone that characterises theblack facade, with the splendid bell-tower in the centre, on which you willnotice the elegant white decora-tions and the round-headed archesof the portals and the windows. Near the Cathedral is the “Tribo-nia”, a viewpoint from where youcan admire the wonderful view ofthe Alcantara Valley.In the ancient district of San Marti-no, once inhabited by the Lom-bards, stands the Church of SaintMartin with an austere facade,flanked by a superb Gothic stylebell-tower in lava stone with elegantwhite windows in its embattledstructure.In Piazza San Nicolò stands thegreat Church of Saint Nicholas,built in the 13th century.Piazza Municipio is overlooked bythe Town Hall, which is situated inthe premises of an ex-convent, ofwhich you can see the characteris-tic cloister, and the Swabian Cas-tle. The Paolo VagliasindiArchaeological Museum collectstogether material largely from thedistrict of Sant’Anastasia, a few kilo-metres from Randazzo.

Randazzo

A fianco: Basilica di Santa Maria.

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The Alcàntara river is just under 50km long inall and marks part of the border between theprovinces of Catania and Messina.The river rises in the Nebrodi mountains, nearFloresta, and flows into the sea near Taormina,crossing the territory of 15 districts in the twoprovinces.The Alcànatra does not have a regular flow, itis often winding and meandering, sometimes itforms small ponds and sometimes quitesubstantial waterfalls.The most charming stretch of the river and themost interesting from a natural and geologicalpoint of view is the one in the province ofMessina, called the Alcàntara Gorge. Here thewater flows on a gravel bottom and the walls,which are five metres apart, are dark becausemade of lava.The area is well equipped from a tourist’s pointof view. On private land there is a car park,snack bar and a picnic area. A small fee ispayable for using the lift that takes you downinto the Gorge.Alternatively, you can use the steps, situatedabout a hundred metres from the car park onthe main road. You have to equip yourself withrubber boots, which can be hired on the spot,because at certain points the water is quitedeep and the bottom is slippery.The peculiarity of the Gorge is due to the fact

that water erosion over thecenturies has revealed theinternal conformation of thethick basalt walls. They havea column structure withhexagonal and pentagonalprisms that are mostlyperpendicular to the heightof the walls. This geologicalphenomenon is determinedby the cooling of the lava,which begins externally andgradually reaches the inte-rior. The Alcàntara Gorge isone of the most spectacularexamples of this phenome-non in Europe.

The Alcantara River

In alto e a fianco:rocce basaltiche.

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Etna: il VulcanoThe whole province of Catania is dominatedby Etna, the most majestic active volcano inEurope, the highest mountain in Sicily. Itspresence is worrying, frightening, fascinatingand seductive. It is typical of human nature tobe able to dedicate to the same object bothlove and hatred at the same time.Indeed, the people of Catania love and hateEtna, they submit to the charm of such a mag-nificent presence, they are proud of theirnational park and of their mountain of fire, butthey know that it could destroy them, that lavaflows quickly. Yet, none of them would reallylike the activity of the volcano to end.The lava of Etna is present just about every-where, in the city and the towns, in the cliffsand the hills, in the church facades and lyingalongside the road.The colour of lava is dominant and even thelocal produce takes on this colour: cauliflowersand ‘tarocchi’ (a variety of orange).Living with the volcano is now almost part ofthe genetic make-up of the people of Catania.Etna is not a mountain isolated by its height ofover 3,300 metres (12,400 feet), it is not a vol-cano that makes its presence felt only when infull eruption. Everybody here (from Giarre toBronte, from Randazzo to Misterbianco) isaccustomed to wiping the black sand of Etnafrom their cars, doing the washing againbecause the clothes hung out to dry havebeen stained with black ash, picking up a ham-mer and chisel to break up the mixture of rainand volcanic debris that has solidified on thebalcony or in the guttering, putting up with theearth tremors, sometimes slight at others moreserious, that accompany the changing moodsof the mountain, of not trusting the clouds inthe sky, which might not be what they seembut smoke from Etna.There is a certain amount of fatalism in all this,an ancient fatalism that has often gone hand inhand with faith, superstition, myth and legend.What can be done against the unbridled forcesof nature? Today scientists keep a watchfuleye on Etna and are able to foresee activity,both great and small. Today technicians havethe means at their disposal to try to divert thedirection of lava flows. Yet, now as in the past,people invoke patron Saints to protect the

towns from the lava and the eruptions. Whilescientists busy themselves with lasers andhighly sophisticated equipment, people contin-ue to carry relics and simulacrums in proces-sion to defeat the beloved-detested mountainof fire.So every town has its heavenly champion inthe fight against Etna. In Fornazzo the heavyresponsibility lies with the Sacred Heart ofJesus, in Nicolosi with Saint Anthony, in Cata-nia with the veil of Saint Agatha.However, like all important natural phenome-na, over the centuries Etna has not onlyaroused all kinds of emotion in the population,generating fear, veneration, amazement, leg-ends. It has also aroused the interest of scien-tists and researchers, of travellers (especiallyin the Romantic period) fascinated by its beau-ty and its terrible majesty and has inspiredpoets and writers, such as Hesiod, Pindar, Vir-gil and Dante.The name of the volcano comes from thePhoenician ‘attano’ (furnace) or the Greek‘aitho’ (burning) to which is also connected theLatin ‘Aetna’The Arabs called it ‘Gibel Utlamat’, in otherwords mountain of fire. Some sources, datingfrom around 1000 already use the name ‘MonsGibel’, then changed into ‘Mongibello’ (Dante,in the 1200s, also used this name in the 15th

canto of Hell).Etna was formed about 500,000 years ago.The scientific explanation of its birth is directlyconnected to the phenomenon of continentaldrift and particularly to the colossal clashbetween the African and Eurasian shelves, thesame clash that probably caused the creationof the Alps and the Himalayas.The immense impact between the two shelvescaused the compression of the magma thatwas deep below the sea and it came out vio-lently, creating Etna.Obviously, over thousands of years, the moun-tain has undergone considerable transforma-tions and, although today its geological historycan be partly reconstructed, as regards therelationship between the volcano and man, thehistory of Etna is still fundamentally based onmyths and the most important eruptions, eventhough the number of eruptions recorded is

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certainly much lower than the real number.Several centuries before Christ there arealready references to the activityof the volcano in historicalsources. Two important erup-tions were those of 475 BC and396 BC.From the end of the 1st centuryAD onwards more eruptions aredocumented, about 200 up tothe present day.In the 20th century there havebeen numerous eruptions: in1910, 1928, 1950 (the activitybegan in March and continueduntil the December of the follow-ing year, 372 days, during whichthe lava caused enormous dam-age overrunning vineyards,orchards, grazing land, broomthickets), 1952, 1971 (when the observatoryand the cable car were destroyed), 1979

(when nine people were killed bythe sudden expulsion of a lavaplug from an eruptive mouth),1983 (the lava destroyed theSapienza mountain hut and thelower cable car station) and in1992 (the year that saw people allover Italy following with apprehen-sion the news about the lava thatwas threatening the town of Zaffer-ana).The last two dates are worthy ofparticular attention because onboth occasions attempts weremade to put an end to the atavisticfatalism of the local people faced

by eruptions by trying to divert the lava flowwith explosives, with partial success, in order

to save the threatened towns.The landscape of the Catania area is greatly

influenced by the presence ofEtna, which is visible even from agreat distance.It occupies a vast area of theprovince, indeed its circumferenceat the base is about 250 km.It is true to say that life revolvesaround the foot of the mountain, somuch so that the towns here areconnected by the famous Circ-umetnea railway, opened at the

E TNA

Dall’alto: le pendici dell’Etna innevatee sullo sfondo il golfo di Catania,l’Etna nella sua veste invernale,

il lago Gurrida.

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end of the 19th century.It could be said that each town has its ‘own’volcano.Indeed, the appearance of the mountainchanges according to the place from which it isviewed. So the Etna you see from Sant’Alfio isdifferent from the one seen from Linguglossa,the one seen from Randazzo is different fromthe one you see from Adrano, and so on.The continuous eruptions and lava flows overthe centuries have not only created outrighthills and mountains but also characteristic for-mations, closely linked to the process ofmagma consolidation. Some of these forma-tions are called dykes, bombs, daggers, theCrags of Acitrezza are nothing more than arocky agglomerate that came from an erup-tion.The lava of Etna is particularly fluid (the tem-perature of the magma is about 1,000°C),which brings both advantages and disadvan-tages. The fluidity means that gases escapemore easily, reducing the risk of explosions.However, fluidity also means speed; the lavaflows quickly and can cover great distances ina short time.Overall it can be said that Etna is rather mod-

erate as regards explosions and expulsion ofmagmatic material. This is due to the fact thatevery day it gives off tons of gases and sul-phur dioxide into the air (looking like cloudsfrom afar), maintaining an acceptable level ofinternal pressure. Obviously, however, pres-sure builds up to an explosion when lava plugsare created, blocking the eruptive mouths.Etna has four summit eruptive craters (NewCrater, Central Crater, South Eastern Craterand North Eastern Crater) and numerous lat-eral craters.The Etna National Park was set up in 1987,covers 60,000 hectares and includes 20 dis-trict councils of the province of Catania.No form of life, vegetable or animal, is presentin the areas affected by recent lava flows,while the areas of old lava flows are teemingwith life.The flora numbers over 1,500 species, includ-ing the soapwort, symbol of the Park, and thefauna counts numerous species of mammalsand birds.The natural landscape changes according tothe altitude.At sea-level, along the coast, the vegetation ismostly halphilous.

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As you begin to climb up, you find land givenover to growing apples, pears, nuts, pista-chios, almonds and, naturally, grapes.These gradually give way to ilex groves, oakwoods and chestnut woods.From 1,500 to 2,000 metresthe landscape is dominated bybeech-trees, aetnesis birchesand large fragrant gorse bush-es.Above 2,000 metres you onlyfind extremely hardy plants,such as groundsel andmouse-ear chickweed.The fauna is also very inter-esting.On Etna you can find porcu-pines, foxes, wild rabbits, wildcats, hedgehogs, dormiceand, pay attention, vipers.The birds, above all, give par-ticular joy to animal observersand especially to birdwatch-ers.

The Park is populated byboth diurnal and nocturnalbirds.These include GoldenEagles, Peregrine Fal-cons, Kestrels, Rock Par-tridges, Scops Owls, Buz-zards, Barn Owls, Cuck-oos and Tawny Owls.In the Gurrida lake youcan also see ducks,herons and other aquaticspecies.Although the Park can bevisited freely and inde-pendently, we recommendvisitors take the greatestcare, especially when hik-ing. You do not need specialequipment, just hikingboots, a map, binocularsand, obviously, a camera.

However, Etna is not a mountain like anyother, it is and remains an active volcano.Our advice is not to venture off on your ownbut to hire authorised guides.

E TNA

In alto: un fiume di lava. A fianco: una montagna di magma

sommerge case coloniche e coltivazioni.

Nella pagina precedente:ultima eruzione.

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Syracuse was the flourishing city where theunforgettable genius Archimedes was born,lived and died, the powerful city described byillustrious names of the ancient world, includingLivius, Plutarch, Cicero, Ovid, Pindar, Virgil andThucydides. Still today it preservesthe elegance and prestige of animportant archaeological and his-torical city, with its limestone build-ings from different ages making itseem an ageless woman dressedin white, in which there is a harmo-nious and enchanting mixture ofremains from the ancient past,mediaeval essentiality andbaroque exuberance.The cliffs and beaches of Syracuseare also white, with occasionalshades of gold. It must have beenthis coastline that attracted theGreek colonisers, who greatly admired andappreciated beauty in all its forms. Unfortunate-ly, post-war Italians do not seem to have had thesame appreciation, ruining part of this beauty bybuilding petrochemical plants, power stationsand such like along part of this coastline.Archaeological studies and finds bear witness togrowing contacts and trade between the localpopulation and the Greeks even before theyfounded the city, having come to realize its nat-ural advantages: the presence of two safe har-bours, abundant water supplies, fertile soil and astrategic position in terms of defence.The Greek colonisers of Corinthian origin, led byArchias, who settled in the city around 734 B.C.gave the city the name of Syracoússai, derivedfrom the local word Syraco, meaning “marsh”,plenty of which were to be found then and arestill to be found in part today. Over the centuries Syracuse became one of themost prestigious cities in Magna Graecia andcertainly the most powerful Greek city in Sicily,growing from the original settlement on Ortygia,with the addition four other urban areas (Akran-dia, Tyche, Epipoli, Neapolis) and experiencinga boom in construction and the building of mon-uments, but an economic and military expan-sion, which – thanks to the founding of the threesub-colonies of Akrai, Casmenae and Camarina– led to the defeat of the various enemies who

from time to time threatened the city: Carthagini-ans (Himera, 480 B.C.), Etruscans (Cumae, 474B.C.), Athenians (416-413 B.C.).The history of Greek Syracuse is full of ups anddowns, many of them intricate and violent, but it

came to an end in 212 B.C. duringthe Second Punic War, when thecity was conquered by the Romansin a bloody battle, Archimedesbecoming their most famous victim.This signalled the beginning of aperiod of bad government anddecline, even though Syracuse wascapital of the Roman province ofSicily and had a resident praetor,while remaining a strategic port fortrade between the eastern andwestern Mediterranean. In 663 theEmperor Constans made the citycapital of the Eastern Empire, a

position it lost when conquered by the Saracensin 878, losing once and for all its prestige.The period characterised by the strugglesbetween the Angevins and Aragonese (1266-1295), however, left an important mark on thearchitecture of Syracuse, with the building ofnumerous defensive works, as did the period ofSpanish domination, which saw the constructionof elegant buildings in Aragonese and Catalanstyle. The period from the 16th to the 18th cen-tury was distinguished by a series of calamitiesand disastrous events: these include the twoearthquakes of 1542 and 1693, which destroyedor damaged many of the city’s ancient buildings;other constructions of interest later fell victim tohuman intervention: following the unification ofItaly, the Spanish city walls and some of the citygateways were demolished, as were four blocksof mediaeval buildings in 1934. After the SecondWorld War, as we have already mentioned, thewhole of Sicily suffered an uncontrolled con-struction boom, the effects of which have fortu-nately been limited in recent years by the devel-opment of measures to protect the environment.Thus, Syracuse is now included in the UNESCOWorld Heritage Site list.

Syracuse

In alto: “Venere Anadiomene”, museo archeologico.Nella pagina a fianco:veduta aerea dell’isola di Ortigia.

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As we said above, the island of Ortygia is the old-est part of the city of Syracuse, where first theSikels and later the Corinthians settled. It hasgiven birth to numerous myths and legends andwas a destination for illustrious travellers even inancient times. The island is about 1,660 metres(about 1 mile) long, separating the large port fromthe small one, and is connected to the mainlandby two bridges, one of which can be considered amonument (Umbertino Bridge). Temple of Apollo – This is the oldest Doric tem-ple in Sicily (6th century B.C.). The surviving partsare the base with four steps, two completecolumns, a few parts of the entablature and theremains of the southern wall of the cella. Over thecenturies the building has been converted numer-ous times: firstly into a Byzantine church, then intoan Arab mosque and later into a Norman basilica.In 1562 it was integrated into a Spanish barracksand then, in 1664, completely ‘covered’ by theconstruction of a church, which was removed twocenturies later.Piazza Archimede – Here you can see traces ofthe original mediaeval layout of the town intowhich this piazza was inserted between 1872 and

1878, notwithstanding the damage it suffered dur-ing the Second World War and later alterationsmade to it. In the centre of the piazza stands theArtemis Fountain, a work by Giulio Moschetti, andit is overlooked by attractive buildings from vari-ous periods, some of which still retain mediaevalelements.Palazzo Mergulese Montalto – This is one of theloveliest mediaeval buildings in Syracuse anddates back to 1397. In the façade you can see abeautiful portal with a pointed arch and three win-dows (a double lancet, triple lancet and single-lancet respectively). Via Maestranza – This is one of the main streetsin Ortygia, along which are situated the resi-dences of the most important local families. Thearchitecture is in an attractive 18th century style,the most interesting elements being theAragonese-Catalan portal on one side of thePalazzo della Prefettura, the courtyard of PalazzoRomeo Bufarderci and the eight granite columnsof Palazzo Dumontier.Church of San Francesco all’Immacolata –This church was built in the 13th century by theFranciscans while Saint Francis of Assisi was stillalive. Although it still retains some of the elementsof the original building (the Gothic portal in thepresbytery and the old vestry with cross vaults), ithas been greatly altered over the years with the

Ortygia

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addition of frescoes, stuccoes and other decora-tions.Palazzo Bellomo and the Regional Art Gallery– This building was constructed during the revivalof Syracuse under the reign of Frederick II. It is anaustere 13th century construction, although thefirst floor was added in the 15th century when itbecame the property of the Bellomo family, whowere allied to the Aragonese and thus introducedCatalan style architectural elements, such as themulti-lancet windows in the façade and the monu-mental stairway inserted into the Suevian portico.The ground floor has a rampart structure and, justlike a fortress, has only one entrance, through anattractive Gothic portal. Since 1958 Palazzo Bel-lomo, along with the adjacent Palazzo Parisio delCassero, has been home to the Mediaeval andModern Art Gallery. The gallery has recently beenreorganised with the works now displayed in abetter order. The highly refined works on displaydate from as far back as the Byzantine era right upto the 19th century, including paintings and sculp-tures, as well as objects in silver and gold, ceram-ics, arms, furniture, vestments, church plate, his-torical costumes, fabrics, lacework, crib scenesand prints. The most famous works of art housedhere are the Annunciation by Antonello daMessina, which is the main attraction of thegallery, the Madonna del Cardillo by Domenico

Gagini, a Madonna enthroned with Child attrib-uted to the Spanish artist Pedro Serra, a SanLeonardo attributed to Lorenzo Veneziano andthe paintings Deposition, Martyrdom of SantaLucia and Miracle of Santa Chiara, by the excel-lent local artist Mario Minniti, who was a friendand follower of Caravaggio. Also of importance isthe precious illuminated manuscript “Book of

O RTIGIA

In alto: Palazzo Ortigia.A fianco: fontana di Diana a Siracusa.

Nella pagina precedente: tempio di Apollo .

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hours” (a compendium of devotional texts for useby lay people), from a Flemish workshop.Piazza Duomo – This has always been the heartof Ortygia and the site of its original settlement:this is where the oldest evidence of human habi-tation have been found (Bronze Age huts) andalso where the Corinthian settlers first set uphome. It is bordered by buildings constructed bythe church and the nobility of the city. In the north-

eastern corner stands the present Town Hall,Palazzo del Senato, or Vermexio (from the nameof its Spanish architect), which was built to housethe Senate in 1629-33 and is partly situated on theremains of a temple from the late 6th century B.C..Opposite this you can see Palazzo Beneventanodel Bosco, of mediaeval origin but restored in thelate 18th century, with a beautiful exterior, marvel-lous courtyard and an interior decorated withsculptures and stuccoes. The Superintendency ofCultural and Environmental Heritage houses theCoin Museum, which boasts a varied collection ofancient coins from all over Sicily. Piazza Duomo isclosed off on the southern side by the attractivebaroque façade of the Church of S. Lucia allaBadia, entirely rebuilt, along with the adjacentmonastery, after the earthquake of 1693, andhousing The burial of Santa Lucia, the first Sicilianwork by Caravaggio, who took refuge in Syra-cuse in 1608 after fleeing from Malta and had thiswork commissioned thanks to his friend Minniti.Cathedral – The Cathedral stands on the site ofthe grandiose Greek temple dedicated to Athena,preserving many elements of this ancient building.In the 17th century it underwent numerous alter-ations and additions, such as the opening of thechapels, the building of the cupola and the recon-struction of the facade in baroque style with threeentrances. The interior is composed of a vestibuleand three naves, one of which has walls incorpo-rating ten columns from the original Greek templeand containing sculptures by Gagini; the central

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nave, on the other hand, is enhancedby a 16th century wooden ceiling.Arethusa Fountain and Alpheuspromenade – An ancient Greekmyth, also recorded by Ovid,recounts that the nymph Arethusa(who became a symbol of the city)was changed into a fountain of clearwater spouting on Ortygia by the god-dess Artemis in order to help herescape the advances of Alpheus theriver god. Alpheus was so desperateto possess her that he ran under thesea from Greece to Ortygia and lethis waters mix with hers. TheArethusa Fountain has alwaysinspired artists and visitors because

of its beauty and ancient charm andnowadays it is adorned with papyrusand populated by ducks and fish. TheAlpheus promenade, where theFountain is situated, offers one of themost enchanting views you can findof Syracuse.Maniace Castle – This fortress wasbuilt between 1232-40 on the tip ofthe island of Ortygia by the Byzantine

General Maniace. The Normans hadalso had a castle on the site, trans-forming a building that had very proba-bly been used as a mosque. The build-ing is separated from the land by awide moat and has a square layout,with an imposing defensive tower ateach corner. Over the centuries, it hasbeen put to many uses and has under-gone numerous alterations (for exam-ple, the Gothic style entrance portal onthe northern side. Today the Castlewelcomes visitors with the magnificentview of its entrance portal, decoratedwith multicoloured marble. The interioris also of great interest, with the cellarshousing the so-called Queen’s Bath, afresh water spring that was probablyused for ritual washing in Arab times.

S IRACUSA

In alto: il castello Maniace.Al centro: la fonte Aretusa.A fianco: lungomare Alfeo.

Nella pagina precedente:in alto, interno del Duomo;

in basso: piazza Duomo.

Il parco archeologico della NeapolisThe territory immediately across from the islandof Ortygia has a “strigas” network of streets, thatis with orthogonal intersections, a hangoverfrom the Greek colonisers. The area on whichthe ancient districts of Akradina and Tyche stoodis home to numerous buildings from the Hel-lenistic and Roman age, within the present dayNeapolis Archaeological Park, as well asother artistic and architectural gems.Roman Amphitheatre – This is the largeststructure of its kind in Sicily (140 m x 119 m) andit seems to date from the 1st century A.D.,although this has been disputed. The lower partis dug directly out of the rock and the centre is

occupied by a pool fed by two canals; the arenameasures 70 m x 40 m and the animals andgladiators entered through openings in a cov-ered passage way situated beneath the ter-races. All that remains are the foundation struc-tures, as is the case for the theatre and the Altarof Hieron II, which are the most important mon-uments to be found in Neapolis, along with theamphitheatre.Altar of Hieron II – We can deduce from thewritings of Diodorus that this Altar was built bythe tyrant Hieron II (3rd century B.C.) and wasperhaps dedicated to Zeus: It is of impressivedimensions, measuring 22.8 m x 198 m. Origi-

nally, there were two stairways leading from thenorthern and southern extremities to the centralplatform, where ritual sacrifices were carriedout. There is a porticoed piazza in front of thestructure, combining with it to make an immenserectangle, in the centre of which is a large pool.Greek Theatre – We know from the mimograph-er Sophron that the theatre was built by thearchitect Damocopos in the 5th century B.C.Diodorus, Plutarch and Cicerone speak aboutthe theatre, as do numerous other sources, all ofwhom mention its importance in the religiousand civil life of Syracuse and its internationalprestige as the scene for the performances ofthe great Greek tragedians. Aeschylus himselfappears to have staged two of his works here,The Persians and The Etnee. The Theatre isplaced on a site from which you enjoy one of the

most beautiful views to seen in Syracuse and itwas adapted to the terrain, with the cavea beingsculpted out of the rocky slope of the TemeniteHill. During the reign of Charles V (1520-31), thehighest part of the cavea and the whole back-stage area were dismantled and the stonesreused in the construction of the fortifications onOrtygia.Thanks to the illuminated and genial work ofMario Tommaso Gargallo (1886-1958), founderof the National Ancient Drama Institute, theGreek Theatre of Syracuse, after almost twoand a half thousand years, started hosting per-formances of the ancient Greek dramas in 1914,a tradition of great artistic and cultural prestigethat still continues today.Latomie, Ear of Dionysius and Cave of theRope-Makers – The latomie are the quarries

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from which stone was extracted in ancient timesfor the construction of public and private build-ings. Within the archaeological park, these areperhaps the most charming and fascinating

areas to visit, as they take you on a jour-ney back in time to another civilisation, ajourney that starts a very long time ago(remembering the construction of Castel-luccio or Thapsos, in the 19th-13th cen-turies B.C., and the necropolises of Pan-talica and Cassibile, dating back to the12th-9th centuries B.C.). Quarrying proba-bly started here with the Greek colonisa-tion, which hugely increased the demandfor building materials. The area in whichthe latomie are situated is arch-shapedand about a mile long, in which you findone after another the latomie del Par-adiso, dell’Intagliatella, di Santa Veneraand, further on, di Broggi, del Casale anddei Cappuccini. The appearance of thelatomie has been modified by earth-quakes over the centuries: many rockwalls have collapsed, allowing the sunlightto filter in and encouraging the growth ofvegetation. The Latomia del Paradiso,which is open to visitors, is dotted withseveral artificial caves, created by quarry-ing to reach the deepest layers of stone.The most famous of these caves is theEar of Dionysius (or, as it is called local-ly, of “Dionisio”), as it was named by Car-

avaggio during his stay in Syracuse in 1608,because of its ear-like shape and the legend,according to which the tyrant Dionysius createdit in order to listen to the conversations between

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prisoners held there. Indeed, the cave hasnotable acoustic properties and is used byactors and choirs to create special soundeffects during performances in the nearbytheatre. In reality its shape is probably dueto the quarrying techniques used at thattime. In the dampness of the Cave of theRope-Makers, in the 17th-20th centuries,artisans manufactured ropes using hemp.Apart from the charming tricks of the lightand the musk and maidenhair ferns grow-ing there, the cave is also of great interestbecause of the numerous signs left by therepeated quarrying that went on, with thevarious levels of contrast creating extraor-dinary visual effects.Grotticelli Necropolis and ‘Archimedes’Tomb’ – Originally, there was an enormousnecropolis that stretched across theplateau around the latomie, right up to thearea overlooking the Greek Theatre. Youcan still see the numerous burial vaultsand cavities dotted around among therocks. In the Grotticelli Necropolis twotombs stand out from the others, charac-terised by a front decorated with Doric stylesemi-columns in relief, surmounted by a

tympanum pediment. The one facingsouth is known as ‘Archimedes’Tomb’, although it is really a Romancolumbarium dating from the 1st cen-tury B.C. to the 1st century A.D., usedfor housing cinerary urns.Roman Gymnasium – Along the viaElorina, which connected Syracusewith the sub-colony of Eloro, you willfind this place used for ancient formsof eastern worship, which were popu-lar from the 1st century A.D. onwards.It was mistakenly identified as a gym-nasium. The remains of a four-sidedportico enclose the ruins of a temple inCorinthian architectural style, with analtar, two wells (one inside the templeand another outside) and a theatre,originally covered in marble.Dionysian Walls and Euryalus Cas-

S IRACUSA

In alto: Ginnasio Romano.A fianco: veduta aerea del castello Euria-

lo. Nella pagina precedente, in alto:Orecchio

di Dionigi; in basso: veduta aereadell’Anfiteatro Romano.

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tle – Situated about 7 km from Syracuse on theEpipolae plateau, these are the most grandiosemilitary fortifications of the Greek era still in exis-tence. The walls were originally equipped withgateways and watchtowers and extend to alength of over 27 km, while the fortress structurecovers an area of over 15 square km. DiodorusSiculus recounts that the building of the fortresstook just six years (from 402 to 397 B.C.) andwas started on the orders of Dionysius the Elder.The castle had a system of underground tunnelsfor moving men and weapons and wasequipped with a drawbridge and five 15 metrehigh towers, situated betweenthe third and final moat and thekeep.“Paolo Orsi” RegionalArchaeological Museum –The museum is named afterthe archaeologist and scholarfrom Rovereto, who played alarge part in the rediscovery ofprehistoric, Greek and RomanSyracuse. It houses one of themost important archaeologicalcollections in Italy and is situat-ed in the Villa Landolina Park.You will find material from digscarried out by the local Super-intendency of Cultural andEnvironmental Heritage, divid-ed into three distinct sectorsdedicated to the prehistoricand proto-historic cultures ofStentinello, Castelluccio,

Thapsos and Pantalica (coveringa time span from the 5th millenni-um B.C. to the 7th century B.C.),to the Greek colonies (includingNaxos, Katane, Leontinoi,Megara Hyblaea and Syracuse)and finally to Eloro, outpost of thecity, and to the sub-colonies ofSyracuse (Akrai, Kasmenai andKamarina).Sanctuary of the Madonna delleLacrime – This church is 74metres high and dominates Syra-cuse. Its peculiar circular shape ismade up of 22 reinforced con-crete girders in a radial patternand is probably intended to repro-duce the shape of a tear fallingfrom heaven, as it was built to

commemorate a miraculous event, when a fig-ure of the Virgin Mary wept. The figure is nowhoused in the church. The lower part of thechurch, the crypt, was completed in 1968, whilethe upper part was finished in 1994. The floor isinlaid with multi-coloured marble forming theshape of a star. To the left of the main altar thereare some Roman era remnants.River Ciane and Papyrus Museum – In theMetamorphoses, Ovid recounts the story ofCiane, who was changed into a water source byPluto while trying to rescue Proserpina, who hadbeen abducted by the god. On Via Elorina,

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heading towards Ragusa, you willfind the twin mouths of the Cianeand Anapo Rivers. An excursionalong the river allows you to reachthe necropolis of Pantalica and thesource of the Ciane, 7 km from themouth. This area has been aNature Reserve since 1984 and ishome to several rare species of birdand characterised by luxurious veg-etation with ash trees, ferns andabove all papyrus. The latter plantwas introduced to Syracuse fromEgypt in the 3rd century B.C.(although others believe it was theArabs who brought it here) andover the centuries it has spreadwidely around the Syracuse area,making this the most important sitefor the plant in Europe and one ofthe main centres for producing thevaluable paper obtained from it.There is an interesting Museumdedicated to papyrus in Syracuse,opened in 1989 and situated inViale Teocrito.

Augusta is home to an important military and commercial port, as well as oil refineries andchemical plants, which dominate the coastline. The town itself is situated on a small island,linked to the mainland by two bridges; you enter the town through the Porta Spagnola gateway,overlooked by the Suevian Castle, built onthe orders of Frederick II in the 13th century.Other buildings worthy of note are the Cathe-dral and the Town Hall.A few miles from Augusta you can find thesmall seaside town of Brucoli, where youcan admire the view of a small bay with crys-tal clear water, dominated by Mount Etna.There is also a 13th century Aragonese cas-tle situated at the estuary of the small Por-caria river, which forms a port known as the“Canale”. The local fishing boats find shelterhere, along the rocky sides dotted with cavesand caper plants.

Augusta

AUGUSTA

A fianco: veduta aerea del Santuariodella Madonna delle Lacrime. Nella

pagina precedente, in alto: ???????; inbasso: papiri del fiume Ciane.

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Although there are traces of human settlementin the area dating back to the prehistoric period,the town was founded by the Greeks from Syra-cuse, who made it their first sub-colony, Akrai,and exploited its strategic position as a hub forroads connecting with the Greek cities along thesouthern coast. It is situated on a hill calledAcremonte, which separates the valleys of theRivers Anapo and Tellaro. The town was veryprosperous, thanks to the fertile soil, whichfavoured agriculture. Its prosperity continuedinto the Roman age, but it was apparentlydestroyed by the Arabs and then recaptured andrebuilt by the Normans.Today Palazzolo Acreide is an interestingarchaeological site and is included inUNESCO’s World Heritage List. It contains theruins, in good condition, of a small Greek The-atre dating back to the 2nd century B.C.,designed to seat about 600 spectators and dis-covered in 1824. From the cavea of the Theatre,a tunnel leads to the modestly sized bouleu-terion, where the meetings of the local Senatetook place. Very probably Akrai was home to a Temple ofAphrodite, as is indicated by the presence ofthe remains of an archaic temple construction,dating from the 6th century B.C., on the site ofthe acropolis.The Latomie dell’Intagliata and dell’Intagli-atella were initially used as stone quarries for

the construction of ancient Akrai, but they laterbecame places of worship in Greek and Romantimes and were then used for burials in theByzantine era, when they also housed cavedwellings. The Latomia dell’Intagliatella hasscenes of sacrifices and banquets sculpted inrelief out of the rock. On the hillside of the ancient town we find theTempli Ferali, which are also a latomia and soa place of worship, and a series of 12 rupestrianbas-reliefs, dating back to the 3rd century B.C.,carved out of the limestone and locally known as“Santoni”, which can be traced to the worship ofCibele. Palazzolo is home to numerous lovelychurches, the most attractive being the Churchof S. Paolo, which has an interesting baroquefacade designed by Sinatra. The Chiesa Madre,founded in 1215, was rebuilt following the earth-quake of 1693. In 1474 Antonello da Messinapainted the Annunciazione for the Church ofthe Annunziata, which was then rebuilt in the1700s. The 18th century Church of S. Sebas-tiano, on the other hand, houses a paintingattributed to Vito D’Anna, while the statuedepicting Santa Maria delle Grazie, kept in theChurch of the Immacolata, is held to be byLaurana.Among the private residences of Palazzolo, themost interesting from the point of view of archi-tecture and decoration are the Palazzi Judica,Zocco and Ferla. Finally, a brief mention for the

Antonino Uccello Houseand Museum, housing avaried ethno-anthropologi-cal collection broughttogether by this tirelessscholar and poet who tookan enthusiastic interest inhistory and folk traditions,and one for the Museumof Travellers in Sicily,located in the 18th centuryPalazzo Vaccaro, whichhas opened only recentlyand an exhibition of docu-ments, drawings and etch-ings from the past andphotographs by GiuseppeLeone and LambertoRubino.

Palazzolo Acreide

The town of Noto is famous for its extraordinaryBaroque architecture, which has earned it aplace in the UNESCO list of world heritagesites. Like many other Sicilian towns, it wasborn out of the catastrophic earthquake of1693, which caused widespread destruction,meaning that the towns were partly or com-pletely rebuilt in accordance with the style ofthe time. The stone used in the construction ofthe buildings is also very attractive, being a softtravertine that takes on a golden tint in the sun-light.

Noto

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A fianco: Chiesa del San Salvatore.In basso: la Cattedrale di San Nicolò.

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This ancient town has a long and illustrious his-tory; we know that in the 9th century B.C. it wascalled Neas and that later, in the 5th centuryB.C., according to the myth, it was the birth-place of the Sikel hero Ducezio, who defendedthe town from the advance of the Greeks fromSyracuse. After a series of battles of mixed for-tune, he was finally defeated and with him diedthe dream of a confederation among the Sikels.Under the Greeks the town became Neaton(‘brand new’), then Netum under the Romansand Noto under the Arabs. Following the earthquake of 1693, the rebuild-ing of the town on the Meti Hill, about 15 kmfrom the old town, needed the work of threegenerations of architects and masons, whocentred the town on the present day Corso Vit-torio Emanuele III, along which the main reli-gious and civil buildings were situated andwhich starts from the Porta Reale gateway,built in 1838 to commemorate the visit of Ferdi-nand II of Bourbon.Along the Corso there are three piazzas, thefirst of which is Piazza XXX Ottobre, where youwill see a wide stairway leading up to theChurch of San Francesco all’Immacolata,

designed by Sinatra. This is followed by thebaroque complex of the Monastery and Basili-ca del Santissimo Salvatore, decorated in puregold and with a richly frescoed ceiling. TheMonastery houses the ancient section of theCivic Museum, which brings together artefactsfrom the old town of Noto, particularly numer-ous objects regarding the worship of Demeter,the goddess of fertility.You then come to the Church of Santa Chiara,with adjacent Monastery, inside which there isa Madonna with Child attributed to Gagini.Piazza del Municipio is overlooked and domi-nated by the Cathedral, also known as theChurch of San Nicolò, with its three monumen-tal stairways. It was built in 1776 and is charac-terised by a wide façade in a mock-classicalstyle with a bell-tower either side. Following anerror in its construction, which was only discov-ered later, the building suffered a disastrouscollapse in 1996 and it took seven years ofrebuilding work before it could be reopened tothe public. The modern bronze portal of theCathedral shows scenes from the life of thetown’s patron saint, Saint Corrado Confalonieri.The Cathedral houses several works of art,

In alto: l’Infiorata.

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including a Saint Michael by Gagini and a 16th

century Madonna with Child.Palazzo Ducezio is another lovely building fac-ing onto Piazza del Municipio. Work started onit in 1748 but was finished only a century later.The attractive façade, in mock-classical style,is by Sinatra and is characterised by a porticosupported by elegant columns. Another floorwas added in 1951. Palazzo Ducezio currentlyserves as the Town Hall.Also facing onto Piazza del Municipio are the19th century Archbishop’s Palace and thebaroque Palazzo Landolina.In Salita Nicolaci, not far from the piazza, youwill find one of the most beautiful private resi-dences in Noto, Palazzo Nicolaci Villadorata. Ithas balconies with curved railings supported byzoomorphic and anthropomorphic figures, typi-cal of the baroque style, and sumptuously dec-orated and frescoed interior spaces. It is thus atypical and attractive example of a residence ofthe Sicilian nobility. On the same street there isalso the 18th century Church of Montevergine,also attributed to Sinatra, inside which you cansee a lovely multi-coloured marble altar andfour 18th century paintings by the artist Carasi.Finally, it is also worth visiting the 18th centurychurches of San Carlo Borromeo, San Domeni-co and Santissimo Crocifisso; the latter is home

to some valuable works of art, such as theMadonna della Neve, a sculpture by Lauranadating from 1471, and several works from old

N OTO

In alto e a fianco: particolaridei balconi di Palazzo Nicolaci.

Marzamemi & Portopalo

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Marzamemi is a small fishing village sit-uated near Capo Passero, the south-eastern point of Sicily and most souther-ly point of Italy. Its name derives from theArabic Marsà al hamem, or “Bay of Tur-tle-Doves”: these birds frequently stopoff in this area during their migrations. The village has grown up around the har-bour and has developed mainly thanksto fishing, which is still very important tothe local economy, along with the pro-cessing of fish products: it is veryfamous, for example, for bluefin tunaroe, processed by ancient desiccationmethods inherited from Arab-Phoenicianculture. The beach and the water at Marzamemiare lovely and the village has begun to takeadvantage of its tourism potential in recent yearsby offering berthing for pleasure craft. In summerthe population increases considerably, thanks tothe new summer houses that have been builtaround the village. In 1993 the pretty village of Marzamemi wasused as the backdrop for the making of the suc-cessful film Sud, directed by Gabriele Salva-tores, and has been home to the Frontier Cine-

ma Festival since 2000. A short distance from Marzamemi there is anoth-er popular destination for visitors: Portopalo diCapo Passero, which is particularly attractive forsurfers and windsurfers, due to the almost con-stant wind that blows here. Their sails, trapezesand wetsuits add a touch of colour to the beach-es and the waters in the port or around the Isoladelle Correnti.

In alto: Marzamemi. In basso: l’Isola delle Correnti.

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The Vendicari nature reserveFounded in 1984, the Vendicari Nature Reserveis managed by the State Forestry Commission,protecting of one of the few tracts of land on thecoast of Eastern Sicily not yet built up or dissect-ed by roads. There are eight kilometres of beach-es, cliffs, small hidden bays and, above all, aseries of ponds situated behind the sand dunes,which make it one of the most beautiful and bestconserved wetland areas in Sicily.These ponds, locally called marshes, borderalmost the whole length of the coast. From northto south you come across the mouth of the Tellaroriver, the Calamosche pond and the Piccolo,Grande, Roveto and Scirbia marshes.It is a separate world, different from the agricultur-al areas that grow almonds and olives, or thethick and fragrant tracts of scrub that are typicalin this corner of Sicily.

Typical plants associated with humid, brackishareas grow around the ponds: there are relative-ly few reeds, the plants which are more distinctlycommon are saltwort, in beautiful, salty stretchesof changing colours, rushes and “limonio,” a typeof reed with delicate blue flowers. With the exception of the Piccolo marsh, the othermarshes are seasonal and their level depends onthe amount of rainwater: often in the summermonths they are completely dry and the bottom iscovered by a thin layer of salt. The fauna in Ven-dicari is extremely rich. More than two hundredand fifty species of birds have been observed andthe marshes are often host to concentrations of

thousands of water birds. In the winter monthsthere are great flocks of Ducks, Cormorants,Flamingos, Coots and various species of smallwading birds. In late spring, Black Winged Stiltslay their eggs among the saltwort.Vendicari also offers the visitor interesting histori-cal testimonies: the ruins of the eighteenth centu-ry Tuna processing factory, the Swabian tower,the small Byzantine church in Trigona and theruins of the Greek city of Eloro that mark thenorthern boundary of the park.This protected area is enjoyable all year round.There are signposted trails, observation huts forbird watching and a nature guide service fororganised tours.The entrance to the park is well signposted alongthe Noto-Pachino provincial road.

Carmelo Iapichino

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Ragusa is the capital of the province and is situ-ated in the southern part of the Iblei mountains.The 18th/19th century town of Ragusa stands ona slope of the Ibleo tableland, bordered by twodeep picturesque valleys, the Canyon of S.Leonardo and the Canyon of Santa Domenica.Modern Ragusa is made up of a grid layout,Ragusa Ibla, full of mediaeval remains and ele-gant baroque buildings, standing on a hill (380metres), following its contours and completely inharmony with it.Experts now agree that Ragusa stands on thesite of the ancient Hibla (a name that derivesfrom the Goddess Hybla). The town was found-ed by the Siculi, who left behind signs of theirpresence in the burial chambers dug in manyareas and clearly visible in the sides of the Gon-falone valley, along the road to Modica. Underthe Arabs the name of the town becameRakkusa or “Ragus”, as it appears in sometexts. However, it is more probable that it derivesfrom the Byzantine “Pogoùs” (Rogus), whichmeans granary.You can start your visit to modern Ragusa inPiazza San Giovanni, the heart of the newtown.The magnificent Cathedral of Saint John, builtin the early 18th century, has a richfacade with three portals, the centralone being adorned with beautifulstatues. Robust columns withCorinthian capitals on high plinthscharacterise the facade. To the leftof the church stands a high bell-tower ending in a spire. Statues andnumerous gilded stuccoes thatmake it a masterpiece of Ragusanbaroque.In Corso Italia, beside the cathedral,you will see the church of the Col-lege of Maria Addolorata (1801),whose facade is enlivened by pairsof Corinthian columns and, on the first level, bywindows with centring.At the northern end of via Roma, from a pretty‘roundabout’, you have a beautiful view over thewild canyon of San Leonardo and the district ofIbla, dominated by the cupola of SaintGeorge’s. Going back towards the opposite endof the same street and passing in front of the

18th century Presbytery, you get to the NewBridge.At the beginning of the bridge there is a buildingthat contains the Mediterraneo Hotel and thebar-confectioner’s of the same name, where youcan taste excellent ice-creams and cakes. Onthe ground floor of this building is the IbleoArchaeological Museum, which is home tomaterial collected from the digs in the province.Going down Corso Italia, immediately on yourright you will see Palazzo Lupis, a lovely exam-ple of an 18th century noble house, whose topfloor is characterised by balconies and artisticcorbels.Just before the bridge, on the left at the corner ofCorso Vittorio Veneto, stands the beautifulPalazzo Zacco, one of the most important noblehouses.

Returning onto Corso Italia andheading towards Ibla, at number 35you will see the Palazzo Bertini.The building is characterised bythree masks, placed in the key-stones of the windows. The threemasks have been interpreted in dif-ferent ways, but the most widelyaccepted is that of the ‘three pow-ers’.At the end of Corso Italia, via Mazz-ini begins. This street twists andturns on its way down to Ibla. Justafter this, at the first turning, you geta marvellous view over Ibla, domi-

nated by the cupola of the Cathedral. After thefirst flight of steps the church of Santa Maria

Ragusa

In alto: Cattedrale di San Giovanni.Al centro: riproduzione (Giuseppe Bella) di uno deimascheroni, “il ricco” di palazzo Bertini. Nellapagina a fianco: la Cattedrale di San Giorgio aRagusa Ibla.

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delle Scale stands out majestical-ly. It was started under the Nor-mans, rebuilt in Gothic style underthe Chiaramonte family in the 14thcentury and reconstructed afterthe earthquake of 1693 in its pres-ent form. From here you go downto Ibla using a long series of stair-ways. Those who have enoughtime and breath left will enjoyunexpected surprises. You passby simple doorways and well dec-orated portals, gates and windowsadorned with flowers. You passthrough districts wherelife still goes by slowly,almost in anotherdimension. When all the

excitement seems to beover, you come to asquare from where youcan admire a baroquecorner, still miraculouslyintact. You immediately notice thePalazzo della Cancelleria, a mag-nificent example of baroque, veryrefined in the decoration of the por-tal and in the rich decoration of thecorbels, which support the juttingbalconies. Finished in 1760, it wasthe seat of the Chancellery of Iblauntil the last century. The pictur-esque and charming square iscompleted by a pointed arch, underwhich there is an old stairway, andthe magnificent bell-tower of the

church of Santa Maria dell’Idria,whose octagonal base is coveredby multi-coloured tiles from Calta-girone, decorated with vases andflowers. The church was built forthe Order of the Knights of Maltain 1639. Right at the end of thestairway, on the corner of viaMazzini, stands Palazzo Cosenti-ni. The balcony that overlooks thesquare is supported by sneeringmasks, in complete contrast withthe pretty female figures withnaked breasts. The masks, which

are similar to the sub-jects of the paintings ofBosch, were sculptedwith foul animals in their

mouths, making themeven more horrible:scorpions, snakes, miceand frogs.The other side of the

square is occupied by the attractivefacade of the church of Purgato-ry, which was built atop a beautifulstaircase, making it seem evenhigher, and is enclosed by an artis-tic gateway.In this district the streets are madeup of steps, both wide and narrow,

Immagine a sinistra:Palazzo la Rocca; le altre immaginisi riferiscono ai mensolonidi Palazzo Cosentini.

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which climb up and are crossed by small quietalleyways. Here you will find arches, bridges,unexpected views, light and shade, taking youback in time. In this area, near the church of Pur-gatory, stands the massive structure of thebaroque Palazzo dei Sortino-Trono. Thefacade is marked by five pilaster strips withCorinthian capitals and superbly decorated bybalconies with corbels and beautiful acanthusleaves. Along via Cabrera you arrive in PiazzaDuomo, irregular in shape and on a slightincline, dominated in the higher part by thesplendid church of Saint George, one of themost significant works of Sicilian baroque art.The square is enlivened by palm trees, giving itan exotic touch of colour, and is sur-rounded by neo-classical andbaroque buildings, among which thespectacular Palazzo Arezzi standsout, with its magnificent arch, underwhich the street passes. The Cathe-dral was built on top of the church ofSaint Nicholas after the earthquakeof 1693. The church has its frontaxis divergent from the line of thesquare, giving it an admirable lookand allowing you to see the cupolafrom the other side of the square.

The visual effect is made even prettier by thehigh stairway, also divergent from the line of thesquare. The portals are very rich, especially thecentral one, with festoons and a heraldic shieldsupported by putti.The interior of the Cathedral has three naves onpillars ending in Corinthian capitals and has adeep apse and windows decorated in 1926 todesigns by Elena Panigatti and depicting scenesfrom the martyrdom of Saint George.The itinerary continues, after passing under thearch of Palazzo Arezzi, up to the top of the Iblahill, where the castle once stood. From here youcan admire the cupola of Saint George’s.Going back and continuing down via Dott. Sola-

In alto: San Giorgio e il suo Campanile.A fianco: veduta panoramica

di Ragusa Ibla.

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rina and via Bocchieri, wecome to the Cathedralagain, but on the side ofthe apse, from where, aswell as the impressivestructure of the church,you can admire the har-monious baroque palaceof the La Rocca family.The building has sixbeautiful balconies, threeon each side, above theentrance portal andbeside the main balcony.To Piazza Duomo younotice a pretty fountain inthe lower part of thesquare and opposite thisthe neo-classical Con-versation Club. Just afterthis stands Palazzo Don-nafugata, which houses arich art gallery.From here you can easilyget to Piazza Pola, whereyou will see the building that was IblaTown Hall until 1926 and the churchof Saint Joseph with a lively baroquefacade, attributed to Gagliardi.In via Torre Nuova you notice thebaroque church of the Madonna delGesù with the adjoining convent ofthe Reformed Philippine Fathers.Returning to Piazza Pola and turning

into via XXV Aprile, after a few bendsyou will see, on the left, the church ofSaint Thomas, ex-monastery ofSanta Maria di Valverde, founded bythe Normans.Straight after the church you will seethe gateway to the Giardino Ibleo, apretty spacious and panoramic park.Inside the park there are threechurches: the Capuchin church withconvent, Saint James’s and thechurch of Saint Dominic or of theRosary, with a coloured majolica bell-tower. However, the masterpiece now

considered the symbol ofRagusa is the side portalof the church of SaintGeorge, destroyed by theearthquake, which is tothe right of the entrance ofthe park. It is a magnifi-cent portal in Gothic-Catalan style with ‘SaintGeorge killing the dragon’in the lunette andAragonese eagles in thetwo lateral rhombuses.The church of SaintGeorge, built around themid-14th century in theChiaramonte period, musthave been very large andcertainly sumptuous,judging from the artisticexuberance of the portal,which, although corrodedby time and neglect, stillhas an extraordinarybeauty.

Dall’alto: particolare e antico portalelaterale della Chiesa di San Giorgiodistrutta dal terremoto, cupola di SanGiuseppe.

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ComisoThe Arabic word Jhomiso means‘water source’ and perhaps refers tothe Diana Spring, around which thetown developed, the focal-point andsymbol of Comiso. Under the Saracensthe town grew; some districts still havenames of Arabic origin today(Canicarao, Favaraggi, Donnaduci,Cascalana etc.).However, it was the Norman domina-tion that saw the growth of Comiso intoa small city with churches and important monu-ments.Your tour should begin in Piazza del Municipiofrom the famous Diana Spring, the symbol ofComiso. The statue of Diana is the work of thesculptor Diano di Spoleto (1937) and standsatop the spring itself, made up of 13 spouts,from which the clear water gushes. In the pastthis water supplied the Roman baths. In 1887,during work for the construction of the TownHall, the remains of Roman buildings came tolight, with a mosaic floor depicting Neptune

between Nereids and dolphins.If you cross via Ten. Meli, you can head for thechurch of Our Lady of the Annunciation, eas-ily identifiable from its pale blue cupola. Thismonumental church stands at the top of anattractive flight of steps and was built on the siteof the ancient church of Saint Nicholas, whichwas pre-12th century. Returning along CorsoVittorio Emanuele, the old Via del Cassero, youcome to Palazzo Occhipinti, one of the pretti-est buildings in Comiso, with a simple but ele-gant baroque facade, attributed to Gagliardi.

Vittoria

Vittoria, situated at 169m above sea level ona vast plain in Sicily has a modern urban set-ting and a grid system of roads, which give itthe appearance of a large chess board.Although the city was founded on April 24th1607, traces of prehistoric settlements, Sicu-lan, Greek and Roman artefacts, early Christ-

ian and Byzantine graves and inscrip-tions have been found, along with evi-dence of medieval settlements, whichare proof that the area was inhabitedin ancient times. The land in Vittoria issome of the most prosperous andintensively cultivated in Sicily.Although greenhouse cultivation ofearly produce has become more com-mon in recent years, vine productioncontinues to be practised, even if insmaller quantities: this cultivation pro-duces table grapes and concentratedwines, used for blending with others

and which are in great demand in the north ofItaly. The Piazza del Popolo is situated in themiddle of the city and is surrounded by beau-tiful monuments. One side is occupied by thesplendid Neo-Classical Municipal Theatre andthe seventeenth century Madonna Delle Gra-zie church.

The centre is divided into two urban areas:Upper Modica, whose houses scale the rocksand Lower Modica, arranged in a valley formedby two torrents, covered with powerful vaultsafter the flood in 1902, along which the two mostimportant roads of the city run.Modica gave its name to the earldom, whichincluded a large part of the present-dayprovince, including Ragusa and preserves thecharms and physiognomy of a big city.Modica is typically Baroque in style, like all of

the towns in the area that were rebuilt after theearthquake in 1693. Unfortunately, not muchremains of the previous epochs, when Modicawas the strongest feud of the Sicilian Baronialage, but the few remains that can still beadmired give an idea of how vast, precious andpicturesque the artistic heritage of the city wouldhave been. The various Counts of Modica, ani-mated by a religious fervour often not disinter-ested, founded churches, convents and monas-teries. From an estimate, based on the ruins,traditions and historical documents, it seemsthat Modica, until the XVII century, had a hun-dred churches, which is an enormous amount incomparison to the number of inhabitants. Our tour of lower Modica can begin at PiazzaCorrado Rizzone, where the incomplete SantaMaria della Grazie church (Santa Maria Ausili-

atrice alle Cipolluzze) and an adjacent ex- con-vent of the Mercedari fathers, Baroque in style,stand. Today the latter is home to the municipallibrary and also to the ethnographic museum.You continue to Corso Umberto, where beauti-fully refined buildings rise and the splendid oldCarmine church (Santa Maria dell’Annunziata).Continuing along Corso Umberto, “u salottu“,you encounter magnificent and, going by thebalconies, probably noble buildings, which aredecorated by stupendous, large consoles likethose of Palazzo Ascenzo. Along the way, atthe summit of a high picturesque flight of steps,animated by statues of the apostles, a magnifi-cent grand church rises, that of Saint Peter,patron of the city. At the foot of the staircase,every year at Easter, the statues of Our Ladyand of the Resurrected Christ meet in a sea ofnoise and people. This is the feast of Our LadyVasa Vasa, during which holy celebrations,

Modica

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Easter rites and musical concerts areheld. In the vicinity of the Cathedral, ina modestly wide area, we can find thesmall church of San Nicolò Inferior.It’s a grotto which was found in 1987,by Duccio Belgiorno, and it’s almostalways cool. The most interestingpaintings are those that date back tothe XIV-XV centuries, which repre-sent, among others, Christ under analmond tree surrounded by angelsand Saints.Nearby you will find the birthplace ofSalvatore Quasimodo, winner of theNobel prize for literature. The housecontains documents, photos andother memories of the poet.Continuing along the same road, wecan see the church of Our Lady ofSuccour, palazzo Rubino, palazzoArena the Garibaldi theatre andother noble buildings.

IN UPPER MODICAFrom Saint Peter’s via Garibaldibegins, which, following a series ofbends, takes you to Upper Modicaand offers a good view of the lowerpart of the city. From this road a sce-nic flight of steps begins, with severalflights and 250 steps, and leads to the monu-mental church of Saint George, one of themost important artistic masterpieces in Modica.The huge flight of steps, a real wonder of 18thcentury architecture, climbs up towards thechurch with four flights.The interior is richly adorned with stuccoes and,as one can imagine by looking at the five outergateways, it has five naves, which, as they crossthe transept, give way to a spacious centraldome and to two smaller side domes.Neighbouring the church is Palazzo Polara.Continuing uphill towards Upper Modica, fromthe first bend you can get a view of the entirecity and of the great Guerrieri bridge which over-hangs it. From this point it was possible to enterthe castle which belonged to the Counts of Mod-ica. There is very little remaining of the castle;the surrounding walls, the tower.

Along the uphill climb you come across the apseof Saint George’s church with a beautiful squa-mous dome and right in front of the church isPalazzo Napolino. On the upper floor beautifulbalconies in bulging wrought iron grating standout and are supported by large corbels in theform of gargoyles, with acanthus leaves.In the highest part of the city Saint John’schurch impressively stands at the summit of awide flight of steps, which grants a dash of state-liness to the church.

MODICA

In alto: chiesa di San Giorgio. A fianco: festa dellaMadonna Vasa Vasa.

Nella pagina precedente, in alto: particolare dipalazzo barocco; in basso: Torre dell’Orologio.

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Travelling from Ragusa or Modica, won-derful Scicli appears almost suddenlyfrom a bend in the road. The town is situ-ated in a valley below limestone rockswhich seem to protect it, and the blueMediterranean on the horizon completesthe view.The seventeenth century appearance ofthe town is the result of the 1693 earth-quake. The reconstruction of Scicli wasbased on the Baroque principles of spaceand illusionary effects. Churches andbuildings were knowledgeably situated inthe urban plan and gave life to a smallform of architectural work of art which isunfortunately not well known.There are many things to see in Scicli, sotake your time when going around to dis-cover new corners and spots. Piazza Italia is in the city centre and issurrounded by beautiful seventeenth cen-tury buildings and dominated by theimposing limestone rocks, on which SaintMathew’s church is built.On one side of the square is the seven-teenth century Matrice church dedicatedto St. Ignazio. The beautiful Baroquefacade is richly decorated with statues andsculptures which make it a real work of art. Itsgrand interior is formed of a basilica divided intothree naves and decorated with golden stuccowork.Among all the richly decorated balconies, the

one which overlooks Via S. Bartolomeo standsout from all the others because of its supportingbrackets shaped like galloping horses, wingeddragons and fantastic creatures ridden bywinged cherubs.Ascending Via S. Bartolomeo, along which the

S.Bartolomeo river flows, yousee the massive structure of St. Bartholomew’s church,whose solemn facade standsout against the towering lime-stone rocks of the quarry. Thechurch dates from the earlyyears of the fifteenth centuryand is the only church to survivethe tremendous earthquake in1693.

Scicli

In alto: particolare di palazzoBeneventano. Nella paginaseguente, in alto: SanGiorgio a cavallo; in basso:abitato di San Matteo.

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Returning to the square andproceeding along ViaNazionale, at the first right turn,a few metres later, you canadmire the Baroque PalazzoBeneventano. There aresplendid balconies with beau-tiful curved wrought iron barssupported by brackets depict-ing fantastic animals. Masksand caricatures of humans.Via Mormino Penna is a perfectinterpretation of a Baroqueurban concept, in which space,light and harmony combinetogether to form a perfect bal-ance. The aristocratic buildings,ecclesiastical buildings and pic-turesque corners make thisstreet an “unicum” of its type.From the Town Hall go to Saint John’s Churchwith its elegant concave – convex facade har-monised by a series of double semi-columns, ofwhich the central part extends as far as thethird order, making it seem longer and majestic.In Via F. Mormino Penna, palazzo Sgarlata-Veneziano, plazzo Spadaro, chiesa di S.Michele, chiesa di Santa Teresa.Spread all over the hill are numerous

Troglodyte caves, church ruins like that of theHoly Spirit Church with its beautiful baroquefacade, and lower down, the majestic ruins ofSt. Mathew’s Church, once the mother churchof ancient Scicli.And it is the oldest church in the city. Some sayit was built by the Normans, others say it datesfrom the early years of Christianity: the earliestrelevant church document is dated 1093.

S CICLI

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Ultimata la visita di Scicli ci si puòdirigere verso la costa. A Pozzallo,buon porto, mare splendido ed estesespiagge, da segnalare la Torre Cabreracostruita a difesa del “Caricatore” perla esportazione dei prodotti agricoli.Proseguendo sul litorale vi sonoestese dune fossili prima di giungerealle spiagge di Marina di Modica chenegli ultimi anni ha avuto un rilevanteincremento turistico. Sampieri, villag-gio di pescatori, con le sue dunedorate precede Cava d’Aliga dove lasabbia cede il posto agli scogli.Successivamente si giunge a Don-nalucata, borgo dalle antichissimeorigini e porto naturale di Scicli. Solopochi chilometri per raggiungere Mari-na di Ragusa. Negli ultimi decenniMarina di Ragusa ha ampliato inmodo considerevole la sua esten-sione urbana e la sua ricettività conalberghi, ristoranti e camping. Il centro

Il litorale da Pozzallo a Scoglitti

A fianco: foto aerea di Marina di Modica.In basso: veduta panoramica di Pozzallo.Nella pagina seguente:la casa del “Commissario Montalbano”a Punta Secca.

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The castle, situated among Carob trees andsurrounded by an immense park, is one of themost attractive tourist spots in the province. Ithas the appearance of a large residentialvilla, preceded by a wide avenue, on bothsides of which there are storehouses, stablesand houses for the peasants who lived on thebaron’s estate. The history of this castlebegan between the tenth and eleventh centu-ry and was the work of the Arabs, who built agroup of dwelling places near a source offresh water which was called Ayn As Jafat(Fountain Of Health). Successively, in thelocal dialect the name became “Ronnafuata”,from which the present Donnafugata originat-ed. The building, submitted to changes andadded to until 1960, fundamentally owes itsappearance to Corrado Arezzo de Spuches,the Baron of Donnafugata and a prominentfigure in nineteenth century political life.The oldest part of the whole complex is sure-ly the solid square tower which dates from theseventeenth century and which is situated inthe central part of the building.

Donnafugata Castle

si è sviluppato prevalentemente attornoalla torre cinquecentesca fatta erigeredai Cabrera per la difesa della costa. Ilbel lungomare, ricco di negozi, bar e ris-toranti, è il luogo ideale dove passeggia-re durante i freschi pomeriggi estivi,godendo della brezza marina.Lasciata Marina di Ragusa si giunge aPunta Secca, caratterizzata da un altofaro, da un piccolo porticciolo turistico edalla vicina area archeologica di Kau-cane. Santa Croce Camerina, posta sullepiù basse propaggini degli Iblei meridion-ali, a pochi chilometri dal mare, è fra i piùpiccoli comuni della provincia. La cittadi-na ha un aspetto tranquillo, conferitoleanche dal sobrio impianto urbanistico.Santa Croce è la naturale erede di inse-diamenti molto antichi e storicamenteimportantissimi, quali quelli di Kamarinae Kaucane.È sicuramente da effettuare una gita alCastello di Donnafugata che dista ventichilometri dalla costa.