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Home , Camillo Camilliani, Gulf of Castellammare, Levanzo, Palermo Cathedral, Province of Agrigento, Province of Enna

FIRST OF ALL, WHICH ? For there is a classical Sicily with theatres and numerous temples, a baroque one with spirals of tufa stone and stuccoes resembling whipped cream, a Sicily of castles that here have a somehow less menacing air than those in northern Europe; and then there’s the refined Sicily of Verga, Pirandello, Sciascia, and Quasimodo, the dramatic Sicily with its sulphur mines, the Bourbon Sicily of the Viceroys and the aristocrats of old, the luxuriant Sicily with coasts redolent of lemon blossom and jasmine, and a middle eastern Sicily imbued with all the soft comforts of the Arab-Norman world. To put it in a nutshell, there is a Sicily to suit all tastes. Let’s say it’s rather like an ice-cream cone: you just pick your favourite flavour and start wandering around. As if in a dream.

People also come to Sicily because they have fallen in love with certain places, having read a book or seen a film, or heard the tales of others who have already been here. Or simply on the basis of some intuitive understanding, full of significance yet hard to put into words.

On this raft floating in the middle of the Mediterranean there are certain localities and towns that remain etched in your memory, or your imagination, thanks to certain colours, perfumes, and happenings. Because of playful tricks of memory. Or of the imagination. Which is why it is best to make inquiries before you land here. Because you don’t just go to Sicily. You arrive here by sea or by air. As in a dream.

READ WHAT? WELL, IT DEPENDS. The Odyssey, for instance, if you want to enjoy the evocative coast stretching from to the mythical straits of Scylla and Charybdis, or if you wish to feel the winds of the , which change every hour, depending on the whim of their lord King Aeolus. Or the fifth book of the Aeneid, if you would rather relive the emotions of Aeneas landing near and the games in honour of his father Anchises. But it also helps to have read Pirandello, in order to understand , its inhabitants, and their healthy follies. And Verga, to see into the heart of Lola or Santuzza in the Cavalleria Rusticana. And Rosso di San Secondo before visiting Caltanissetta, which has two s’s, despite the way many people spell it - but probably not everyone has read these books.

And you may even be struck with the same Angst as Mallarmé, who exclaimed in dismay, “J’ai lu tous les livres, hélas!” Because all the people who have visited the island and written about it have taken away with them their ideas, their prejudices, and their certainties. And maybe even residues of memories.

a museum of art and culture between sun and sea.

the sea and the islands.

itineraries of faith and folklore.

Sicilian foods and crafts. 1) Filicudi (ME) 2) , the 3) , the Cathedral 4) Pelagie - (AG)

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2 3 4 ART AND CULTURE BETWEEN SUN AND SEA. The identity of a land born of the waves.

What is the identity of this land We use the hand gestures of the ancient born of the waves? Phoenician merchants, we are as crafty You may find yourself asking this question after as the Greeks, as captious as the Byzantines, your first encounter. Indeed it may well happen. and as blasé as the knights of Andalusia, For it is not easy to grasp the meaning and we still show great respect for the dead of this island, which is itself a continent. and for the necropolises of all those But don’t despair - that’s how it always is: who died on the island. at first sight you may well not fully understand. In our language, behaviour, food, and religion we carry fragments of Greek culture, It is not easy to understand Sicily. but also Roman, Byzantine, Muslim, Norman, Just like a beautiful woman, Sicily needs Angevin, Aragonese, Catalan… a certain type of approach Each of these has left a mark, architectural traces, and cannot be easily won. masterpieces of art, transforming the island All you can do is to let yourself be seduced. into a unique open-air museum. Just as the first Mycenaeans were seduced when they came this way to buy obsidian Sicily offers pleasure and joy and pumice-stone in the Aeolian Islands, to each and every one of its visitors. when nothing else was known for cutting And to think that in the Middle Ages Sicily and polishing. Just like the Phoenicians, was described as being “seared and riven by lava who along these very coasts set up their trading and sun, like a hell on earth, inhabited by people stations and left them in the charge of people more devil-like than human”. taken on in every corner of the Mediterranean, At the other extreme is the “invention” people who lived in peace, trading with Siculs, of the Sicily described by Stendhal, Sicans, and Elymians. whose Duchesse de Palliano declares, “… as I travelled through Sicily, my purpose was Why were they called Elymians? Ex limen, not just to observe the natural phenomena of Etna in Latin means refugee, driven from home. or to clarify to my own mind and to that This gives an immediate picture of the ancient of others what the ancient Greek authors island civilization. said of Sicily. Everyone was always welcome. Above all I sought the pleasure of the eye, Just like the Greeks, seeking somewhere which in this singular land is truly great.” to live in peace, and hosts of others. As happens today to many other unfortunates who escape to these shores, fleeing from poverty, war, famine, and oppression.

Sicily welcomes everyone. In civil fashion, and has always done so. And one and all become . For you don’t have to be born here. Hermocrates of Syracuse made this point way back in 424 BC, when he said, “We are neither Ionians nor Dorians, we are Sicilians.” 1) (TP), Acropolis 2) (CL), archaeological site 3) (EN), Villa del Casale 4) Eraclea Minoa (AG), Greek theatre

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2 3 4 > CLASSICAL CULTURE. The footprints of the gods in the land of myth.

“Of all the imaginable forms of dissolution, travelling Here the gods have passed their way. Their myths is the greatest I know; it is what one invents when one are the myths of the prehistoric world, folk is tired of other people... One may sometimes get angry, legends linked to the sea, the volcanoes, the rivers. but at least one amuses oneself, and immensely so.” They are the basis of the literary tradition Thus spoke Gustave Flaubert. And, reading of this island, which for tens of centuries between the lines, this reveals the supreme and has been the commercial and cultural centre sublime voluptuousness of a journey of discovery. of confluence of all those who braved the sea. Sicilian architectural remains are amongst the finest People of all races, speaking different tongues, of all antiquity. It is not easy to resist who together with their wares brought a cargo the charm of works whose beauty has conquered of culture and experience. And also religious rites, visitors of every epoch. Particularly the cultured which - we should not forget - for centuries were travellers completing their “Grand Tour”. the only rules of conduct in human communities. The greatest of these, the “Traveller” par excellence, is beyond any doubt Wolfgang Goethe. The choice is yours. A pilot to guide your way Even if his Italienische Reise has been criticized or a good guide to help you plunge deep into time. by many for its omissions, inaccuracies, From Syracuse, skirting the southern coast, and trivialities. How can that be? It is simply that without missing the enchanting Punta Braccetto, his is a journey to the end of history, the end of time; before finding yourself in the gulf of . that great journey that each of us would like And then straight on to , to make into the heart of human nature. the loading port near Agrigento. Perhaps we can find Aleph in this island, the place The Valley of the Temples, seen from the sea, where all places meet, the history that contains all inspires a thousand desires. Even to pray. histories. An initiation to mystery rites, a descent The towers that occasionally rise along the coast to the Underworld: from the prodigy of , are all that remains of an ancient system with its temple that is not a temple, of coastal defence designed in the late sixteenth to Villa Palagonia at Bagheria, the negation of the century by the architect Camillo Camilliani. traditional scene of aristocratic delights. They were supposed to be a deterrent, Or the city of the dead at Pantalica, which becomes but they didn’t deter anyone. a charming place to live in. Especially not the pirates who plagued these coasts. And then with its enticing cuisine And there lies the clue to it all - Goethe did not and the mystery isle of Ferdinandea, which every write a Baedeker. And neither do these few pages once in a while rises from the depths of the sea, claim to be one. We are just at the invitation stage. in a cloud of smoke and vapours, amidst explosions We would like you to come to Sicily, to see, and columns of fire, like a show of magic. to learn, to enjoy, to savour what has enchanted From Selinunte to , with the colourful all those who have come here in the past enchantment of the Egadi Islands, and the landfall four thousand years. at or Trapani. And to dream. Roving this way and that, with a good Always welcomed by a flock of seagulls. guidebook in your hand, You will certainly not fail to make a trip in the archaeological parks of Piazza Armerina to offer tribute to the goddess Venus at , or Selinunte; witnessing the ancient spectacle who has stood there, on Monte San Giuliano, of sunset in the Greek theatre at Taormina for three thousand years and more, protecting or from the ruins of . those who cross the seas. And to swim in the sea at Camarina, knowing that under the sand are the relics of ancient ships. And then… and then take a look at your guidebook, And to sail along the coasts like Ulysses, for there is more to come. witnessing dawns and sunsets, while the coast stretches out before you with its monstrous architectural horrors, which can be pardoned only by the sudden appearance of a temple or twin columns still standing on a coast that is sometimes unspoilt. 1) , Palatine Chapel 2) (PA), Cathedral - Almighty Christ 3) (TP), Church of the Trinità of Delìa 4) Palermo, S. Giovanni degli Eremiti Church

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2 3 4 > ARAB-NORMAN CULTURE. The perfumes of Islam and the dizzy twirls of Gothic style.

The perfumes of Islam and the dizzy twirls In Palermo, the Zisa Palace of Gothic style are there for all who desire (the name comes from El Aziz, i.e. the magnificent), to learn more of this curious corner of Europe, the Cuba, i.e. cube-shaped, and the castle where the gastronomic delights include of Maredolce or Favara (which means “spring” couscous and cassata. in Arabic) are buildings ordered to be erected The Arabs never came to Sicily, by the Norman kings, only Muslims from the nearby Tunisian coast, who from the start embraced the pleasures as well as Egyptian notables. The only Arabic of the Emirs’ good way of life. thing about them was their language. They did not for a moment renounce harems They landed in 827 near or these luxurious mansions, which were so different under the command of a leader of advanced years, from the gloomy castles of northern Europe. Ibn al Furat: a wise old man rather than a general. The island was soon converted to Islam, The same process occurred in places of worship. a process that encountered little opposition. There were no more craftsmen capable Those who switched religion paid no taxes, of constructing great religious buildings: they could have four wives and ride a horse the only ones left were Muslims, and they could (rather than a mule or donkey), and at the end only build mosques. And mosques are what of their earthly existence they had the paradise the newcomers commissioned them to build, only of Allah awaiting them. they called them churches. You will see many of these: in Palermo, San Giovanni dei Lebbrosi, San A place full of green pastures, plentiful orchards, Giovanni degli Eremiti, San Cataldo, and sinuous, virginal houris, always on hand and the Church of Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio, to pour cup after precious cup of the finest better known as la Martorana. of wine… This was also the time of the great In short, Islam was a success. of Monreale and Cefalù, which with the Cappella The few remaining Christians had their homes Palatina perfectly convey what religion meant to marked with a cross, which was a sign these newcomers: a Christ Pantocrator, somewhat for the tax-collector: this symbol, now devoid different from the unassuming Ecce Homo, a of its original significance, can still be found Christ who uses one hand to hold the Bible and on many houses in the Trapani area, especially the other for His benedictions. Or are they threats? near Mazara del Vallo. In the area of Trapani, there are the Church As a traveller wrote at the time, Palermo, of San Nicolò Regale at Mazara del Vallo with its three hundred mosques, rivalled Damascus and the Church of Trinità di Delìa, a few miles and Cordoba in beauty. from Castelvetrano, the only private cemetery It was described as “the most beautiful to survive to our days. Palermo Cathedral deserves of all the cities of the believers”. These people a mention apart, this picturesque hotchpotch brought to Sicily their great civilization. of original styles, some harmonious, some clashing. Not just a vast variety of vegetables, cereals, During the Muslim period it was the most important and exotic fruit, but also paper, hydraulic engineering, mosque in all Palermo, rising over the ruins algebra, and - above all - the art of the good life. of what was first an ancient Phoenician sanctuary Today there are few authentic “Arab” architectural and then a pagan temple. It was knocked down traces, in the sense that they date back and rebuilt by an English archbishop, to the Muslim domination - according to some Walter of the Mill, to cancel it from all memory, scholars, only the baths at Cefalà Diana, but some of the material was reused. in the . However, they can’t have looked too closely, since a little column on the left of the southern All the rest, built by Arab workmen during portico bears in fine relief an Arabic inscription the Norman period, is known invoking Allah’s blessing. as Arab-. Fortunately, not many people know this. 1) Ragusa, Church of S. Giorgio 2) , palazzo Biscari - detail 3) (RG), palazzo Beneventano - detail 4) (SR), the Cathedral

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2 3 4 > BAROQUE CULTURE. The sensual and voluptuous luxury of an epoch of passion.

You will also find baroque culture As also the architectural splendours as you wander around the street markets. of Via Crociferi in Catania. For when they lay out their stalls displaying Possibly the highest expression of this kind vegetables, tomatoes, or fennels, Sicilians are of “beauty” is the Cathedral of San Giorgio guided by a profound sense of all that is baroque. in Ragusa, or the Palazzo della Cancelleria, It is the expression of the sensual. next to the Church of Santa Maria dell’Itria, It is an emphatic and colourful language, with its bell tower covered in precious ceramics spectacular and fantastic, often expressed from . in wall facings made of polychrome marble An explosion of passions set in stone, with inlays that are either flat or in relief. a maze of gilding, cast iron, mixed marbles, White or gilded stuccoes complete this folly, stucco angels and cupids, scantily-clad Virtues, adding even more to their opulence. strategically placed to distract the attention The external walls, instead, are covered in warm, from what reality in fact had to offer. soft limestone, shaped into massive ledges for balconies or façades, intended to convey This is perhaps the key to it all: an idea of the wealth or importance of some passions to distract the attention. noble family or religious order. The immaterial transformed into the material. To be seen and touched. This opulence was no chance matter. Like icons of devouring passion. It was rather the consequence of the convergence Stendhal understood this: of interests of and the Church. “The island is said to be like Africa: A sort of cultural, moral, and military “promotion”, but what is clear to me is that it does not belong against the ever-imminent Ottoman threat to , except but for its devouring passions.” in the Mediterranean. Even after the Battle of Lepanto. Charles V, on whose empire the sun never set, and of whom the Sicilians were almost faithful subjects, wanted to make Palermo the most representative city of his whole domain. He therefore strove “to widen the streets and squares and to build the richest and tallest of palaces, as well as many magnificent monasteries.”

Almost as if in response to the wishes of the Spanish government, in 1693 an extremely violent earthquake destroyed not only Catania but also dozens of hamlets in the eastern part of Sicily. Thanks to a series of specially designed projects, numerous Sicilian cities were rebuilt in baroque style: Noto, , Grammichele, Ragusa, Scicli, Acireale, Militello Val di Catania, and others. 1) (AG), Regina Margherita Theatre 2) Siracusa, greek theatre 3) S. Margherita (AG), palazzo Filangeri 4) Palermo, Massimo Theatre

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2 3 4 > LITERARY PARKS. The magic of Sicily in the words of Sicilians.

Sicily, a land of strong contrasts, has always had, > THEATRES in every epoch, writers and poets capable A tradition that comes from afar. of expressing its intimate essence. For Sicilians, the theatre is a way The Literary Parks focus on places of understanding life. It is no coincidence that were sources of inspiration for the most that since antiquity all the greatest playwrights sensitive observers of Sicilian reality, offering chose Sicily as the uncontested queen the attentive visitor an unprecedented of Europe’s stages. opportunity to understand the real soul of a people. In the Greek theatres at Syracuse, Segesta, Guided tours, theatre performances, Morgantina, and , the tragedies literary prizes and coffee houses, of Sophocles, Euripides, and Seneca publishing enterprises, craft workshops: and the comedies of Aristophanes, Menander, you are spoilt for choice in the abundance Plautus, and Terence still live on in the warm of Sicily’s rich literary wealth. summer evenings.

The Leonardo Sciascia Park is in the territories The celebrated festival of Taormina Arte of Racalmuto, the writer’s hometown, is staged in the incomparable scenario and of Caltanissetta; the Park named after of the Greek theatre at Taormina, in the province Salvatore Quasimodo, the 1959 Nobel Prize of Messina, a season dedicated to the cinema, Winner for Literature, spreads across theatre, dancing, and symphonic music. the provinces of Messina and Ragusa; Opera, music, drama, and ballet are performed the Tomasi di Park, named after in the late nineteenth-century theatres in the unforgettable author of The Leopard, Palermo and Catania. Palermo has the Teatro comprises Palermo, his native town, Santa Massimo, Margherita Belice, where he spent his childhood, with its imposing neoclassical façade designed and ; by Giovanni Battista Basile, and the Park, named after one of the most important theatres in all the 1934 Nobel Prize Winner for Literature, Europe for opera, while at the Teatro di Verdura is at Contrada Caos, a stone’s throw a wide-ranging season of music from the Valley of Temples in Agrigento. and modern dancing is on offer in the open-air theatre during the summer. Also in Palermo, in Piazza Castelnuovo, is the Teatro Politeama, a theatre in art nouveau style that hosts the EAOSS season (the Sicilian Symphonic Orchestra). And in Catania, at the Bellini Theatre, you can enjoy the arias of the illustrious composer born in that city. 1) Mussomeli (CL), the Castle 2) Palermo, Puppet Museum 3) Agrigento, archaeological Museum 4) Mazzarino (CL), the Castle

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2 3 4 > CASTLES. Unquestioned reigns of fantasy.

Castles. Originally they were just > MUSEUMS. small defensive forts, but later they developed Precious caskets of a luminous past. into the complex constructions that we know today. The oldest of the Sicilian forts is to be found Each of the nine provincial capitals among the ruins at Selinunte: possesses museums of great prestige at the base of Temples A and O it is possible to see and extraordinary variety. a centenarium, originally built to hold a garrison The Pepoli Museum in Trapani, of troops in case of need and manned by sentries. the Regional Art Gallery at Palazzo Abatellis This dates back to the sixth century AD and the Giuseppe Pitrè Ethnographic Museum and was used until the ninth century in defence in Palermo, the Archaeological Museum of the coast facing Africa. in Agrigento, the Norman Castle Museum at Adrano in the , This was the ancestor of two hundred the Civic Museum in Messina, the Antiquarium Sicilian castles. at in the , Too many to describe in a couple of words. the Alessi Museum in Enna, the Archaeological Let’s just say that the most important ones Museum at in the Aeolian islands, are those built by Frederick II. and the Paolo Orsi Archaeological Museum The Torre di Federico (Frederick’sTower) at Enna in Syracuse. is intriguing: an octagonal prism which for centuries was considered to be the exact geographic centre The museum of folk arts and traditions of Sicily. And the most majestic? at Modica is very characteristic, Ursino Castle in Catania, while the most picturesque with its collection of exhibits reflecting Sicilian is Castel Maniace, on the far edge of the island culture and rural life, as also the museum at Ortygia in Syracuse. of salt and salt pans at Marsala in the , the museum of mineralogy No corner in Sicily is without a castle full and sulphur mines at Caltanissetta, of fantastic stories and inevitable “finds” and the pottery museum at Caltagirone of hidden treasure. Such stories helped people in the province of Catania. to dream during the freezing winters in front And let us not forget the ancient art of a fire. It is interesting to know of storytelling, richly documented that all place names starting with “Calt” in the International Puppet Museum in Palermo or “Calat” originally referred to Muslim castles: with its collection of over 2,500 puppets. Qatl, in Arabic, means rock, fortress… So try chasing them out, looking them up in your guidebook and identifying the towns and villages whose names have this prefix.

One Sicilian castle not to miss? Castle, in the . Rather than a castle, it is an immense work of architectural excavation. For it consists of an entire hill of sandstone, dug out with tunnels, halls, passageways, stables, and storerooms, and used since Neolithic times. The name Sperlinga comes from the Latin spelunca, meaning “cavern”, and the place was the site of the Angevins’ last stand as they fled after the revolt of the Vespers. 1) Egadi - (TP), Cala Rossa 2) Ustica (PA) 3) (TP), caves behind the island 4) Mondello (PA)

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2 3 4 THE ISLANDS. Gems set in a sea of sapphire.

Tears of lava, limestone plains swept > THE EGADI ISLANDS. by the wind, sunny lands the colour of bronze: “Sicily’s white archipelago” lies off the coast one by one the islands decorate the Sicilian of Trapani, and it owes this appellation coast like a string of pearls on the neck to the islands’ limestone and tufa geological origin. of a beautiful woman. Favignana, shaped like a large butterfly There are fourteen of these daughters of Sicily, flying off towards Africa, each year relives not including Motya, which at low tide is the ancient tradition of the mattanza, the slaughter sometimes linked to the coast of Marsala. of the tuna fish in the Florio tuna fishery, Fourteen paradises of untouched beauty. the biggest in the whole of Sicily. Some have an African charm, such as the Cala Azzurra and Cala Rossa are two little coves Pelagie, in the , famous for their crystal waters. and Pantelleria in the province of Trapani. , the smallest of these islands, enchants Others, the uncontested mistresses the tourist with the unspoilt natural beauty of the sea and its secrets, Levanzo, Favignana, of Cala Tramontana and the palaeolithic graffiti and , form the archipelago at the Grotta del Genovese. of the Egadi in the sea off Trapani. The charm of Marettimo, which the Greeks Further north, in splendid isolation, is Ustica, called “Hiera”, the sacred, is in the extraordinary the island of Circe, with its unspoilt natural caves along its coasts, such as the Grotta marine reserve. del Cammello, the Grotta della Bombarda, And in the Aeolian islands, in the province and the Presepio Cave, and the splendour of Messina, water meets fire. of the seabed. Here nature still dictates its rhythms, and travellers can let themselves be enchanted > PANTELLERIA. by the magic spell of the fishermen and farmers Almost within view of the promontory who inhabit these isles, the last custodians of Tunis, the ancient Cossyra is without of the ancient Mediterranean traditions. a doubt more African than European. The choice is yours - between the lively throngs First colonized by the Phoenicians, Pantelleria on the Aeolian Islands, the peace and quiet is a volcanic island rich in thermal springs, of the Pelagie, and the perfumes of the Egadi. such as the lake called the Mirror of Venus. In the territories of Kazzen and Benikulà The sea is perennially the colour of sapphire, are a series of stufe, hot steam saunas, the domain of dolphins and swordfish. while at Bukkuram the jets of steam are cold. And so it has been since the dawn of time. You can enjoy a view of rare beauty from the crater of Montagna Grande, at a height of 830 metres. The Elephant Arch, a rock formation in the shape of an elephant drinking from the sea, is one of the most evocative views in all Pantelleria. 1) Pelagie - Lampedusa (AG) 2) Scopello (TP), the stacks 3) (TP) 4) (AG), Scala dei Turchi

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2 3 4 > THE . Lampedusa, Linosa, and the uninhabited islet of make up the southernmost archipelago in all Italy. Lampedusa, the biggest, > OTHER SITES. is a great slab of limestone with steep rocky There are other sea resorts that are just cliffs that drop sheer into the blue of the sea. as evocative as the minor islands, with clear waters Golden beaches and crystal-clear waters and beautiful natural scenery. surround the famous Isolotto dei Conigli The , in the province (“Rabbit Islet”), a crag some 27 metres of Trapani, is a splendid example. In the vicinity high covered in Mediterranean vegetation. are Cala Bianca, with its white pebbles, An unspoilt natural habitat, declared and the endless beach at San Vito lo Capo, a natural reserve, where turtles of the Caretta the picturesque fishing hamlet at Scopello, Caretta species come to make their nests with its tower, the Zingaro nature reserve, and lay their eggs. Linosa, the “black pearl” and the bay of Guidaloca. of Sicily and so called because of its volcanic In the province of Palermo, the beaches origin, is a paradise for anyone seeking peace at Mondello and Cefalù are the most popular and natural scenery. Here the only changes in the summer months, with throngs in the regular order of the slow pace of local people and visitors. of the centuries are to be seen in the dazzling light The reserve at Capo Tindari, in the province that the sun casts on the plaster of the houses of Messina, is justly famous for the lagoons on the islands: a light that is ever-changing. and its crystal-clear lakes of intense turquoise. And then, moving on to the eastern coast, > THE AEOLIAN ISLANDS. you proceed from the enchanting bay of Isola Bella, The yellow and red of the sulphur on Vulcano, near Taormina, to the faraglioni, isolated rocks the white pumice and black obsidian on Lipari, rising out of the sea known as the Islands the green of the maquis on Salina, the purple of the Cyclops, at Aci Trezza near Catania. of the heather on Alicudi, the red fire Heading further south, towards Syracuse on Stromboli, the lime-white on Panarea, and beyond, you can admire a stretch of sea the yellow of the broom bushes on Filicudi. of tantalizing beauty that stretches from And everywhere the intense blue of the sea. the beaches and bays at Brucoli and Fontane These are the colours of the rainbow Bianche to Porto Palo near Capo Passero. in the Aeolian Islands, a variety unmatched The itinerary terminates in the province anywhere else in the world. of Agrigento, with the memorable This was the kingdom of Hephaestus, beach of Sciacca. the blacksmith of Zeus and the companion of Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

> USTICA. Those who really love the sea must pay a visit to Ustica. Here is the first ever underwater archaeological route in the whole of Italy. The marine nature reserve surrounds the whole island and up to three miles off the coast, presenting evocative underwater seascapes, as for example the Grotta Azzurra, prairies of posidonia, coral banks, gorgonias, and colonies of sponges. It is not unusual, near the shore, to find oneself swimming side by side with groupers and sea bream.On the sea bottom, where wrecks have lain for centuries, you may come upon octopuses and moray eels. On land, you must visit the Fishermen’s Village, which is all white, the Bourbon tower, and the archaeological ites at Capo Falconiera. 1) Catania, S. Agata Festival 2) Palermo, Santa Rosalia Festival 3) Piana degli Albanesi (PA), Greek-Byzantine 4) Marsala (TP), Holy Thursday Procession - the Veronica

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2 3 4 ITINERARIES OF FAITH. Devotion suspended ‘twixt sky and sea.

Are Sicilians religious? They must certainly In the past, this solemn occasion was particularly be cautious, if you consider there are almost cherished by the women of Catania, who for once seven hundred patron saints looking after the 389 could go out on their own, their faces hidden by Sicilian towns! Palermo alone has twenty a shawl that covered everything but their eyes. “ordinary saints”, fifteen “principal saints”, They courted the men and allowed themselves four female “patron saints” who can be seen to be courted, without jeopardizing their honour at the Quattro Canti, and one “patron to watch - Sant’Agata would protect that… over all”, Santa Rosalia. In Syracuse, Santa Lucia is solemnly celebrated Why so many saints? Perhaps because, unlike God, on the first Sunday in May and on 13th they too were once mortals on this earth and were December. It is worth remembering that the considered to be the only ones capable Cathedral is located inside what was the once of understanding and providing for human needs. Templeof Athena, dating to the fifth century BC. And then, after all, it’s the saints who perform It bears the proud inscription “Ecclesia miracles… The festivities in their honour Syracusana prima divi Petri filia” - it is the first originate from ancient pagan cults, rites linked church in Europe erected by Saint Peter himself. to the solstice and the seasons, while others may The celebration in honour of Santa Lucia strictly speaking have little to do with religion. is a Christian version of the ancient cult From the tenth to the fifteenth of July, in the of Artemis (or Diana, as the Romans called her). sweltering heat of summer, the inhabitants From Ortygia - Greek for “island of quails” of Palermo are in a state of frenzy: it’s Festino time. and later renamed Delos - came settlers who colonized the islet, which they named after The Festino is hard to explain. It is most certainly their homeland. On that Greek island, the peak moment of city life, a gigantic popular the goddess Latona gave birth to Apollo and his ex-voto dedicated to Santa Rosalia as a thanksgiving. sister Artemis and the cult was subsequently She it was who saved the people of Palermo transferred to the new land. This festivity from the plague in 1624. This is the last surviving is one not to be missed, especially in view example of the “baroque festivals” of Europe, of its anthropological interest. with a triumphal chariot, huge enough to transport a band of musicians. It is a symbol of the city, The devotion of the inhabitants of Messina unique in Europe, demonstrating the wealth to the Virgin Mary is unrivalled. This is shown and splendour of Palermo. An act of municipal by the inscription at the entranceto the harbour, pride,to remind people - spectators and participants which proudly proclaims, “Vos et ipsam civitatem alike - of the City’s regal dignity! Still today, benedicimus”, i.e. we bless you and the city. for many, Santa Rosalia remains the Great Hope. This declaration was the Mother of Christ’s answer to a letter sent to her by the people People’s hopes in Catania lie in the hands of Messina, through Saint Paul, who happened of Sant’Agata, who for almost eighteen centuries to be passing that way. They will tell you, has protected them from the destructive fury full of pride, that Mary’s letter, rolled up of Mount Etna. From the third to the fifth and clasped by hair from her head, of February the bust of the saint with the holy relics was hidden away to save it from destruction is borne through the streets in solemn procession. in times of persecution. The third of June The Mayor and the Town Junta ride aboard is the day of celebration, when the glass case with a Bourbon carriage, while the heavy barrow the hair of the is carried in procession. is dragged along by two lines of faithful devotees This case, made in 1626, is a masterpiece garbed in white and wearing small black velvet caps. produced by the goldsmiths of Messina. In bygone days it was carried by devout believers But the most solemn celebration is on the dressed in nightshirts and walking barefoot, fifteenth of August, when the case is carried to commemorate the night of 17th August 1126, on a great triumphal chariot, designed in 1535 when everyone ran to the port to welcome to celebrate the triumph of Charles V the bones of the Saint on her return returning after vanquishing the Turks. from . 1) (TP), Living Crib 2) Acireale (CT), the Carnival 3) Prizzi (PA), the “Ballu di li diavuli” 4) Piazza Armerina (EN), the Norman Palio

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2 3 4 In Agrigento there are two patron saints: San Gerlando and San Calogero. But people’s hearts in Agrigento beat more strongly for the latter, a black saint depicted There are various other intriguing occasions, with hands and face the colour of chocolate such asthe “Festa di li schietti”, i.e. and an open book in his right hand, the Bachelors’ Festival, at (Palermo), while the little box under his arm reminds us when young men seeking a soul mate give of what we might call his “tool box” a demonstration of their strength and dexterity - he was a miracle-worker. by lifting a lemon tree in one hand. And they The procession in his honour is a unique sight: have to keep it balancing! Even more bizarre, bread is thrown to him and then collected at Prizzi, also in the province of Palermo, together, in order to ensure a good harvest, is the “Ballu di li diavuli” (“Devils’ Dance”). and little children, stripped bare for the occasion, The participants, wearing monstrous masks are offered up to him. made of tin and dressed in red costumes Can this offering be a hangover from ancient with goatskins over their shoulders, roam rituals? From ancient human sacrifices? around making fun of everyone, to the sound Of what age? of bugles. By synchronizing their progress with that of the bearers of the religious icons The other important occasions in Sicilian in the procession, they try to prevent the Virgin religion have to do with Easter rituals derived from meeting her dead Son. from Spanish traditions. In the end they are defeated by two warrior During Holy Week you can really feel the extent angels, thus symbolizing the eternal struggle of people’s religious spirit. between Good and Evil. The climax of the passion and death of Jesus Christ is literally staged. > INTERNATIONAL EVENTS. At Trapani, the “Procession of the Mysteries” Not to be missed by all fans of culture. begins on the afternoon of Good Friday and lasts until the Saturday. Twenty compositions In Sicily there are many other events each year that of papier mâché and glue, the work of illustrious attract an international audience of aficionados. craftsmen who flourished in the eighteenth Carnival is celebrated in great style and nineteenth centuries, are paraded through with the colourful processions of carts the streets of the city, stimulating great emotion at Sciacca in the province of Agrigento, at Acireale night and day. At nearby Marsala, real people in the province of Catania, and at Termini are the main characters of an eighteenth-century Imerese in the province of Palermo. rite. Nowadays more than two hundred people In August, don’t miss the “Palio dei Normanni” parade in the procession, which is over at Piazza Armerina, near Enna, which recalls a kilometre long. At Enna and Caltanissetta medieval tournaments, with brave knights the “Craftsmen” go on parade. representing the various quarters of the town. Hooded members of the Guildsaccompany There is the evocative atmosphere of the Weeks the dead Christ, placed in a glass urn, together dedicated to sacred and music with Our Lady of Sorrows wearing widow’s in November at Monreale, in the province weeds. In Palermo the little alleyways of Palermo, and in July at Erice, in the province of the old town are crisscrossed by the Good of Trapani. In December there are important Friday “Processions”. These are organized by exhibitions on baroque art at Ragusa, the ancient town guilds. The most ancient as also in May at Noto. of them all, not to be missed, is that of the Guild The “Sagra del Mandorlo in Fiore” of Coachmen, set up in 1594. The Coachmen (Almond Blossom Festival) in Agrigento of the ancient noble houses parade, wearing wigs in February is a traditional date, and the original livery of their former master. while the “Orestiadi” classical play festival From their collections come suits of armour, at , near Trapani, between July once used in jousts and tournaments, and September, attracts a cultured audience. that transformed reluctant guild members into “Pilate’s Legionaries”. 1) Pasta with the sardines 2) Mediterranean mains 3) Palermo, the Vucciria 4) Cherry tomatoes hanging out to dry

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2 3 4 SICILY AT TABLE. A journey into flavours and popular traditions.

Our cuisine is a perfect blend Even pasta is part of Sicily’s history. of all the influences of the various cultures It was the Muslims who at the beginning that have followed each other in the island. of the 10th century set up the first factory Rather than a cultural residue, it is the most for the production of “itrya”, i.e. spaghetti, resistanttrait of a whole culture. at Trabia, a few kilometres from Palermo. The dining-table is the place of introspection Hence the name of the town. of all the different civilizations that have passed When Marco Polo brought spaghetti back from through the island. Cathay, Sicilians had already been eating it for over An ancient pleasure indeed, if it is true that three centuries. They accompanied it with the Plato, once visiting Syracuse, criticized its citizens cheese that Ulysses and his companions had for “sitting down at table several times a day”. found in the cave of Polyphemus on Mount Etna: a cheese made from the milk of sheep ? There are three sorts: (pecora, in Italian): the cheese called pecorino. the patrician or baronial cuisine, that of the ordinary people with all its lively inventiveness, And then there is fish, which is never to be and street cuisine, i.e. that of the “buffittieri”, insulted with a heavy sauce. This is a real mania as they used to be called, a term originally derived with Sicilians, who want to savour the taste from the French buffet. of the sea. An immense wealth and variety of dishes, since every city, town, and family has always had its own version of each recipe, reflecting the island’s strong sense of individuality. While the Monsù, the chef to the great aristocratic families, produced in the palaces celebrated dishes of soles and groupers, hares and capons, the people down below could enjoy the aromas and the fantastic descriptions made by the servants. With great imagination and skill these dishes were reinvented using ingredients that were often quite basic. De-boned sardines were promoted to the rank of soles: “lenguado”, in the Spanish of the nobles, meant “sole”, and thus sardines a linguata were created. A certain small bird similar to the blackcap, when skilfully prepared, became the beccafico that the Monsù proudly served in jelly with pickles. Aubergines were thus disguised as “quails” and even as “parmiciana”, which is a dialect word meaning simply a shutter. Nothing to do with Parma and its parmesan cheese. And from the aubergine also came the queen of popular cuisine, caponata, the aubergine appetizer served as a sweet and sour sauce and originally created in the kitchens of the courts of pre-Islamic Persia. 1) Vintage 2) A winery 3) Sicilian Cassata 4) Sicilian capers

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2 3 4 > PASTRIES. We owe our traditional patisserie to the epicureanism of the Arabs.

As in a fine , glazed candied fruit > WINES. is displayed in perfect geometric forms Vines, grapes, and wine surrounded by marzipan inlays. have always been sacred in Sicily. Whether the word cassata comes the Latin caseatus or the Arabic qas’at is not all that important: They are the dream of each and every Sicilian: it used to be a sacred dish originally made only The dream of the poor man is a vineyard for Easter. Its baroque roundness, wavering in the backyard. That of the rich man between Bible and Koran, is perhaps the highest is a vineyard with which to give lustre to his House. aspiration to the sublime of every Sicilian In Palermo, in May 1860, Garibaldi toasted with worthy of the name. Corvo wine to the dream of “ or death”, but before him Julius Caesar had used a Sicilian The inhabitants of this sunny island wine to drink a toast to his third election as consul. have always had a weakness for the mirage He too was dreaming of Rome. of cool refreshments. That is why, for one thousand years, The ancient tradition of the patrician cellars still all their desserts have been served cold. continues today, side by side with the products Lunch in Sicily can only end with an ice cream. of age-old farms where for centuries master There a vast selection of spongati (soft ices), winemakers have filled their barrels with the juice granite (water ices), pezzi duri (hard ices), of grapes grown in the implacable sun, from and cream cones. It’s a world where only which only the sea breezes give occasional relief. a connoisseur can guide you. “A uniquely Sicilian There are reds and whites, prestigious muscatels madness…”, as Vitaliano Brancati put it. and passito wines, with nineteen DOC awards. In the end you realize that Sicilians don’t just Visitors seeking good food and wine can enjoy feed themselves - they eat. the “Wine Roads. Itineraries of Flavour. Tourism of Taste and Tradition”. For the discerning and inquisitive visitor, getting This is a rediscovery of landscapes that satisfy to know this cuisine can be an amusing way the senses and let you bring away with you of interpreting a culture, of understanding one not just memories but also sensations of life’s true values. Possibly because it succeeds that can be relived at every lunch in giving something that is unreal. and at the drinking of every toast. Seven itineraries and seven varieties stretch around the island: Doc, Avola Black and Cerasuolo from Vittoria, Etna Wine, Insolia, Malvasia from Lipari, Marsala and Moscato . from Pantelleria, and Moscato from Noto and Syracuse. 1) The tuna killing at Favignana (TP) 2) Saline labourers, Marsala (TP) 3) Wickerworker 4) Pottery from Caltagirone (CT)

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2 3 4 > FISHING AND HANDICRAFTS. An expression of the people.

An activity that for centuries supported thousands The traditional handicraft par excellence of fishermen on both sides of the Strait is the production of artistic pottery. of Messina is now reduced to a tourist attraction. Caltagirone in the province of Catania, We are referring to the catching of swordfish, Santo Stefano di in the province where the luntri (from the Latin word linter, of Messina, and and Sciacca in the province a light craft) of the past have given way of Agrigento carry on this ancient tradition. to spadare derivanti, modern boats with all the A strange thing: pottery is fragile, but permanent. latest technology. By an oxymoron of chance, the most fragile The “animal”, as the fishermen call it, of objects leaves the most resistant of traces. is no longer confronted face to face, The combination of earth, fire, water, air, sword against harpoon. and human labour has created a material more They just slaughter it. That’s all. permanent than bronze or iron. For archaeologists it is a “guide fossil” - a special In the area of Trapani there are two tonnare trace that enables us to identify the migrations (tuna fisheries). In the late 18th century of peoples, levels of cultural development, there were some 70 of them, large and small. and the changing of fashions. Jugs, plates, flasks, By 1889, only 20 remained. bowls, pharmacy vases, flowerpots, holy water Yet once they represented “one of the main containers, votive tiles, and all sorts of everyday sources of wealth of all Sicilian industries, objects still tell us today, with their brilliant yielding an average profit of one million lire a year”. colours, of the ingeniousness and creativity Today, they welcome tourists, of the people that made them. stirred by the terrible ritual of death known as the mattanza (the kill). This craft is the product of able hands. Directed by the orders of the raìs (headman), Sicilian towns and villages conceal skilful the killing is performed to the chant embroiderers, ironsmiths, carpenters, of the ancient Scialoma. coral jewellers, and carpet weavers using This word comes from “Shalom” or “Salem”, ancient looms. Also skilled makers of the plumed a greeting of peace: this is the unbelievable paladins of Charlemagne, or small-scale contradiction of life and death Sicilian carts. Nowadays these are reduced that all Sicilians carry within them. to being mere souvenirs of a journey to Sicily, displayed as evidence that the journey, like an ancient pilgrimage, was successfully accomplished. We would have liked to tell you of many other things, of the woods, of the nature reserves with their 420 endemic plant species, of the papyri of the River Ciane, of the Marionette Theatre, of our thousand mysteries.

But if you really want to learn more, start by reading the Odyssey and the Aeneid. We will show you the rest when you arrive here.

By land or by sea. As in one’s dreams. Welcome to Sicily.

Gaetano Basile

PHOTOS: W. Leonardi, P. Scafidi, M. Minnella, Dagherrotipo (fototeca Assessorato Turismo, Trasporti e Comunicazioni), il Centro per il Catalogo e la Documentazione della Regione Siciliana - Archivio ministeriale “ORAO”, la Terre Sicane Soc. cons. a r.l., il Dr. Andrea Guarneri, la AAPIT di Palermo, Angelo Pitrone - Fondazione Teatro Regina Margherita, Archivio Krea.

Created by Gruppo Moccia Intervento finanziato dall’Unione Europea - POR - misura 4.18.a