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economic contribution from local Authority.
Palazzolo Acreide The city of
Palazzolo Acreide (Siracusa). Useful information,
baroque photo gallery, churches and more...
Akrai
The archaeological site of Akrai, city founded
by the Greeks of Siracusa in the 664 a.C.
Palazzolo Acreide (SR)
House-museum of Antonino Uccello Informative website about
the ethnoantropologist Antonino Uccello and
virtual visit of the House-museum of Palazzolo
Acreide (SR)
IBLEI.it Touristic portal website
about Siracusa and Ragusa. Archaeological,
ethnoantropological, historical, artistic,
naturalistic route
Late baroque towns of the Val di Noto (South
eastern Sicily)
World Heritage List UNESCO
The eight towns in south-eastern Sicily:
Caltagirone, Militello Val di Catania, Catania,
Modica, Noto, Palazzolo Acreide, Ragusa and
Scicli. The towns of the Val di Noto represent
the culmination and final flowering of Baroque
art in Europe
If you think about it, Antonino Uccello could not have
been called any other way ("uccello" means bird); all
poets have wings and fly. He flew, on the wings of
memory, in memory, and as, if you are a poet today, and
a poet of the "lost desired" or, worse, an idealistic
declaimer of trees, in times of crimes, there is a risk
of falling (someone "pushing" you down) they cut
Icarus wings. As, for example, often happens to doves.
And not that Icarus flew too high, no, it was the others
who crept too low. The "House of Icarus" by Antonino
Uccello was (today is) the ancestral house, the "place
where everybody finds once again something they thought
lost for good; the house of one's own infancy, of one's
parents, of one's land". (S. Nigro). A mysterious cave
in which to keep, intact and forever, the "objects" of
memory, and perhaps, oh Utopia!, the breath of the Iblei
mountaineers, the sweat, the suffering, the joy, the
sorrow, the hopes. In a word not only the life story but,
oh Utopia!, the meaning of of life that Uccello I
believe felt to be deposited on the "objects" of his
museum-house. Yes, because that house was (today is) as
ethno-anthropological museum, or more exactly a
collection of precious testimonials to Sicilian folk
culture, but for him it was certainly something more:
not a place where objects are mummified (and isn't this
the dominating culture in museums?) but a precious
casket in which objects, things, are not simply things:
they have life at last and vibrate, under the gaze
of those who have (want) memories to (re-)discover. Each
of these here living objects, storehouses of
experiences to refer to, cristallysed memories to
reflect on has stories to tell because each has been
entrusted with all the time and the meaning of life as
mediators between the magic cavern of memory and the
present. Uccello I believe felt that objects, those
poor objects collected around where, perhaps, the very
matter of recollection, its concreteness; having no
memory may mean having no chance for possible futures!
Today, after years of ainful vicissitudes and
misundestandings (the "others" crept low), Antonino
Uccello dead, the museum-house at Palazzolo Acreide,
having recovered its collection, is opening once again
to the public. This splendid town does justice to the
singer of its people and opens up another of its caskets
to the fortunate visitor, as its richness, obviously,
does not reside only in the museum-house. Wasn't
Palazzolo the ancient Akrai, the first sub-colony of
Syracuse, when there began the great, mythical,
unrepeatable adventure of Sicily? Then let the visitor
feel emotion truly intense emotion at sitting on the
steps of its complete late Hellenistic theatre, and
imagine seeing the little senate mansion (some traces of
which remain) or the agora, the houses at Akrai, the
bouleuterion and its streets with the very fine decuman
(extant) in lava stone, one of the best preserved
ancient streets on the whole island. And let him not
fall to admire (and be moved as he does) the famous and
mysterious "Santoni", fine rock sculptures from the 3rd
century B.C., the most important and richest complex
devoted to the cult of the Magna Mater, Cybele, in which
the Greek cult probably blended with oriental elements.
Let the visitor wander through the alleys and fine
streets of Palazzolo, where there are clear signs of the
past and the colours of history are made up of moss and
lichens on peeling pastel plaster and the gold-red of
the tufa of its churches. It is easy (and sweet), then,
to be amazed and touched amid the old buildings (the
eighteenth century Zocco, Iudica-Cafici and Ferla
mansions and the Cappellani one from the early twentieth
century) and the old churches (San Sebastiano, San
Nicolς, San Paolo), first and foremost the Annunziata
Church, on whose Baroque portal, there rise four very
light but magnificent twined spiralling columns. Here,
while I photograph the sinuous tufa volutes, a dove,
hidden among the capitals, suddenly takes off and that
beating of wings miraculously remains impressed in the
photogram. I know, it is not by chance, today Icarus has
started flying again!
Inclusion
in the prestigious World Heritage List UNESCO
"Late
Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto": Caltagirone, Militello
Val of Catania, Catania, Modica, Famous, Palazzolo Acreide,
Ragusa Ibla, Scicli.
An
archaeological zone between most ancient in the Italian
panorama, with a beautiful greek theatre, roman-hellenistic
road.
One of the most famous and appreciated attractions of
Palazzolo Acreide is certainly "House-museum of Antonino
Uccello). During
the years of passionate and hard work, the Sicilian
ethnologist, has collected and put in order interesting
testimonies and precious materials about the life and folk
wisdom.
The
site hosts 12 large reliefs called "Santoni". It is the
greatest sanctuary to date uncovered, dedicated to the cult
of the oriental goddess of fertility Cibeles.
The
ruins of the Norman castle and the surrounding medieval
urban planning structure.
An
historical center of great architectonic value, strongly
characterized from a Baroque architecture, fruit of the
reconstruction post-earthquake of 1693 and, subsequently,
from the season of the Art Noveau.
The
religious manifestations like the festivity of S. Paul and
S. Sebastiano, known in all the Sicily.
International
Youth Festival of Classical Theatre.
Every year, during May, at greek theatre many groups of
highschools students from all over Italy and the rest of
Europe perform tragedies and comedy by classical authors.
The
several exhibitions proposed by the House-museum "Antonino
Uccello", the agricultural and food- Review of the products
and typical food... and more...
Carnival
is very lively in Palazzolo Acreide and is one of the oldest
in Sicily. As well as the parade of the allegorical cars and
groups dressed up, you may taste in various food festivals
the typical Palazzolo's food products like the sausage,
trout pastry, macaroni, cavatieddi (a typical local pasta)
and cannoli.
A
extremely varied landscape, with the Natural Reserve
of Cava Grande and the Natural Reserve of the
Anapo-Pantalica.
The
presence, in the beam of little kilometers, archaeological
and historical important archaeological zone like Kasmenai,
Ancient Avola, Castelluccio, Pantalica, the several
bizantine churches, etc.
The
St. Lucia watermill, is one of the four water-mills started
by the torrent Purbella. It dates back to the XVI century.
It is perfectly kept, plunged in an uncontaminated valley,
shaded by oak-trees and walnut-trees.Inside the building is
the Museum of the Millstone where permanent displays and
millstones of different shapes illustrate the development of
the cereals grindind technique, from pre-history up to
hydraulic energy.
Inclusion
in the prestigious World Heritage List UNESCO
"Late
Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto": Caltagirone, Militello
Val of Catania, Catania, Modica, Famous, Palazzolo Acreide,
Ragusa Ibla, Scicli.
An
archaeological zone between most ancient in the Italian
panorama, with a beautiful greek theatre, roman-hellenistic
road.
The
site hosts 12 large reliefs called "Santoni". It is the
greatest sanctuary to date uncovered, dedicated to the cult
of the oriental goddess of fertility Cibeles.
The
ruins of the Norman castle and the surrounding medieval
urban planning structure.
An
historical center of great architectonic value, strongly
characterized from a Baroque architecture, fruit of the
reconstruction post-earthquake of 1693 and, subsequently,
from the season of the Art Noveau.
The
religious manifestations like the festivity of S. Paul and
S. Sebastiano, known in all the Sicily.
International
Youth Festival of Classical Theatre.
The
several exhibitions proposed by the House-museum "Antonino
Uccello", the agricultural and food- Review of the products
and typical food... and more...
Carnival
is very lively in Palazzolo Acreide and is one of the oldest
in Sicily. As well as the parade of the allegorical cars and
groups dressed up, you may taste in various food festivals
the typical Palazzolo's food products like the sausage,
trout pastry, macaroni, cavatieddi (a typical local pasta)
and cannoli.
A
extremely varied landscape, with the Natural Reserve
of Cava Grande and the Natural Reserve of the
Anapo-Pantalica.
The
presence, in the beam of little kilometers, archaeological
and historical important archaeological zone like Kasmenai,
Ancient Avola, Castelluccio, Pantalica, the several
bizantine churches, etc.
