OCT - NOV 2017
TRAPANI
Sicily Tour
A guided cultural Tour to South East Sicily, led by E V Borg - held between Monday 30th October - Sunday 5th November 2017
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Participants: Carmen Aquilina Mary Attard Ray Axiaq Monica Bonello Ghio E.V. Borg Monica Depasquale Jane Frendo Vicky Lyttleton Michael Vella Lucienne Zahra Stanley Zammit
E. V. Borg: tour leader L. Zahra: organization and co-ordination
A 7-day tour visiting Trapani, Marsala, Selinunte, Erice, Isola di Mozia, Sciacca, Parco Archeologico di Segesta, Castellammare, Caltabellotta, Scopello and other small areas
Front Cover: The Medieval Hilltop village of Erice as seen beyond from Segesta Back Cover: Dome in Chiesa di San Domenico in Castelvetrano Inside Front Cover: group photo at Caltabellotta Inside Back Cover: Salenunte Greek Temples E. V. Borg & M. Attard: layout & design E. V. Borg: text M. Attard: photography
TRAPANI, Sicily Tour October - November 2017
Trapani in the shape of a sickle as depicted on ceramic tiles in a museum
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TRAPANI, Sicily Tour October - November 2017
INTRODUCTION Lingering Memories and Reminiscences Dreams become reality and experience becomes memory that stimulates more dreams. Memories linger on forcefully or fitfully in sudden bursts or as tangible images in cartoon-strip technique. Melancholy and nostalgia do the trick to scroll the film. The senses do the rest. The scent of seaweed on the fringes of Mozia – a strong smell of iodine floats on the breeze and mixes with the salty sea air; the shrill cries of the seagull stimulates feeling; the sound of pealing bells from a nearby church in Marsala breaks the pregnant mid-day silence; the vast saltpans stretching horizontally and infinitely to the horizon enhances the tranquillity and serenity
of the place; the white mounds of salt like giant ant hills that become a recurrent module in the landscape do not disturb contemplation; the numerous extant windmills that break vertically the horizontal add rather than distract from the reverie. The smell of myriad herbs in the garigue of wonderful archaeological parks, flowering plants brimming with pollen that attract countless buzzing bees through a mirage of flowing honey, olive trees in their thousand planted in formation like Roman troops ready for war and vineyards as far as the eye can see with rusting falling leaves preparing for
Mount Etna greeting us on our way to Trapani soon after landing in Catania
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autumn demonstrate that Sicily is the land flowing with wine, honey and oil. From great heights sprawling fields, hills and countryside as provided by strategic sites as Caltabellotta, Erice, the theatre of Segesta and the magical town of Eraclea Minoa provide a natural belvedere. The panorama of Eraclea is framed by calm sandy beaches and the blue Mediterranean that laps Eraclea’s shores like whispering goddesses. Never far from the sea and yet surrounded by cultivated rolling hills worked by the lore of industrious farmers to exploit its fertility. The farmers love the land and cherish its soil. They connive with nature to exploit and stimulate its fertility.
occasional attention-seeking dog approached us for a gentle patting and the casual cat that if in the mood came forward to exchange smells and caresses.
Fortunately we met Gaspare Cascio and Gaspare Patti both of Scaccia, experts in majolica technique and international masters of ceramics. We also visited the private museum of Salvatore Rizzuti (b. Caltabellota, 1949), a sculptor in wood. We visited museums and churches and were surprised by the Mannerist decoration in St. Dominic church at Castelvetrano by Antonino Ferraro (1523-1609), the Satyr in Mazara del Vallo, the handsome lad in Mozia, the marble statue of St. Christopher by Antonello Gagini in the Pepoli Museum in Trapani and the alabaster statue of the Madonna of Loreto Archaeological parks abound in the enclave of (1489) attributed to Francesco Laurana from Trapani. Sicily is an archaeological paradise, Dalmatia. essentially Classical emphasising the power and might of long lost civilizations: the Phoenicians, the We appreciated the grid system of Greek urban Carthaginians, Greeks and Romans. With Fabio our design at the acropolis in Selinunte, the town of guide, a great lover of fauna and flora we recognized Eraclea Minoa in the shape of a crescent, hugging several birds like the gazzaladra (magpie), crow, the beach and the grandiose design of the Segesta woodpecker and cukoo. The familiar chirp of the theatre. The ancient quarry of the Cave the Cusa robin and the merlo woke us up in the morning. The answered a lot of our queries about building techniques of Greek temples and the use of hard stone and the manner the drums or stumps of columns were rolled over encased in wood a distance of ten kilometres all the way to Selinunte. The Arab Kasbah of Mazara del Vallo cleared our notions about medieval Arab city centres. Variety is the spice of life. Variety is choice and choice is evaluation, a thought process. A thinking person shuns fanaticism and enjoys criticism.
E. V. Borg 12. 11. 17
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Day 1
We first settled at our lodgings at Agriturismo Vultaggio. This was surrounded with olive trees and open countryside. Various antique machinery for the processing of olives were around the complex. Close by there was an enclosed castle and an Arab well. Rooms and food was typical of the place and over all it proved to be an enjoyable stay
Olives were being harvested at the time. Above is an old olive press
A quick picture taken on one of the days at the complex while waiting for everyone to start the day’s journey
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An outside and inside view of an Arab well in the vicinity
ERACLEA MINOA was our first stop of the day but on the way we stopped to view this geological phenomenon of chalk and sand creating a transparent substance when pieces are viewed in one’s hand
Visiting later the Centro Storico di Sciacca and the Parco Archeologico di Eraclea Minoa. This was an ancient Greek city, situated on the southern coast of Sicily 25 km west of Agrigento. Archaeological finds suggest that it was founded in the middle of the 6th century BC, and was abandoned around the beginning of the 1st century AD
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SCIACCA was the next stage were we enjoyed the open belvedere over a spectacular harbour. We visited Gaspare Cascio in his studio. He is an expert in majolica technique and an international master of ceramics
Gaspare Cascio showing E V Borg a ceramic piece from his studio
CALTABELLOTTA was the next village we visited.
It is on a hiltop with about 3,000 inhabitants. It has been identified with the ancient town of the Sicani Triocala, captured by the Romans in 99 BC. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire and several centuries under the Byzantine Empire, it was stormed by the Arabs, who later built here a castle. In 1090 it was conquered by the Normans of Roger of Sicily. Below is the Cathedral of Caltabellotta. The cathedral was built by Count Roger in the Norman period after the victory over the Muslims, and has three naves supported by sturdy pillars; the main portal and the top part of the structure of the interior date from the 13th century
The magical vista from the heights of Caltabellotta overlooking rolling hills. The quaint streets are narrow and winding. We visited the private museum of Salvatore Rizzuti (b. Caltabellota, 1949), a sculptor in wood.
Two wooden sculptures by Salvatore Rizzuti
Soaking in the environment and the odd chapels around Caltabellotta
Day 2
CASTELVETRANO
In , we visited the Church of San Domenico which is a jewel of the16th Century with its rich decoration of stuccos and paintings. After more than 40 years of closure due to the Belice earthquake in 1968, and five years of restoration, the church was reopened in 2014. It was built in 1470, commissioned by the Tagliavia, rulers of Castelvetrano, and is located in Piazza Regina Margherita.
The Jesse Tree or geneological tree starting from Jesse, father of King David, schematizes the lineage that leads to the Blessed Virgin Mary, represented at the top of the tree, crowned with angels, with the child on the left knee.
The choir chapel and transept are decorated by an aggressive Mannerist style that produces instability in the viewer by heaping figures and detail in closed spaces. The dome decoration is explicitly influenced by Raffaello’s Mannerist decorations as in the Vatican corridor while Isaah’s face is an echo of the Moses by Michelangelo at San Pietro in Vincoli in the tomb of Pope Julius II while the telamon (columns) bear David’s face by Michelangelo. This obscenely rich decoration in gilded colour shows the extravagance and exuberance of the powerful and mighty Carlo Aragona Tagliavia referred to as ‘il Magnus Siculus’ who commissioned Antonio Ferraro da Giuliana from Palermo to decorate his mausoleum.
Marble statue with traces of gold of the Madonna di Loreto (1489) by Francesco Laurana (1430-1502)
E V Borg explaining about the richness of the church to the group
A lot of trompe l’eoul was used with painting to create illusions of cloth or wood
After the interesting tour of the San Domenico Church we were all eager to soak in the charming piazzas over a nice drink before moving on
Our next stop was the Archeological Park of Selinunte in the municipality of Castelvetrano. It which was one of the most important of the Greek colonies in Sicily, The original settlement was founded in the 7th Century BC. The temples are identified by letters as it was difficult to know what divinities they were consecreated to. The above are ruins of Temple E presumed to be for the worship of Hera. The Archeological Park which covers 40 hectares was established in 1993 and escavations are ongoing
The area is so large that transport is needed from one area to the other
The plan of the ancient city
The Necropolis
Remains of a Byzantine chapel
Walking down a street of the Acropolis which consisted of temples and fortifications
At the Museum one could understand the whole complex better, how the temples were built and designs executed
TRAPANI
was left for the evening where we relaxed and enjoyed the night scene there over a drink together
Day 3
Cave di Cusa
On our third day we headed through picturesque countryside to an interesting archeological zone known as (meaning “Quarry of Accusation� in Italian) or Rocche di Cusa which was an ancient stone quarry in Sicily. It is located 3 kilometers south of the town of Campobello di Mazara in the province of Trapani, Italy. It is 1.8 kilometers long and is on a ridge that spans from east to west. This site was quarried in the beginning of the first half of the 6th century BC and its stone was used to construct the temples in the ancient Greek city of Selinunte. It was abandoned in 409 BC when the city was captured by the Carthaginians. It is now an official Sicilian Archeological Zone and a popular tourist site.
MAZARA, an ancient city, was
next on the agenda. Mazara was founded by the Phoenicians in the 9th century BC, with the name of Mazar (the Rock). It then passed under the control of Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Vandals, Ostrogoths, Byzantines, before being occupied by the Arabs in the year 827 AD. During the Arab period, Sicily was divided into three different administrative regions, Val di Noto, Val Demone and Val di Mazara, making the city an important commercial harbour and centre of learning. The city centre, known as the Kasbah, retains Arab architectural influences. In 1072, Mazara was conquered by Normans, headed by Roger I. During that period, in 1093, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Mazara del Vallo was instituted. After the death of Emperor Frederick II, Sicily passed to the Angevins, then followed by the Spaniards of Aragon. The Aragon period (1282–1409) is characterized by a political, economic and demographic decline of Mazara. The city passed under the control of the House of Savoy in 1713, a reign which lasted only five years, being replaced by the Habsburg Empire (for 16 years) followed by the Bourbons. In 1860 the city was finally conquered by Giuseppe Garibaldi and the Mille, thus joining the then newly formed Kingdom of Italy. Today Mazara is widely considered to be one of the most important fishing centres of Italy; tussles about fishing rights, especially with the North-African countries, figure large in the town’s recent history, boat sequestrations being a common event. Currently the fishing business in the city seems to be withering, mainly because of the increasing lack of people willing to work on boats.
Soaking in the open spaces and historic piazzas while stopping for a coffee break
Mazara del Vallo is among the Italian cities with the highest percentages of immigrants.
The Norman Arc, that is the remains of the old Norman Castle built in 1073 by Count Roger de Hauteville and demolished in 1880
Ruins of Sant’Ignazio Church - an 18th-century church which had collapsed in the 1930s and remained roofless
Visiting the 17th Century Jesuits’ College
In 1998 Captain Ciccio, who operates out of the small Sicilian fishing village of Mazara del Vallo had his biggest ever catch. For as he hauled in his nets, trapped within them was an ancient Greek statue that had lain undisturbed on the seabed just outside the town for around 2,500 years! The piece depicts a mythological creature called a Satyr – head thrown back in ecstacy. It has now been named the Satiro Danzato – Dancing Satyr - and is thought to have been created in about 300BC. Though no-one is sure exactly what this was created for, or who created it, it has been speculated that it might be the work of a legendary sculptor called Praxiteles. It can be seen at the museum in the Chiesa di Sant’Egidio in the Piazza Plebiscito, Mazara
On the way we could see on the horizon the 3 islands off Trapani, namely Marittimo, Favignana and Levanzo
MARSALA was visited later in the day to relax in the evening’s atmosphere of the place.
Marsala is the most populated town in the province of Trapani and the fifth in Sicily. The town is famous for the docking of Giuseppe Garibaldi on 11 May 1860 (the Expedition of the Thousand) and for its Marsala wine. A feature of the area is the Stagnone Lagoon Natural Reserve — a marine area with salt ponds. Marsala is built on the ruins of the ancient Carthaginian city of Lilybaeum, and includes in its territory the archaeological site of the island of Motya, an ancient Phoenician town.
We noted the architecture, the Cathedral and the lively piazza life in the evening
Day 4
SEGESTA the first stop of the day is high up in a mountainous
area towards the west of Sicily. Here we find the beautiful and magical Segesta archaeological complex. Segesta was originally founded by the Elymian people, one of the native people of Sicily. They later integrated with the Greeks, making Segesta an important Classical town. It was later ruled by the Romans, but declined in importance before being finally abandoned in around the thirteenth century. Segesta is well known for its two principal monuments: the Doric temple and the theatre.
From Segesta archeological park high up on the mountain beyond is the medieaval village Erice
We headed uphill through glorious countryside towards the amphitheatre
The amphitheatre facing an impressive view is partly built into the hillside. It dates from the fourth to third century B.C.
Each Summer, a series of classical Greek dramas are performed (in Italian) at Segesta’s ancient amphitheatre, but many of these productions feature actors and actresses wearing casual clothes instead of classical costumes.
Built before 430 BC, the Doric temple is the focal point of Segesta. The temple is just over sixty meters long and twenty-six meters wide, built upon four steps, with a total of thirty-six Doric columns. There are fourteen columns on each side of the building and six columns across the front and back.
A colorful theory is widely accepted which advances a reason for the temple’s construction. In 450 BC, Segesta’s rival, Selinunte, allied herself with Syracuse, one of the most powerful city-states of Magna Graecia. Segesta sought help outside Sicily, turning to Athens for aid. To the Athenians, Segesta was only a distant city of little importance. Before they would consider an alliance with Segesta they sent a delegation of diplomatic envoys to investigate the city’s claims of wealth. In order to deceive the Athenians into thinking their city more prosperous than it actually was, the Segestans built the temple to impress their visitors. Once the envoys departed, convinced of Segesta’s wealth, work on the Temple ceased. Yet its incompleteness getting around Segesta cannot compromise its grandeur.
The geological structure around Segesta
ERICE
suspended between heaven and earth, is an ancient medieval village which contains, like a treasure chest, three thousand years of history, rich in art, culture and myth. Erice hosts scientific meetings at the Ettore Majorana center, organised by the controversial astrophysicist Antonino Zichichi. There is also an annual workshop on Molecular Gastronomy.
Various crafts are on offer at Erice such as ceramics and tapestries
Erice was probably founded by the Elymians, a native Sicilian people who also built the nearby town and temple of Segesta. After the Greeks, Carthaginians and Romans, the town was later ruled by the Arabs, then the Norman rulers of Sicily. For the Arabs it was Gebel-Hamed, for the Normans and their successors Monte San Giuliano, then in the 1930s the town became one of several in Italy to be renamed under Mussolini in honour of its ancient past, and Monte San Giuliano, formerly Eryx, became Erice. Nowadays as well as Catholic churches there are also monuments to new gods on the heights of Erice: gigantic communications masts.
Most of the narrow streets are cobbled and offer a charm of past eras. A number of churches, gates, walls and castles add to its interest. The village can be reached by car, buses or cable car and its elavated position offers atmospheric and hauntingly beautiful misty views
The Cathedral of Erice, Chiesa Matrice (main church) or Santa Maria Assunta was built by Federico d’Aragona in the first half of the 14th century The anterior portal was added in the 15th century. The belltower, originally constructed was a watchtower during the Vespro War, was erected two centuries before the cathedral.
Piazza Umberto I, the hub of the small village
We ended the day chilling out in Trapani and visiting an extraordinary exhibition of food still life photography called Mostra di Caravaggio in Cucina. We visited the Chiesa e Convento di San Rocco interior (18th C.)
Day 5
SALINE DI MARSALA was the first tour scheduled of the day. It is a nature reserve in the Province of Trapani. It was founded in 1995 and its area of 987 hectares consists of two zones (Zona A and Zona B). Besides remarkable Mediterranean flora and fauna, there is a saline work museum in an old salt mill.
MOZIA
is an island in a shallow lagoon between the towns of Trapani and Marsala. It is about a mile in perimeter and has various ruins and a museum
Visiting the Whitakar Museum and discovering the ruins around the island of Mozia. The museum’s greatest treasure, though, is a marble statue, the Youth of Mozia (‘Giovanetto di Mozia’), also known as the Charioteer. This is a Greek work dating to the fifth century BC and is a real masterpiece.
Enjoying the boat ride to the island of Mozia followed by a nice lunch by the sea before heading to the Lilibeo archeological museum of Marsala
The museum houses a partly reconstructed Carthaginian ship that was discovered off the coast near Marsala in 1970. (left)The ship is partly reconstructed in a huge hall in the museum.
Admiring a marble statue and pottery finds
Heading for an evening at Marsala centre
Ending the day in Marsala discovering the arhitecture of the core city and being persuaded to try a pomegranate drink - to everyone’s disappointment later
Day 6 Admiring a cornice on entering the Agostino Pepoli Museum in Trapani.
The museum illustrates with its collections of paintings and sculptures the development of the decorative art in the territory of Trapani and in particular that of applied art, which was very important in the field of coral objects, majolica, gold, silver, and cribs.
The museum is housed in a 14th c. Carmelite Convent which was considerably redesigned between the 16th and 18th centuries, not far from the celebrated Sanctuary of Santissima Annunziata, where the marble statue of the “Madonna of Trapani�, attributed to Nino Pisano, is kept and venerated. On the left is the couryard
The imposing interior of the museum
Gallows and collecting box beneath for the corpse
Madonna with Child, by a Sicilian painter 14th Century
Jesus with the Appostles 15th Century
Admiring the Maestro del Polittico di Trapani Polittico, tempera on canvas (between 14th and 15th Centuries)
A model for an equestrian monument for Charles II (1679) by Giacomo Serpotta (1656-1732)
Altar-facing with coral, polychrome silk threads, grenadine, craftsmen from Trapani and Messina 1653 AD.
Nativity of Mary - Room of St Anne 8th Century - models in wood, cloth and papier mache
Spending a morning in Trapani and visiting a well known coffee shop in one of the street corners
SCOPELLO is a small coastal village. There is a tower high up as protection over the village in the past. The tonnara of Scopello is one of the most important and oldest ones in Sicily: the first buildings date back to the 13th century.
MANGIAPANE CAVE
was the last item for the day to visit. It is very popular at Christmas time when the Living Crib is held, which for the last 30 years has been organized by a cultural association, simply called “Living Museum of Custonaci.�
The crib staged within the Mangiapane Cave, which is a natural stage for the representation of the Nativity, is not only a manifestation of a religious sentiment, but it is also an opportunity to rediscover ancient Sicilian professions from the late 1800s, as shepherds, artisans, farmers and artists can be seen going about their their daily activities.
Day 7 SALEMI
is where Giuseppe Garibaldi announced the annexation of Sicily on May 14, 1860, as part of the Expedition of the Thousand, briefly making the town his headquarters after his landing at Marsala two days earlier. In 1968, the town was badly damaged by an earthquake. Salemi had been conquered in the past by the Romans, Vandals, Goths, Arabs, Normans and Swabians. It also had a long history of natural disasters: 1270 - epidemic of plague amongst soldiers on returning from Tunisian war 1542 - an invasion of locusts caused serious damage to agricultural crops and a severe famine followed 1740 - a landslide spilled over 2 convents 1968 - in the night between January 14–15 - the city was badly hit by a strong earthquake that also destroyed many towns
The Norman-Swabian Castle has two square towers and one high round one. It was built by Frederick II of Swabia in the XIII century on existing Greek-Roman-Arab fortifications and has been reconstructed over the years.
Exploring Salemi - a medieval village. The narrow winding streets in the old area have Islamic influence. Salemi is also known as “La CittĂ dei Paniâ€? (the City of the loaves): the cooking of devotional bread is still a common practice in several ancient, traditional celebrations. Special large votive loaves are baked in the shape of angels, garlands, flowers, animals and work-tools so as to represent every aspect of daily life.
Church of San Michele Arcangelo (1614-20). White baroque stucco decoration on the walls and an impressive organ, marble columns and 18th century paintings adorn the interior
Time for a coffee break at a corner cafe
Navigating more steps and narrow quarters in Salemi after which we headed for the last time to Sciacca and stopped to make an appointment with Gaspare Patti the well known local ceramist...
Capturing a panorama of the Sciacca harbour and a visit to the studio of the ceramist Gaspare Patti
A number of ceramic pieces by the local ceramists were exhibited around the narrow streets of Sciacca. This was the last day of our tour, winding up yet another interesting and enriching Sicilian experience.