Antique jewels
The astonishing necropolis of Pantalica, with its 5,000 tombs carved into the rock and the remains of its monumental palace, is a precious witness to a human presence with elaborate rites dating back to the Bronze Age. But it was mainly the Greeks who transformed the island. Genius town planners, they did not establish their cities at random. Most often on rocky promontories acting as natural defences and close to arable land, the Greek cities were protected by powerful walls and organised according to a rigorous plan. The first site to be demarcated was the temenos, the sacred space dedicated to the city's protective deity, and then the rest of the land was organized in a checkerboard pattern, with wide avenues meeting at the agora, the heart of the city. The houses are organized in blocks of the same size. The great buildings of the city are the temples, theaters and places hosting the assemblies of officials and citizens. The architects of the time gave free rein to their imagination, taking care to integrate the building as harmoniously as possible into its environment. Agrigento with its Temple of Concord made of columns and stucco, its gigantic Temple of Zeus and its Telamon, stone giants that supported the building; Segesta with its superb unfinished temple but wonderful example of Doric perfection and its theatre opening towards the horizon; Selinunte with its acropolis as if suspended above the waves and its astonishing ceramic factory; the quarries of the Rocche di Cusa where pillars and unfinished columns remain; and of course the Temple of Apollo in Syracuse (the oldest on the island) are all witnesses to Greek splendour and know-how. And don't be fooled: although the buildings are immaculately white today, they were once covered in colour! A decorative richness that can be found in the Roman architecture, the most beautiful witness of which is undoubtedly the Villa Casale and its incredible mosaic pavements of astonishing exoticism. The Villa also houses the remains of the thermal baths with their highly sophisticated system of pipes and their various spaces (promenades, palaces...). Porticoes and peristyles complete this splendid picture. The Romans were also the creators of the latifundia, these vast agricultural domains centred around the large Villae Rusticae, vast rural residences.
Medieval wealth
The Arab presence in Sicily can still be seen today in the urban planning of certain cities whose powerful castles were built on ancient Arab forts and whose vibrant markets are reminiscent of the souks of the time. In Palermo, the fortified district of the Kalsa is an extension of the city that was built by the Arabs. This presence can also be seen in the engineering feats developed to control the land through complex irrigation systems, as evidenced by the underground aqueduct networks still visible in Palermo. In addition to this, there was a refinement and decorative richness that would leave a lasting impression on the Normans, and more specifically Richard II of Hauteville. An enlightened diplomat and a great scholar, he gave birth to a unique art form that is now inseparable from Sicily: Arab-Norman art drawing on the sources of the many cultures already present. Sumptuous buildings with a Romanesque structure, mosaics on a Byzantine gold background and Arab domes, gardens and fountains were born. The Norman kings were even nicknamed "the baptized sultans"! The great masterpiece of the period is the Palatine Chapel in the former Arabian Palace. Its structure and superb geometric marble pavements are typical of the Italian Romanesque, while its wooden ceilings with pendentives are Arabic and its apses and domes decorated with sumptuous mosaics on a gold background are resolutely Byzantine. Another splendour not to be missed is the cathedral of Monreale with its 6,440m2 of mosaics. Don't miss the cloister of the convent next to the cathedral, with its portico supported by 228 geminated columns and a refreshing fountain. The golden stone cathedral of Cefalù with its clever interplay of intersecting arches and its apses richly decorated with mosaics and the church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti in Palermo with its Romanesque campanile and its five red Arab domes are two other examples of this incredible Norman syncretism. In addition to these sanctuaries, the Norman kings also built residences of Arab inspiration. The Cuba of Palermo is a good example. A rectangular pavilion with narrow windows and blind arches, it borrows from the codes of Fatimid architecture. This external austerity is compensated by the presence of precious gardens where fountains and kiosks with jagged arches topped by domes are signs of extreme refinement. The influence of this Arab-Norman art was such that it was not until the 14th century that a new architectural style appeared: the Gothic. One of the most beautiful Gothic buildings in Sicily is the church of Saint Francis of Assisi in Palermo, with its superb portal and rose window. Then the gothic style will gradually be tinged with other influences. The Chiaromonte family built many castles and palaces in a style that borrowed from both the Gothic style (pointed arches, rose windows, twinned bays, etc.) and from Arab influences (interlacing arches, polychrome decorations, etc.). The Steri Palace in Palermo alternates between defensive austerity and decorative richness. Not to be missed are the castles of Caccamo, Montechiaro and Mussomei with their crenellated silhouette, numerous secret passages and beautiful vaulted rooms. Under Aragonese rule, the Gothic-Catalan style made its appearance on the island, with buildings of great formal purity such as the church of Santa Maria della Catena in Palermo. Medieval Sicily can also be discovered through the numerous watchtowers that line its coasts and through its villages with narrow streets and vaulted passages. Erice has one of the most beautiful medieval centres in Sicily, containing many treasures: surrounding walls (the lower blocks of which bear the mark of the Phoenicians!), towers, fortified gates, alleys paved with geometric patterns and pretty houses with patios..
Baroque effervescence
In terms of architecture, the Renaissance hardly made its mark in Sicily... but the Baroque flourished here like nowhere else. It must be said that in Sicily, Baroque was not only the style favoured by the Counter-Reformation to impress the faithful and bring them back into the fold of the Church, it was also and above all the style of reconstruction. Following the earthquake of 1693, many cities were reduced to rubble. It was therefore necessary to rebuild. Between the great noble families, the emerging bourgeoisie and the religious orders, the struggle was fierce, each wishing to demonstrate their power in the most sumptuous of ways. Architecture and town planning became the tools of a staging of power. The reconstruction of the city of Noto is the most striking example. The new town was built on a checkerboard plan crossed by a large rectilinear artery, the Corso Vittorio Emanuele, which itself served numerous squares that unfolded like so many theatrical scenes. The symmetry of this plan allows for a clever play of perspectives that underlines the splendour of the baroque buildings that line the city, whose monumental staircases or superb sculpted portals and balconies and facades that play on volumes and shadows to create a permanent movement. Among the must-sees are the Duomo, the Villadorata Palace and the Jesuit College. Everything is thought out with a view to appearances: this is why Sicilian Baroque is so richly decorated. The great master in this field is Giacomo Serpotta, a sculptor and son of a marble worker who gave stucco its letters of nobility, making decoration an art in its own right. It is to him that we owe the stuccoes, cherubs, draperies and garlands of flowers of the oratories of the rosaries of San Domenico and Santa Zita in Palermo, whose marble dust is enhanced with pearls and gypsum. Marquetry is also widely used in Sicilian Baroque, offering incredible polychrome effects. In 2002, eight cities were classified as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO for their rich Baroque heritage. Among these cities, do not miss Caltagirone with its balconies, fountains, facades and kiosks as well as its monumental staircase, the Scala di Santa Maria del Monte, entirely covered with ceramics and polychrome majolica; Catania, with the moving facade of its Duomo, the convex facade of the church of San Giuliano, the concave facade of the church of Santa Trinita and its Via dei Crociferi, lined with 5 churches and 4 convents, creating a monumental perspective; Modica and its church of San Girogio, whose scrolled facade is enthroned at the top of a staircase of 250 steps; or Ragusa, with its church of San Giorgio, with its marble inlays and stucco lacework. Palermo is of course not to be outdone, with its very theatrical Piazza Vigliena with its four richly decorated corners, the beautiful patrician residences of Via Maqueda and the polychrome marbles of Santa Caterina. With the Baroque, even nature was put on stage, as shown by the gardens filled with statues and fountains of the sumptuous villas, such as Villa Palagonia in Bagheria.
Small heritage
The identity of Sicily can also be seen in its rural heritage. Dry-stone walls mark the boundaries of the island's fertile land everywhere. In the heart of rural Sicily, you may come across a masseria, a traditional farmhouse, often fortified, whose various buildings and outbuildings are organised around a large area. These isolated farms are found on the Hyblaean mountains. In the region of Trapani, the farms are called bagli. They are entered through an imposing doorway leading to an inner courtyard around which the whole structure is organised. Finally, this panorama would not be complete without the dammusi, dwellings perfectly adapted to the rigours of the climate, which can be recognised by their thick lava stone walls and their dome-shaped roofs covered with a waterproof plaster allowing rainwater to run off into cisterns. On the slopes of Mount Etna, the black of the lava stone is everywhere, which is why the city of Randazzo is often called "the black one". Bell towers, cobbled streets and facades...: everything seems to have been carved from lava! This contrasts with the immaculate whiteness of the houses on the Aeolian Islands, which can be recognised by their flat roofs, whose pergolas are supported by powerful masonry columns, and by the luxuriant vegetation that adorns their facades. The most beautiful examples can be seen in Panarea and Stromboli. Finally, less known but just as important, don't miss out on its mining heritage. The Floristella-Grottacalda Mining Park, which looks like a ghost town, shows the reality of the sulphur mines that remained in operation until the 1970s. Shafts, galleries, storage buildings are all witnesses of a complex past that should not be forgotten.
Modern and contemporary Sicily
In the last hours of the 18th century and during the 19th century, Sicily became eclectic. It must be said that it had no shortage of influences from which to draw inspiration! The most striking example of this mixture of genres is the Chinese Pavilion in the Parc de la Favorite in Palermo. Commissioned by Ferdinand III of Bourbon, it combines Gothic arcades, Chinese-style roofs and bell towers with neoclassical terraces. At the turn of the 20th century, Sicily abandoned its historicist eclecticism to enter the modern world with the Liberty or Italian Art Nouveau style. Astonishing curves, decorative richness and plant-inspired motifs characterize this new style, which gives pride of place to modern materials, especially cast iron and cement. In Palermo, the great master of this revival was Ernesto Basile who built numerous villas for the new and prosperous urban bourgeoisie. Total works of art, whose every detail, including the furniture, is finely and richly worked, these beautiful houses are to be seen in Viale della Liberta and in the adjacent streets. Don't miss Villa Bordonaro, Villa Favardo and Basil's masterpiece, Villa Florio. Having suffered heavy destruction during the war, undermined by mafia real estate speculation that destroyed heritage treasures for the benefit of large, soulless concrete complexes on the outskirts of the cities, and still threatened by the elements, Sicily is struggling to rebuild itself. Gibellina is a perfect example. Destroyed in 1968, its mayor, Ludovico Corrao, decided to build a new city where new buildings would interact with monumental works of art. Great artists and architects participated in the project. Ludovico Quarini imagined a church topped by a giant dome; Franco Purini and Laura Thermes designed a large square combining antique and geometric motifs; while Pietro Consagra created a 24-metre metal star spanning the motorway leading to the new town... A utopian project that ended in failure, Gibellina la neuve having become a real ghost town whose buildings are falling into ruin. All that remains is the work of Alberto Burri, who transformed the remains of the original Gibellina into "a labyrinth of memory, draping them in a shroud of lime that takes up the line". Another contemporary creation, almost anachronistic in baroque Syracuse, is the Basilica-Sanctuary Madonna della Lacrime, a strange conical structure made of reinforced concrete, 103 metres high. Today, Sicily is betting on rehabilitation, transforming its traditional farmhouses into ambassadors of agro-tourism and its sumptuous palaces into design hotels. The island's relief also serves as a setting for beautiful villas with pure lines. Combining tradition and modernity, this is the challenge that Sicily is facing and that the young architects and designers of the Vuedu Factory in Palermo seem ready to take up!
