The traditions of Sicilian confectionery have ancient roots and in their deliciousness you can find the historical flavours and aromas of Arab, French and Spanish cultures that come together to offer us wonderful sweets which are truly unique in the world.
During this tour I aim to illustrate with passion and detail the artisans who carry out this wonderful activity in my town. In the workshops of a number of confectioners in the centre of Taormina there are live demonstrations on the preparation of certain delicacies such as cassatelle, Sicilian cannoli, nougat, marzipan and others. During the tour it is also possible to taste and buy products with which to accompany the sweets including a variety of dessert wines such as muscat and passiti da meditazione, syrups, liqueurs, spirits and grappa.
A true triumph of tastes and aromas.

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Recipe – Cannoli

Ingredients for the outer shells
200g flour
30g sugar
2 tablespoons of Marsala wine
50g candied fruits
A pinch of salt
20g lard

Ingredients for the filling
800g ricotta cheese
1 packet of vanilla
200g plain chocolate chips
200g candied pumpkin
400g candied fruits
600g sugar
100g candied orange peel
100g icing sugar
Lard or vegetable oil for frying (approx 4 pints of oil is required)

On a lightly floured surface mix together the flour, sugar, lard, pinch of salt and Marsala wine. Knead the dough well until compact.
Rollout the dough until very thin. Using a cookie cutter or espresso cup saucer cut the dough into 4 inch rounds. Roll each piece carefully around an aluminum cannoli tube approximately 4cm in diameter. Seal with a little water.
In a deep pan heat the lard or oil and as soon as the oil is hot place the tubes with the dough in the oil and fry until golden brown. Remove from the oil and place on paper towels to drain.
When the shells are cool gently remove them from the aluminum tubes. The shells are now ready to be filled with the ricotta cream.
In a large mixing bowl whip together the ricotta and sugar until smooth. Add the vanilla, cubed candied pumpkin and chocolate chips to the ricotta cream and pipe fill the cannoli shells.
Decorate the shells with the candied orange peel cut into strips, dust with icing sugar and place in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving.

Recipe – Sicilian cassata

Ingredients for the sponge
4 eggs
120g fine flour
120g sugar
Vanilla

Ingredients for the filling and decoration
1kg ricotta cheese
350g sugar
100g plain chocolate chips
500g assorted candied fruits
Vanilla
One tenth of a litre of sweet liqueur (limoncello or mandarinetto)
Cinnamon

Ingredients for the glaze
300g icing sugar

To prepare the sponge mix together the eggs, flour, sugar and a little vanilla according to the relevant recipe.
Pass the ricotta through a horsehair sieve and beat continuously with a wooden spoon. Add the sugar (which has previously been dissolved over heat with several spoonfuls of water), a little vanilla, cinnamon, chocolate and a good half of the chopped candied fruit.
Remove the golden part of the sponge, cut it horizontally into two pieces and press one of the pieces inside a cylindrical tin lined with greaseproof paper. Cover with the ricotta filling and finish with the other sponge piece.
During the process the sponge pieces must be moistened with a little syrup made by boiling the sweet liqueur with the same quantity of water.
Put the tin in the fridge for a couple of hours then turn out the cassata onto a serving plate removing the greaseproof paper.
To make the glaze mix together the icing sugar with a couple of tablespoons of water. With the blade of a long knife cover the cake evenly. Decorate the cassata with the remaining candied fruits and place in the fridge for several hours before serving.

Recipe – Almond paste

Ingredients
500g blanched almonds
500g sugar
4 egg whites
Fine flour (if necessary)
Icing sugar
Lemon peel
Vanilla essence
Salt
Extra virgin olive oil or butter for the tin

If necessary place the almonds in boiling water for a couple of minutes and remove the skin. Place the almonds in a food processor and blend until very fine. Alternatively use a mortar and pestle. Add a little grated lemon peel and vanilla essence.
Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form stiff white peaks and add little by little to the almond mixture with the sugar mixing well at each stage. If the paste appears very soft sprinkle in a couple of spoonfuls of fruit .
Grease a tin and using a special piping funnel or dessert syringe with a very large hole pipe the paste in letter S forms leaving equal spacing between each one. An alternative before putting the paste in the oven is to decorate with candied cherries.
Place the paste in the oven at 160 degrees until it becomes lightly brown.
When cool dust with icing sugar.
The paste can be kept in a hermetically sealed tin

To each his own Literary Park: an itinerary in search of Sicilian writers. Apart from offering all you could wish for in terms of a relaxing holiday in a place famous for its beauty and high society.

In a small area, between Riesi, Butera and Mazzarino, there are DOC and IGT wines of excellent quality, as well as important signs of many different eras of Sicilian history.. Inhabited by Siculi and Sicani, who have left precious tracks, this territory also hosted Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Aragonese, Castilians, Austrians and the  Bourbons, and all left many traces of their passage. Some of them built constructions lasting beyond the passage of time, others made this land the scene of clashes between civilizations, in defense of cultural values that each of them intended to protect.That’s why you can follow itineraries that combine different interests and flavors, dwelling in the cellars to taste the wines (a full list of the companies participating in the road is on the site www.stradadelvinodeicastellinisseni.com).

As for the monuments and evidence of the past , it’s really hard to make a selection of places to mention, especially because it depends on everyone’s taste whether you prefer castles to archaeological sites, aristocratic palaces to churches and so on. In this area you find all this and more. In a place like Mazzarino, for example, you find the impressive ruins of a castle founded by the Arabs called ” u Cannuni” ( the cannon) because of the cylindrical shape of one of its massive towers- and a number of churches, among which the beautiful Main Church. In Caltanissetta you can satisfy your fancy among the palaces of the aristocracy, the great cathedral frescoed by Borremans, the Norman abbey of Santo Spirito. Along the coast  you can easily find peasant beaches of fine sand and clear water, while in Gela there is a museum and archaeological site of great value, evidence of what was once one of the most important Greek colonies in our island.

As for the food, we’ll only report the cuddureddra of Delia, delicious typical cookies that are a Slow Food presidium; Villalba lentils, with large seeds, of which local farmers are trying to revive the production after decades of neglect; cheese and olive oil, always delicious and tasty ( text: Marta Paolini )

Nonetheless, behind the romantic, evocative phenomenon of the shooting stars ( scientifically speaking, meteors totally natural phenomenon produced when the solid matter of a meteorite enters the earth’s atmosphere. Traveling at a speed of 40 kilometers per second, friction causes these meteorites to heat up as they enter the upper atmosphere until they eventually disintegrate into a fine dust. A different phenomenon, created when comets ( cold bodies tens of kilometers in circumference ) pass near the sun, is the steams of shooting stars that leave long trails of light, called ” showers”

In 1693 a serious earthquake hit Val di Noto. This event, which caused terrible destruction and the death of more than 60,000 people subsequently determined an intense period of reconstruction in the various cities hit by the quake. In Val di Noto thanks to the Duke of Camastra  the reconstruction of cities such as Noto, Scicli, Modica, Ragusa Ibla, Palazzolo Acreide and many other cities which were seriously damaged by the earthquake including Catania, Caltagirone and Militello began immediately.

In 2002 UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) added the valley’s Baroque architecture to the World Heritage list recognizing the vast area of eastern Sicily including the provinces of Catania, Ragusa and Siracusa as invaluable and unique.

Our proposed Sicilian Baroque itinerary in the Val di Noto starts in Noto and heads towards Modica, Scicli, Ragusa, Palazzolo Acreide and the Pantalica Necropoli which was also included on UNESCO’s World Heritage list in 2005. This historic and interesting landscape provides the ending for the tour. Taking the 114 road or A18 motorway we arrive at Noto, the jewel of Sicilian Baroque. Noto is situated on top of an upland which dominates the valley of Asinaro. The old city which was destroyed by the 1693 earthquake is approximately 8km from the present city.

Noto was reconstructed during the 18th Century thanks to the intervention of the Duke of Camastra, Giuseppe Lanza, who sponsored the involvement of many famous architects, master masons and stone cutters who together created the plan for the city’s new design.
The city streets were separated by spectacular squares and impressive flights of steps that were used to scenographically connect terraces and different levels. These were constructed using soft, locally sourced rock which was golden rose in colour and richly cut.
An important place to visit is the Cattedrale di Noto dedicate a San Nicolò which from a lavish flight of steps displays its magnificent Baroque façade. The 1990 earthquake caused serious structural damage to the cathedral which later caused the collapse of the church dome and transept in 1996. The cathedral’s restoration has recently been completed.

Defined by the famous art historian Cesare Brandi as the ‘garden of stone’ the whole of Noto’s historic centre truly deserves to be admired.
Of note among the many historic civic buildings are Palazzo Ducezio, Porta Reale, Teatro Comunale Vittorio Emanuele and Palazzo Nicolaci-Villadorata. There are also many religious buildings worth viewing including Chiesa del Carmine e la Chiesa di S. Domenico, la Chiesa di Montevergine and la Chiesa di S. Carlo. The buildings in Via Nicolaci or Piazza dell’immacolata display a long list of architectural elements including beautiful ledges and balcony supports decorated with depictions of horses, lions and seductive sirens or with caryatids (sculpted female figures serving as architectural supports taking the place of a columns or pillars) or grinning masks.
In addition every year, on the 3rd Sunday in May there is the manifestazione dell’infiorata or flower festival which is one of the most beautiful festivals in Sicily. During this celebration Via Nicolaci is covered with a spectacular carpet of flowers depicting gigantic scenes and themes which change every year.

We then leave Noto to arrive at Scicli, which is 24km from Ragusa. This pleasant small town spreads out over a large plain and is set within three narrow valleys known as ‘Cave’ from its ancient origins. Victim of the earthquake of 1693 Scicli is an important centre of late ibleo Baroque of the Val di Noto which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Walking along the Via Mormino Penna you cannot fail to be impressed by the presence of a number of 18th Century buildings which truly demonstrate the creative genius of the late Sicilian Baroque age. Among the civil architecture is the celebrated Palazzo Beneventano with its characteristic ‘cheeky’ masks that adorn its two monumental façades linked to a spectacular cantonale. At the top of this towers the Beneventano coat of arms decorated with two Arab heads, now one of the symbols of the city. There is also the Palazzo Fava with its note-worthy Baroque decoration on the main portal entrance and balconies and the Palazzo Spadaro with its refined Rococo style which is home to the town’s main offices.
In addition to these buildings are the beautiful churches of S. Giovanni Evangelista, di S. Giuseppe, di Santa Teresa e di San Bartolomeo all exhibiting interesting elements of late Rococo Baroque.

From Scicli we move towards Modica, a large town in the province of Ragusa which is only 15km away. The town rises up on four hillsides characterized by its various terraces on which were built  its houses and greatest monuments. It is these different terraces that give Modica a spectacular visual appearance which is unique in the world. After the earthquake of 1693, the town’s subsequent reconstruction created a scenographic experiment following a highly imaginative town plan. This incorporated all the architectural elements that existed pre-earthquake into the elements of late Sicilian Baroque.
Of note is the beautiful Chiesa di San Giorgio that stands at the top of a lavish flight of steps that allows this sacred building to reach up high, glorifying its architectural mass. Of equal beauty is the Chiesa di San Pietro also built at the top of a dramatic flight of steps decorated with statues of the 12 Apostles.
It is also interesting to visit the Chiesa di Santa Maria di Gesu which has been hit many times by a variety of earthquakes and always subsequently reconstructed. La Chiesa del Carmine which is one of the few monuments that withstood the violent quake of 1693 was built in the 13th Century and still today shows Gothic elements from the period of Chiaramonte.
Modica is also known as ‘the city of lace’ for the renowned tradition of embroidery but above all it is known worldwide for its traditional exhibition ‘Eurochocolate’ which takes place annually from 4th-12th March and offers visitors a chance to sample the typical Modica chocolate with its recipe ‘a freddo’ which comes from the time of Spanish domination.

From Modica to Ragusa the journey is short. The main provincial city presents two contradictory aspects of both modernity and strict conservation of ancient traditions.
The Cattedrale dedicate a San Giovanni Battista is of particular beauty with a majestic façade rich in detail and sculpture.
Ibla, a area of Ragusa, is positioned on a rocky hill full of numerous caves. It is identifiable from the rest of the city for its range of churches, alleyways and buildings in late Baroque style built after the terrible earthquake of 1693. Of particular beauty are the Chiesa di S. Giorgio and Sante Anime del Purgatorio which can be reached by crossing the beautiful steps which accentuate the churches architectural characteristics.
In the most eastern part, we find Giardino Ibleo in whose vicinity we can see the beautiful Portale di San Giorgio, built by the Count Goffredo for the namesake church which was totally destroyed by the earthquake. Today the portale is a symbol of the city of Ragusa.
The historic architectural heritage within this city is considerable and it has been able to conserve both its gastronomic traditions and ancient cultures which have been handed down from mother to daughter.
From Ragusa we head towards Palazzolo Acreide noted for both the architectural excavations of the ancient Akrai park as for its many Baroque buildings.
Under the protection of UNESCO are the Chiesa di S. Paolo and the Chiesa di San Sebastiano which are declared World Heritage sites. The Casa Museo di Antonino Uccello is also of interest conserving many artifacts of southern Sicilian peasant culture.

A few kilometers from Palazzolo Acreide is the beautiful Riserva Naturalistico-Archelogica di Pantalica which is also on the World Heritage list.
Pantalica is a natural canyon dug out of the calcareous rocks of two rivers, the Anapo and Calicinara. In pre-historic times during the Bronze age numerous tombs of artificial small caves (approx. 5000) were made from the rocky ridges which overhang the two river beds. These were divided into five different necropolis that gave the rocks the appearance of giant beehives. At the top of the rocky ridges on the plateau stands ‘Anaktoron’ which is the princely palace and is the only evidence of habitation on the site. The necropolis was used even in Byzantine times.
The reserve falls into the territory of Sortino, Ferla, Cassaro, Buscemi and Palazzolo Acreide  but the official entrance can be found in the vicinity of Ferla and Cassaro.
Wonderful vegetation including trees, oleander, poplar, hawthorn, mastics, euphorbia and many other varieties of local plant life grow along the course of the river. The crystal clear water, thanks to naturally occurring torrents is the ideal home for Sicilian and Fario trout. On the river bed  there are tench, however it is also possible to find eels and river crab and to see the peregrine falcon and the rare Bonelli eagle flying in the sky above the high crags.
We end our itinerary with Pantalica a natural historic oasis to underline as nature with its luxurious vegetation and rock shapes has always been for man, a teacher of the most beautiful artistic shapes. In Pantalico’s silent universe it is the grandeur of nature which dominates.

The Alcantara river (from the Arabic Al-Quantarah which means bridge) flows in a valley rich in history and natural beauty and is one of the most important rivers in Sicily. It starts from Monti Nebrodi at a height of 1250m above sea level close to Floresta and runs for about 50km before flowing into the Ionian Sea near Capo Schisò (ancient Naxos). It is positioned between the far part of Monti Peloritani and the northern side of Etna and marks the natural border of Taormina and the boundaries of the two provinces of Messina and Catania. The peculiarity of the valley’s area is the presence of two different geological characteristics, that of the volcano and that of the Appennine that are highlighted in its two raised banks.

The Alcantara valley touches many inland towns and the northern strip of Etna. It has been a protected area since June 1991 and became a river park in 2001 including land from both the provinces of Messina and Catania with the aim of protecting and promoting the natural existing system. Our itinerary leaves from Naxos following the 185 road in the direction of Francavilla and enters the interior of the valley passing Trappitello, a hamlet of Taormina heavily involved in citrus fruit cultivation and the small village of Gaggi, rural suburb of Arab origin known for its own olives, lemons, grain and wine grapes.

Continuing on the right we catch sight of the small village of Motta Camastra situated on a rocky sandstone ridge (450m above sea level) which dominates and towers over the valley. It is one of the most characteristic medieval villages in the area with its narrow alleyways and houses placed one on top of the other. In the first week of October is the celebration of the ‘Festival of Nuts’. The highlights of this celebration are Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. Along the small country streets people offer many different kinds of nut products of which Motta Camastra is the best producer in the area. In the region of the town of Motta Camastra in the Larderia – Sciara area you can find the famous and evocative ‘”Gole dell’Alcantara“, real canyons of basalt lava formed in prehistoric times after the devastating lava flow from Vulcanetto di Mojo.
Formed from the continual erosion of the Alcantara river they offers visitors the chance to see  rare examples of basalt columnars in pentagonal and hexagonal sections.Following the river and entering the interior of the gorge is a unique experience thanks to these spectacular geological phenomenon which are literally ‘moulded’ from nature!

Next we arrive at Francavilla di Sicilia, a small town positioned at the convergence point of three rivers, l’Alcantara, il San Paolo and lo Zavianni. It is exactly the wealth of water and fertility of the land around it that has created the interest in this area since ancient times. Here the Nassi people founded a city in the 6th Century a.c which was important for the link with the Tyrrhenian Coast and for the supply of products such as oil, wine, carob, fruit and many others. Many years ago, the discovery of a deposit dating back to 6th Century a.c produced about 2000 exhibits including statues, vases and religious offerings relating to the worship of Demetra and Kore the godhead guardians of fertility of the land and weddings.
Also of interest is a visit to the small antiquarium where many exhibits were discovered during the campaign of archeological digs. Near to the antiquarium in Via Liguria we can admire the 18^th Century Palazzo Cagnone dominated from above by the giant Castello Medievale, which was built on the summit of the mountain and towers above the small town. The view is very picturesque from the Convento dei Cappuccini (16^th Century), which is positioned on a small hill gently lapped by the Zavianni torrent and the S. Paolo river. The Convento was built thanks to Viscount Balsamo and the generosity of the people. Inside the church, the alter is adorned with wooden inlays probably made by its own monks. In the convent you can visit the small Museo etno-antropologico where handmade items and tools of local peasants are displayed.

Moving on we cross the Castiglione bridge that leads us into the province of Catania to arrive at the small city of Castiglione. From the bridge we can admire the wonderful Alcantara river which flows like a silver ribbon between black lava rocks. Here the landscape changes from the cultivation of citrus trees to the growth of thick hazel groves of which Castiglione is a prestigious producer. The ancient Castrum Leonis, with a height of 621 m above sea level has had an important role in the history of eastern Sicily since antiquity. Today, the medieval village is one of the most visited and admired, for its castle, monumental churches, noble houses, alleyways and its panorama dominated by the snow-capped mass of Etna.

There is no definite information available as to the origin of the castle but it would appear that the oldest part was built during the Swabian-Norman period. It was linked to the stronghold of Castelluccio and to an outpost identifiable with the church of San Pietro and was connected by underground passages which it is said arrived at Cannizzo, building a real architectural and defensive complex. Of interest is la chiesa dei SS. Apostoli Pietro e Paolo built in the Swabian- Norman period along with le chiese di S. Marco and San Nicola. The church of Santa Domenica, also known as Cuba, is astonishingly beautiful and rich in history. It is found outside the city in a pleasant place surrounded by hazel groves and is very close to the Alcantara river where its icy water flows nearby. It is a rare example of a church constructed in the first Norman age, straight after the expulsion of the Arabs from Sicily which maintained the structure of its central part in a cubic form enriched with exterior elements like the two lateral aisles and the mullioned windows.
Castiglione is also famous for Solicchiata wine, for citrus fruit, oil and craftwork. Needlepoint, in its time, was the pride and passion of every Castiglione woman from whose wonderous hands came amazing embroidery. Also well known are the variety of sweets made from nuts which stimulate both the sight and the palette!

From Castiglione to Randazzo the journey is short. Positioned on the north western slope of Etna 765m above sea level the city has ancient origins dating back to the 6th Century a.c. In the medieval age the city was moved and reconstructed in its current position where it was enriched with its best monuments. The three main churches are positioned in three different areas: Santa Maria in the Latin quarter, San Nicola in the Greek quarter and San Martino in the Lombard quarter, a testimony to the three cultural bonds which were present in the city in ancient times.
The city had its most splendid period under the Aragonesi kings which made the city a stronghold   for Sicily’s defense against the Angevins through the construction of walls and defensive towers. The city was embellished with monuments, churches and pieces of art and was elected a Royal City and seat of the court.

To visit:

• La chiesa di Santa Maria built in the 14^th Century has both a beautiful external ashlar curtain wall made from basalt tiles and a beautiful steeple which is unique for its colours where you can distinguish the different columns one from the other. Inside the church, the Basilica is enriched by many pieces of art.
• La chiesa di San Nicola built in the 13th Century and reconstructed in 1589 is the biggest church in Randazzo. The façade was designed by Andrea Calamech architect of the Senate of Messina (16th Century)
• La chiesa di San Martino has a beautiful belfry from the 11^th – 13th Century with various repairs. The façade was remade in the 15th Century and reconstructed in the 17th Century. The church was subject to bombing in 1943. Inside the church there is a precious polyptych from the Antonello da Messina school.
• Il Palazzo Reale Constructed under the last Norman king
• Il Palazzo Clarentano
• Il Castello
• La famosa via degli Archi
• La casa di via Orto
• Il portale di via Fisauli

To admire the archiological finds discovered in Contrada Santa Anastasia it is interesting to visit Museo Vagliasindi  which is situated inside the walls of Castle “Carcere”.

Also of interest is the Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali which hosts the ‘Ornitologica Priolo’, a collection of 2250 Italian and Exotic birds. This includes the now extinct Grifone dell’Etna and l’Avvoltoio dagli anelli which could be seen decades ago sailing in the skies above Etna.

Gesuardo Bufalino
There are places which have a natural cinematic quality. When not compelling, they invite the video camera to film, to pursue and take possession of them. These area locations which, thanks to a happy alliance of audiovisual, socio- historical and anthropological factors, offer a ready- made stage… one such place in Sicily.

Sebastiano Gesu’ – Film Critic
It is clear that the world of cinema has exploited our land of Sicily with impunity, albeit wisely. It has embraced all its epochs, faces, moods- comic one moment, dramatic the next- arche- types, myths and stereotypes. It has amalgamated a phantasmagoric  constellation of images which, by addressing a social imaginary, has painted a picture of a Sicily on film which seems strangely more real than the actual island itself. Thanks to films and their potential as a medium of powerful evocative force, we have got used to mistaking portrayal and fiction as reality.
The landscape, climate, environment, character  stereotyping, unmistakable psyche, sanguine passions and thrilling events form the back-ground to the cinematic portrayal of  “Sicilianity”.
The island, for its part, provides a rich harvest from an infinite treasure chest and fertile nursery.
Here, as Bufalino wrote, everything is naturally cinematographic.
People and scenery become inextricably entangled: here the sweet smell of Arabian Jasmine mingles with the stench of violent death; the limpid spring sky can become hidden behind the fury of an eruption; the fierce fire of the volcano joins with the frothy waves of the lonian Sea; the bitter report of everyday crime stories combine with fantastic and epic legends from days gone by.
Mankind needs a setting which can add greater credibility to its trials and tribulations. It is the association with landscape which acts to contextualise human behaviour; space becomes spiritual territory, and an area of lived experience and personal sentiments, which are defined by particular places, circumstances and contexts.
For the audience, cinema becomes an eye- opening experience revealing the part man plays in this landscape. It is something which reinforces a consciousness of the role man plays during his entire existence as part of society. He, by means of the portrayal , discovers the universe of myths, symbols and ideas where, as Morin writes, “our mi nds live”.

Gian Paolo Cugno–Director
Making a film means realising our own visual dreams. Bringing scenes and situations you have imagined to life, piecing them together and placing them in your chosen setting where you then command people at your will, guided by your writings, giving them the life you’ ve chosen for them
The published photographs taken by Antonio Parinello have given exposure to scenes dreamed up in years of writing.
Parrinello, by making himself practically invisible to the cast and director, had the foresight to take possession of the frames of the negatives from the cine camera, which when pieced together one- by- one, became a film.

Pietro Innocenzi–Producer
Producing a new film is a great adventure, as it should be, which is just what it feels like to me. Just the word adventure takes me back to Antonini’s masterpiece, one of the first films I ever worked on. Perhaps it is was right there that Sicily became part of me. Born and bred in the San Giovanni quarter in Rome, it is as if this land has never left me, as it is she who has chosen me and has found me.
It makes me happy to see a timeless sicily on the big screen and filmed in Cinema Scope. this is a land which gladdens the eye, heart and soul with its beauty.

Maria Grazia Cucinotta – Actress
You can relive what it was like at the time, with a shared passion, since everyone made such an effort to make sure this film expressed both truth and sincerity… It is extremely rare to find a group of people and a set like this ! I hadn’t enjoyed myself so much in years. not only the work, but also just having the time to hang around and watch. It made such a wonderful live spectacle.

Taormina dalla Madonna della Rocca

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It is the shortest route, a truely panoramic walk that offers the view of the city which sits at the foot of Mount Tauro.
To take the entrance steps you simply climb up one of the stairways that cross Corso Umberto at the side of the mountain, cross the Via Don Bosco and arrive at the ring road built after the war around the historic centre. From here you can climb the flight of steps that lead to the shrine of the Madonna della Rocca.
Little by little as you climb you can observe the sculpture of Domenico Girbino representing the 15 stations on Via Crucis that can be admired along the whole route together with the splendid Mediterranean maquis, the flowering Indian fig trees, the agave and the acacia.

At the end of the climb we reach the shrine of the Madonna della Rocca excavated from the interior of the cave in which the Madonna appeared to a simple shepherd. This small church was founded by the abbot Francesco Raineri in 1640 and in its interior you can find his tomb together with wonderful pictures of the Madonna.
The panorama of the city viewed from this church is one of the most beautiful in the world.
On the left the Roman Theatre appears like a precious stone set in the rock. It was constructed in the 3rd century a.c by the Greeks of Naxos who took refuge on Mount Tauro to establish  Tauromenion which was rebuilt by the Romans in the 1st century a.c and restored and enhanced again by the Romans in the 2nd and 3rd century d.c when it was transformed into an arena for the development of gladiatorial games.

Today from June to September the theatre hosts shows organized by Taormina Arte the most important Sicilian cultural event which has taken place since 1983 with the production of prestigious music, theatre and dance events and the Festival of Cinema which is its first event. Taormina Arte is in fact the heir to the “Rassegna Cinematografica Internazionale” of Messina and Taormina which started in 1955 and which for a twenty year period played host to the David di Donatello awards with the involvement of the most famous celebrities of stage and screen. Today during the Festival of Cinema the prestigious Nastri d’Argento awards are presented by film critics at the ancient theatre.

We leave the view of the theatre to admire the rest of the city with its rooftops and green space in the Giardino Pubblico (Public Gardens) which is accompanied by the blue of the Ionian Sea. The Giardino Pubblico, also known as the Parci dei Duchi di Cesarò, was created by an English noble woman Miss Florence Trevelian who was married to a taorminan doctor who himself was the owner of the clearing on which the gardens stand. Towards the end of the 1800s the noblewoman planted a host of exotic and Mediterranean plants (many of which were extremely rare) and built the original little houses in the form of pagodas where she loved to entertain her guests.

Slightly turning our gaze we can see the Piazza S. Agostino which is a great balcony from which to view nature’s wonderful show. The gulf between Capo Taormina and the Bay of Naxos deepens in a harmonious crescendo with the great mass of Etna and offers a great sense of peace that can only come from such a beautiful view.
We leave the view to reach the mountain summit where the Regio Castello di Taormina stands.  The castle was the scene of intense battles for the territory’s conquest until the end of the 10th century and one is now of the medieval symbols of the city.
From the summit (398m above sea level) the panoramic spectacle is completed with a 380 degree view of the surrounding lands. Naxos, Etna, Calabria, Mount Porretta, Mount Ziretto, Mount Venere and Castelmola framed in the colours of the greenery and the ochre of the earth, the pearl of the Ionian.

Thursday 29 july 2010, h 20.30
Chiesa del Varò
TRIO “PILGRIMAGO”
Alexandra Dimitrova (violino), Giampiero Cannata (basso acustico), Max Zeffiro (piano)

Tuesday 3 august 2010, h 21.00
Chiesa di Santa Caterina
Coglitore jazz quartett

Thursday 19 august, h 21.00
Chiesa di Santa Caterina
TRIO “SENSATIONS”
Cinzia Genderian (soprano), Guido Arborelli (clarinetto),  Maria Assunta Munafò (pianoforte)

Few people know that the reason Sicily has a lot of castles is because it has experienced  a succession of invaders who have each left a trace of their passing in the buildings. Over two hundred remain, which says a lot about their longevity and about the kind of feudalism that existed on the island. To visit the most important castles from Taormina, the ideal tour would make a first stop at the Castello Ursino in Catania and then, just a short distance away, at Acicastello, before continuing inland, with a visit to the castle of Castiglione di Sicilia a must followed by the Ducea di Maniace, which belonged to English Admiral Horatio Nelson, and finally finishing off with a visit to the fortress complex of Montalbano Elicona.
This itinerary enables visitors to find out about the live of some of the famous people who have had a connection with Sicilian history.Corradino of Swabia, the great Norman Count Roger, Federick || of Swabia and British Admiral Horatio Nelson.

THE CASTLE OF URSINO IN CATANIA A SYMBOL OF POWER
Before the lava flow of 1669, the castle, which overlooks the sea, remained on the edge of the medieval city and served to control the plain of Lentini and the Simeto valley. The castle is a large complex of buldings in the form of a square with towers and internal courtyard. The original building was Swabian and is a memorial to Conradin, the last of the Swabians. His tragic end has moved writers and artists of all periods, and his personality has always been surrounded by a romantic aura. The nineteenth century poet, Aleardo Aleardi, wrote a famous poem about him, with  the title Corradino di Svevia, which described him as a slim, blond adolescent, handsome and romantic, who wrote poetry and dreamed of his kingdom of Sicily, so different from cold, rainy Bavaria. He dreamed of the beloved land of sun, filled with almond blossom and the scent of orange blossom, where his father, uncle and grandfather were born. But he never succeeded in reaching Sicily and was beheaded at only sixteen years old on 29 October 1268 in Naples.
Between 1931 and 1934 castello Ursino underwent extensive restoration and was transformed into the present Museo Civico ( town museum)

THE CASTLE OF LAURIA IN CASTIGLIONE, SECRETS AND UNDERGROUND PASSAGEWAYS
Some of the architectural details lead one to guess that the principal nucleus of this castle was probably built during the Norman- Swabian period. In Medieval times, the castle was connected to the stronghold of Castelluccio and to the church of San Pietro by underground passageways. The complex includes the aristocratic quarters reserved for the lord of the castle, the stables, barns, cattle sheds, and quarters for servants and maintenance workers. There were also prisons, where the most troublesome political adversaries and the most hardened criminals were often locked up in uncomfortable cells known as dammusi (  a word that has become fashionable again today as it indicates holiday houses in Pantelleria owned by international Vips’s ) , no more than 2 metres long and barely a metre high,. There were also cisterns to store rainwater or to hide provisions and valuable possessions during sieges, and there were round stone missiles, ready for firing at the enemy.

THE DUCA DI SANTA MARIA DI MANIACE, KNOWN AS HORATIO NELSON’S CASTLE
When King Ferdinand of Bourbon decided to reward English Admiral Horatio Nelson for services rendered in crushing the Naples rebellion in 1799 and for hanging Admiral Caracciolo, he chose to give him the possessions of the Benedictine Abbey of Santa Maria di Maniace, in the Nebrodi park a few kilometers from Bronte, in the province of Catania. With his gift , Ferdinand also conferred on admiral Nelson the right to pass the Ducea on, not only to any of his relatives but also to others who were unrelated And indeed the estate remained in English hands until 1981, when it was bought by the town of Bronte to create a museum.
Horario Nelson was a great but strange character: as Admiral of the English Navy, he was responsible for inflicting the crushing defeat on Napoleon at battle of trafalgar ( during which Nelson himself was seriously wounded, dying soon after the battle ended) , but was famous not only because of his historic victory but also for more frivolous reasons: his love for the beautiful and unconventional Emma Hamilton, and some famous sayings (” England expects that every man will do his duty ” and “Desperate affairs require desperate measures”).

THE CASTLE OF MONTALBANO ELICONA, a fourteenth century royal palace
the castle has remained complete as a result of restoration work by the local authority in 1980, which restored the village’s image and identity. Situated on a rocky promontory the large square fortress dominates the village, surrounded by the typical medieval irregular and twisting town centre. The castle of Montalbano is the only remaining example in Sicily of a fourteenth century royal palace. history tells us that is was Frederick || of Swabia himself who built the fortress, surrounded by walls,in around 1210, and who later adapted the fortress for use as a castle-palace.
Frederick || Hohenstaufen, or Frederick | of Sicily or of Swabia, popularly given the appellation stupor mundi ( wonder of the word) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1120 to 1250. Belonging to the aristocratic Swabian family of the Hohenstaufen, he was also King of Germany , King in Italy , King of Burgundy, King of Jerusalem and , under the name of Frederick |, King of Sicily from 1198 to 1250 . Frederick || had a fascinating and many-sided personality which has attracted the attention of historians and of people generally ever since his own lifetime, producing a long series of popular myths and legends, both good and bad.