L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2019 www.italoamericano.org 10 L'Italo-Americano LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE B rimming with cul- tural vigor, strength and resilience, Calt- agirone is the heart of the authentic, wild southeastern Sicily. The scenic town is a small slice of heaven just 40 miles from Cata- nia that proudly acknowledges its multi-layered past. It remains a visibly-striking late Baroque town. Its old his- toric center was listed as World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2002, together with seven other locales in the Noto Valley. The town's undeniable hallmark, top attraction and destination are the imposing Santa Maria del Monte Stairs linking the upper and lower towns. The spectacular, flowery 142-step staircase isn't just a means of movement— each step is a statement and dra- matic work of art. The monumental staircase was built in 1606 and features hand-decorated majolica from different periods. "The entire work represents the art of deco- ration in Sicily," says Giacomo Pace Gravina, professor of histo- ry of law at Messina University and a resident of Caltagirone. His maternal side of the family, the Gravinas, are one of the most historically important families in the area. They own the daunting Palazzo Gravina that whispers of barons and princes. It sits at piazza Municipio, its intact beauty supporting an ornately carved stone balcony. Caltagirone's glorious palaces are features of the place, together with a profusion of patrician vil- las and majestic churches that soar into the blue. Visitors are offered a spatial and sensorial immersion into mesmerizing beauty. That beauty even defeat- ed death. Life, as we know, has always been fraught with peril. In 1693 misfortune couldn't be avoided when a catastrophic earthquake devastated the Noto Valley, causing the deaths of about 60,000 people. "Luckily, Caltagirone lost only 1,000 inhabitants and many monu- ments were spared," says Pace Gravina. Yet, after the great seis- mic event, the town gave top pri- ority to revamping its buildings through innovative architecture. Caltagirone's true essence is also expressed along a labyrinth of carrugi, or narrow lanes, that give an interesting structure to the urban plan. Built in the early 11th century by Genoese troops who left traces of Ligurian lan- guage in the current local dialect, these labyrinthine alleys capture the drama of the ancient locals who took refuge inside them to hide from Arabic attacks. And an MARIELLA RADAELLI Ceramic heads made in Caltagirone (Copyright: Dreamstime) A beautiful view of Caltagirone's San Francesco d'Assisi all'Immacolata (Copyright: Dreamstime) Caltagirone, a stairway to heaven Continued to page 12

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