L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 10 THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021 L'Italo-Americano O f t h e s e v e n towns in the Val di Noto p a r t o f t h e U N E S C O World Heritage site dedi- cated to Sicilian baroque, Scicli is, perhaps, the least known. Opulent and of the color of gold, the Scicli we see today is result of the large a r t i s t i c a n d a r c h i t e c t u r a l effort carried out after much of the Val di Noto was oblite- rated, in 1693, by a deadly earthquake. Far from consi- dering such an immense tra- gedy a positive point, it is nevertheless true that the town's reconstruction made of it, to say it with writer Elio Vittorini, "perhaps the most beautiful city of the world." Born at the convergence of the Modica, Santa Maria La Nova and San Bartolomeo valleys, just south of Modica and Ragusa, Scicli is home today to about 25.000 peo- ple. With its seven sisters, Caltagirone, Militello (in the V a l d i C a t a n i a ) , C a t a n i a , M o d i c a , N o t o , P a l a z z o l o Acreide and Ragusa, it's been part of the UNESCO World Heritage patrimony since 2002, in name of, we mentio- ned it already, its architectu- re. As you'd expect in a town fully built in the baroque style, its streets are a mesme- rizing succession of churches and palaces, as sinuous as silk and as bright and rich as gold. A cradle of history and art, without a doubt, but also a must-visit for all lovers of popular TV, as it is here that p a r t o f t h e f a m o u s C o m m i s s a r i o Montalbano series, based on the award-winning novels by Andrea Camilleri, is set. While its current look is all b a r o q u e , S c i c l i h a s m u c h m o r e a n c i e n t o r i g i n s . Historians date the first set- tlements in the area back to 3000 years ago, at the times o f t h e S i c e l s , t h e p r e - Roman people who first colo- nized the shores of Sicily. Indeed, both the island and S c i c l i o w e t h e i r n a m e t o t h e m , m o r e p r e c i s e l y t o "Siclis" or the Arabic "Siklah," terms with which they were k n o w n a c r o s s t h e Mediterranean. During the Arab domination of the 10th 11th century, Scicli met its first golden period; then, famously crowned it the most beautiful baroque palace in Sicily. Dotted all along the hills — the old Scicli of pre-earth- quake times was here — we find other historical and arti- stic focal points: the Church of San Matteo, that used to be the main church in town until the end of the 19th century, but also those dedicated to the Santo Spirito and Santa Lucia, along with military and civil architectures like the Castiddazzu (15th century) and the Castle of the Tre Cantoni. Heritage shines through t o w n t h a n k s t o t h e m a n y festivals animating the year. A mixture of tradition, Faith and folklore, it is especially the three Spring festivals, or S p r i n g T r i p t y c h , t h a t attract the attention of visi- t o r s . T h e R i d e o f S a n Giuseppe — a flower festival in March — the traditional rites of the Holy Week, and the Feast of the Virgin Warrior, celebrated on the last Saturday of May, are all part of UNESCO World Intangible Heritage. Y o u m a y b e w o n d e r i n g a b o u t t h a t M o n t a l b a n o connection we mentioned a while back… Indeed, Scicli has been a location of Rai 1's Il Commissario Montalbano since 1999 and of Il Giovane M o n t a l b a n o s i n c e 2 0 1 2 . Scicli's stage name is Vigata, and if you are familiar with the show, then you know via Francesco Mormino Penna quite well, as it is here that Montalbano's police station is located: it's, in fact, Scicli's own Town Hall. Montalbano s t r o l l s a l o n g o t h e r s l o c a l spots, too, including Piazza Carmine, Palazzo Iacono (the Palazzo della Pretura in the s e r i e s ) , t h e M a d o n n a d e l Rosario complex and many others. L a s t , b u t n o t c e r t a i n l y least, Scicli is good food. Mind, this is not true only of Scicli, but of Sicily as a whole, of course. The dishes typical of Scicli are the result of a long-lasting tradition f o u n d e d i n t h e f l a v o r s , history and produce of this part of Sicily. Extra virgin olive oil, vegetables, fruit and fish, but also amazing cheeses are at the heart of local cuisi- ne. Looking for some exam- ples? In Scicli, you should try ' m p a n a t e , b r e a d d o u g h after years of feudal domina- tion imposed by the Normans a n d c o n t i n u e d u n d e r t h e Crown of Aragon, Scicli deve- loped into its current size under the Bourbons. The 17th century is tragic for the town, with a plague epidemic first and the tragic earthquake of 1693, which destroyed it enti- rely. Making a list of places to see in Scicli is difficult, as the town and its whole surroun- ding areas are simply beauti- ful and filled with interesting sites. Urban exploration can, without a doubt, start with i t s m a i n s t r e e t , v i a F r a n c e s c o M o r m i n o Penna: it's the real hub of Scicli's activities, made up by baroque palaces and chur- c h e s , i n c l u d i n g P a l a z z o Spadaro, Palazzo Carpentieri, Palazzo di Città, the Chiesa di San Giovanni Evangelista, that of San Michele and that of Santa Teresa. The entire street, as much of the historic c i t y , w a s b u i l t w i t h l o c a l white stone, and that's why, under the sun, Scicli shines and looks golden. You should a l s o c h e c k o u t P a l a z z o Beneventano: British art h i s t o r i a n A n t h o n y B l u n t pockets filled with a variety of fillings, from cauliflowers to potatoes, from pork to lamb (especially at Easter), from chicken to fish and even rice. Scacce are also made with bread dough, which is rolled very thin, filled usually with tomato and onion or tomato and cheese, but also with par- sley and eggplant, folded and baked. Typical of eastern Sicily, but popular across the island, they are considered a staple of Sicilian street food. Speaking of which, Scicli, of course, loves its arancini, known here as arancine and for cannoli. If you have the luck of knowing a local or two, you may end up having a s n a c k a t t h e i r p l a c e w i t h pani ri casa cunzatu, tra- ditional oven-toasted sandwi- ches made with homemade bread and filled with olive oil, cheese, oregano, sun-dried tomatoes and, sometimes dried anchovies. If you fancy s o m e d e s s e r t a n d w a n t something more "exotic" than cannoli, then look no further than biancomangiare, a typical Sicilian dessert of A r a b o r i g i n s m a d e w i t h almond milk, lemon rind, local honey and cinnamon. Scicli, a pearl of Sicilian baroque architecture, is part of the UNESCO World Heritage (Photo: Sergey Shcherbakov/Dreamstime) ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES Scicli: Sicilian baroque, Montalbano and food fit for a king GIULIA FRANCESCHINI

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