SCICLI
sicilia
Scicli is a little town in the Province of Ragusa, in the south east of Sicily. It is an elegant town situated on a wide plain set among three valleys named "Cave" (Modica, Santa Maria La Nova and San Bartolomeo's valley). Settlements of the area of Scicli date back to the Copper and Early Bronze Ages (III millenium BC to the XV century BC). Scicli was founded by the Sicels (whence probably the name) around 300 BC. In the Middle Ages, like all of Sicily, Scicli was ruled by the Arabs and then by the Normans. Following the various dynasties ruling the Kingdome of Sicily, it was a Spanish possession before being united in the Kingdome of Italy in the mid XIX century. Following a catastrophic earthquake in 1693, much of the town was rebuilt in the Sicilian Baroque style, which today gives the town the elegant appearance which draws many tourists to visit the city. For this reason, alongside seven other cities in the Val di Noto, it has been listed as one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites.
Sites: Piazza Italia (Mother Church of Sant'Ignazio, Palazzo Fava), Church of San Bartolomeo, Palazzo Beneventano, Via Francesco Mormino Penna (Church of San Giovanni, Palazzo Spadaro, Church of San Michele, Church of Santa Teresa), Church and Convent of Carmine, Church of Santa Maria della Consolazione, Church of Santa Maria La Nuova, Church of San Matteo, Ruins of the Three Cantons Castle, Chiafura Caves, Church of Santa Maria di Sion or of the Cross.
Piazza Italia
Centre of the town and meeting place of the Scicli's inhabitants, it is the wide Piazza Italia, entirely surrounded by beautiful XVIII-century palaces and dominated by the imposing cliff on which the Church of San Matteo is built. Every year Piazza Italia is the setting of the commemoration of a battle taken place in the XI century between Christians and Saracens and ended with the victory of Christians thanks, as the tradition wants, to the miraculous intervention of Our Lady on a white horse (Festival of the Milizie or Milici).
Mother Church of Sant'Ignazio - The Mother Church of Scicli, in Piazza Italia, is dedicated to Sant'Ignazio. The church goes back to the XVII century and was a Jesuit church. In 1874 it becomes the Mother Church of Scicli in place of the Church of San Matteo, closed to the believers. The facade is richly decorated with Baroque elements, statues and sculptures that bring it a real treasure of art. The inside, with a nave and two aisles, is rich of golden stuccos and frescoes. The Church keeps the San Guglielmo's relics, Patron Saint of the town, and the particulare statue of the "Madonna delle Milizie" (or "Madonna dei Milici"), a paper-pulp work representing Our Lady on a white horse during the battle against the Saracens. The Church keeps also a stone with the print of Our Lady's foot, that the tradition wants She had left getting off the horse.
Palazzo Fava - In the opposite side of the Mother Church there is Palazzo Fava, a XVIII-century building that represents architectonical elements in Late-Baroque style. The entrance portal and the ornate balconies on Piazza Italia are very remarkable and are adorned with sculptures that recalled those of Palazzo Nicolaci in Noto. The richest and most characteristic for its iconography it is, without doubt, the only balcony on Via San Bartolomeo, adornerd with winged griffins, medieval creatures, galloping horses and various other elements.
Church of San Bartolomeo
The Church of San Bartolomeo, in the homonymous valley, goes back to the early years of the XV century and perhaps it was the only building survived to the catastrophic earthquake of 1693. The facade in Baroque-Neo-Classic style, held up by strong columns, was designed by the architect Salvatore D'Alì from Syracuse in the beginning of the XIX century. It remembers the facade of the Duomo of San Giorgio by Rosario Gagliardi and that of the Church of San Giuseppe, both in Ragusa Ibla. The harmonious architectonical internal structure with one nave in Greek cross, the precious works and the golden stuccos (from the first half of 1700 to 1864), represent one of the most important examples of Sicilian Baroque and Neo-Classic style. The frescoes on the vault depict San Bartolomeo in moments of prayer, blessing, his arrest and martyrdom. The paintings are various: the most beautiful are the "Martyrdom of San Bartolomeo" by Francesco Pascucci, the "Immaculate among Saints" by Cassarino and the "Deposition of the Christ" by Mattia Preti, dating to the XVII century. Inimitable work of art is certainly the wooden Nativity Scene of 1573: in the centre of the scene there is the Nativity, while the other characters, peasants and shepherds depicting during the ordinary scenes of life, are the outline. Today the statues are only 29, in the origin they were 65. Other valuable works of art are also the statue of the Immaculate and the Holy Chest.
Palazzo Beneventano
Along Via Nazionale, in a narrow alley on the right, there is the enchanting Palazzo Beneventano in Baroque style. Without doubt it is one of the most representative Baroque monuments of Scicli and one of the most characteristic of the Val di Noto. The corner surmounted by a cornice is, perhaps, the most interesting part of the whole building. It is characterized by artistic decorations of rusticated pilaster strips, enriched by two Moor's heads in higher up and San Giuseppe in the lower part. The balconies with the particular curved bars supported by brackets that representing fantastic animals are very suggestive. The windows of the lower floor have arches decorated with masks and human caricatures.
Via Francesco Mormina Penna
The Via Francesco Mormina Penna is certainly one of the most suggestive of the whole Val di Noto, in fact in 2002 it was declared UNESCO's World Heritage Site. This street is the perfect realization of the urban Baroque conception where place, light and harmony form an unique and fascinating whole. In this suggestive frame, besides the Late-Baroque Churches, also Neo-Classic, Rococo and Liberty palaces find a perfect collocation.
Church of San Giovanni - The concave-convex facade in three orders reveals Borromini's influences ("San Carlino alle Quattro Fontane" in Rome). The windows of the third order are decorated with bars in wrought iron. The inside has an elliptical plan and is rich of decorations, stuccos, gilding and architectonical elements, that make it a little masterpiece of the Baroque art.
Palazzo Spadaro - Palazzo Spadaro is one of the istitutional seat of the Commune of Scicli. It represents the tangible proof of the progressive change of style, from the pompous Late-Baroque to the refined Rococo. The inside, rich of frescoes and paintings, is seat of various temporary art exhibitions.
Church of San Michele - The imposing facade of the Church of San Michele has three orders. The inside, beautiful and shining, is rich of valuable stuccos that depict musical instruments in the lateral choir stalls.
Church of Santa Teresa - The facade of the Church of Santa Teresa reveals influences still connected to the architectonical tradition previous the earthquake of 1693. The Late-Baroque interior, closed to the faith and used as conference and concert room, is one of the richest of the province for its stuccos, paintings, sculptures and black and white flooring.
Church and Convent of Carmine
The Church and the annex Convent of Carmine dominate Piazza Busacca. The Church goes back to the second half of the XVIII century. The facade of the church and part of the convent were built on the basis of a design realized by Fra Alberto Maria di San Giovanni, who belonged to the Carmelite Order and resident in the same convent. Among all the ecclesiastic architectures of the town, the Carmelite complex reveals the highest stylistic harmony among all the architectonical, sculpture and pictorial components: all these elements form a Rococo atmosphere (the white stuccos, the shining of the hall, the various paintings). The interior has only one hall and is characterized by a wonderful cycle of stuccos attributed to Gianforma, Serpotta's pupil. In this church we find a painting of Spanish origin, dating to the XVII century. It is a crucified Christ depicted with a sacerdotal habit long until the ankles.
Church of Santa Maria della Consolazione
The present structure of the aisles of the Church of Santa Maria della Consolazione resisted to the earthquake of 1693 and goes back around to the 1600. The Baroque facade, in light limestone, is set over a short flight of steps, and has a bell-tower which cusp is adorned with Majolica tiles. In its inside the flooring and a XVIII-century organ are very valuable.
Church of Santa Maria La Nuova
The Church of Santa Maria La Nuova has very ancient origins. The Neo-Classic inside in three aisles, with a wide quadrangular apse, is the result of the XIX-century reconstruction of the church. It is characterized by domes overhanging the lateral chapels. In the inside are kept various valuable works of art; among these: a painting representing "The Martyrdom of Sant'Adriano"; in the main altar "The Nativity of the Virgin" by Sebastiano Conca; in the third altar of the left aisle the "Our Lady of the Snow", a marble statue by Gagini school (1496); in the second altar the "Our Lady of Mercy", a wooden statue probably with Byzantine origins.
Church of San Matteo
Visual symbol of Scicli and Mother Church until 1874, the Church of San Matteo is in the homonymous hill, place of the ancient town. They think that the church, the most ancient of the town, was built by the Normans but, on the basis of some studies, the church should go back to the early years of the Christianity. It was enlarged during the 1600 and then rebuilt during all the 1700 with a nave and two aisles and a facade with two orders. In 1874 it was closed to the faith.
Ruins of the Three Cantons Castle
The first nucleus of the Three Cantons Castle, named also as "Castellacio", should go back to the Byzantine period, between the VII and VIII century AD, and it is in the higher part of the San Matteo Hill. It was a defensive structure that, in the course of the centuries, was enlarged and used by the Arabs first, then by the Normans and finally by the Chiaramonte family as military outpost of the "Contea di Modica". In the San Matteo Hill there are also three little churches: the Church of the Holy Spirit, with a beautiful Baroque facade; the Church of Santa Lucia and the Church of San Vito.
Chiafura Caves
The Chiafura Caves were caves, without plaster and with stone floors, lived by the poorest people until the years '50s. When the cave was not sufficient to accomodate the family that became more large, they excavated the rocks to obtain new space. The whole of the caves is a very suggestive view but it is also a testimony of the underdevelopment and marginalization of the South.
Church of Santa Maria di Sion or of the Cross
The complex, formed by the church and the convent, is on a projection of the San Bartolomeo valley. This is one of the widest and most complete panorama of the area. The Church, with a simple facade, fascinates for its Gothic-Chiaramontane decorations. The facade is embellished with three very carved scroll ornaments, one of which representing the coat of arms of Scicli, a rampant lion that holds up a stylized mountain. In the oratory, the most ancient construction of the whole complex, are kept valuable XV-century frescoes, among these some depict miracles of Santa Maria of the Cross and captions in ancient Sicilian, making up a precious linguistic document.
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