Ancient temples and magnificent theatres, lush palaces and immense cathedrals, elegant villas and mysterious ‘dammusi‘. Sicily is rich in astonishing architectural elements, each one special and distinctive in its own way, witnesses of a past that has come down to the present day.
We have already told the story of Sicily and its dominations, of the peoples who inhabited it for a long time and those who stayed for a short time, but what has each of them left as testimony to their passage? Sicilian architecture is rich, elegant, sometimes sumptuous and sometimes simple, but, above all, it tells, through its shapes and colours, the past of this island. Starting from ancient history up to the Liberty era of the 19th century, we will ‘stroll’ together through the architectural styles that have characterised our wonderful island.
The architecture of ancient times between temples, theatres and Roman villas
Sicily has been inhabited since antiquity, first by the Phoenicians in the coastal areas, then by the Greeks who created the largest colony with Magna Graecia and, finally, the Romans. Each left a mark of their passage and the remains of ancient architecture can still be admired today.
In Sicily, the Greeks created a flourishing colony, building imposing temples dedicated to the gods and beautiful theatres, where the famous Greek tragedies and comedies came to life.
What remains of these marvellous architectural works?
Starting from the west, at Segesta (TP) stands the Doric Temple of Segesta, with its 36 columns still perfectly preserved.
Continuing to the south-west of the island is the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, a marvellous archaeological park that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where you can admire temples that are still intact, such as the Temple of Concord, and some ruins of other temples, such as the Temple of Jupiter and Hercules.
Continuing on to Syracuse, the most important of the cities of Magna Graecia – just think that the most important mathematician, physicist and inventor of the Hellenic era, Archimedes, was born there – we can find the remains of a Doric temple dedicated to Apollo and the imposing Greek Theatre of Syracuse. The latter still fulfils its ancient function today and is the stage for numerous theatrical performances, such as the season of Greek tragedies and comedies that takes place every year during spring-summer.
Another example of a Greek theatre, a symbol of Greek architecture, can be found in the province of Messina: it is the Greek Theatre of Taormina, which is also still in use like its ‘brother’ theatre in Syracuse, but which is the stage for more modern shows, concerts and events (it also hosted the important G7 political event in 2017).
An example of Roman architecture on the island, representing and recounting all the magnificence of the late imperial Roman era, is the Villa Romana del Casale located in Piazza Armerina.
It is a patrician villa characterised by luxurious and distinctive mosaics, some of the most beautiful remaining mosaics from the Roman era, which is why it is a very important piece of architecture whose cultural and historical heritage should be preserved, which is why it is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Arab-Norman style
Among the architectural styles in Sicily, the Arab-Norman style is undoubtedly the most distinctive, because it symbolises the union of two different cultures.
When the Normans arrived in Sicily, the island was under Arab rule and immediately after conquering it, they did not destroy what the Arabs had built. On the contrary, they took over and rebuilt some of the buildings, leaving the typically Arab style and adding some elements of Norman and Byzantine art – such as the golden mosaics.
The most striking examples of this architectural style are the buildings that are part of the Arab-Norman Route that winds its way through the city of Palermo, Monreale and Cefalù. These include the Cathedral of Palermo, the Cathedral of Monreale and the Cathedral of Cefalù, the Royal Palace of Palermo with its marvellous Palatine Chapel, the Palace of Zisa, the Church of San Giovanni degli Eremiti, the Church of the Martorana and many other architectural works.
They are all UNESCO World Heritage Sites for their beauty, magnificence and uniqueness. Arab-Norman style works can also be found in many other Sicilian cities, such as Erice with its castle, Mazara del Vallo, Castelvetrano and many others.
The splendour of Sicilian Baroque
Today, the area known as the Val di Noto – Ragusa, Scicli, Modica, Noto, Caltagirone, Palazzolo Acreide, Catania and Militello in Val di Catania – is certainly among the most beautiful in Sicily, characterised by its marvellous Baroque architecture, with its palaces, churches and villas in full Baroque style.
How, however, did Sicilian Baroque come about?
It all began with a tragedy, the devastating earthquake that occurred in 1693 and destroyed the Val di Noto area. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, this catastrophic event gave the right impulse to planners, architects and artists, local and otherwise, to rebuild everything that had been destroyed, giving the entire stricken area an unexpected new life. Palaces with rich and sumptuous decorations were built, some of the most beautiful churches in the Val di Noto were built – such as the Cathedral of Syracuse, the Mother Church of San Giorgio in Modica or the Church of San Domenico in Noto – and finely decorated palaces that rival many Baroque architectural works throughout Europe.
The Sicilian Baroque is a historical and cultural architectural heritage that must be preserved and cared for, so that it can always shine, be admired and tell its own story. Today, the Val di Noto is a UNESCO protected area and has been declared a World Cultural Heritage Site.
The elegance of the eclectic style and Sicilian Art Nouveau
Sinuous forms, floral elements and rich decorations are the elements that characterised the Liberty style (also known as Art Nouveau), a movement that was not only architectural but also artistic, born in the last years of the Belle Époque.
Art nouveau was all the rage throughout Europe and also found a place in Sicily, particularly in Palermo, thanks to Palermo’s bourgeoisie eager to appear and build and to the ideas and works of illustrious architects such as Ernesto Basile, Giovanni Damiani Almeyda and Carlo Giachery.
Even before the Art Nouveau style, however, the eclectic style arrived in Palermo, which was nothing more than a mix of different trends and elements, ranging from ancient art to oriental art with a touch of Baroque or Roman style. In short, a style influenced by different artistic and architectural currents, which in Sicily led to the construction of important works, such as the Botanical Garden, the Palazzina Cinese and the English Garden in Palermo.
From here onwards, Sicilian architecture evolved towards the Art Nouveau style, promoted and financed by the enterprising Sicilian bourgeoisie, dominated by the Florio and Whitaker families.
The Florio family, in particular, marked a rebirth for Palermo and Sicily, not only economically but also culturally. Their villas, such as the Villino Florio all’Olivella, Casa Florio all’Arenella or Villa Igiea, were the centre of the city of Palermo, where they welcomed illustrious guests – the Tsarina of Russia and Tsar Nicholas II, for example, stayed at the house in the Arenella hamlet.
Tonnare, masserie, bagli and dammusi.
The veracious Sicilian architecture
Sicilian architecture is also made up of other small buildings that are less talked about and little known, but which are just as important as the buildings we have discussed so far.
The Florio family is also responsible for the construction of the numerous Tonnare (tuna fisheries) in Sicily, buildings located near the sea where the ‘Mattanza’, or tuna fishing, was practised. At the time, it was one of the most profitable economic activities, which made the Florio family’s fortune.
In the Sicilian hinterland or, in any case, in the rural areas of the island, you will come across buildings that are less ostentatious than the Art Nouveau villas, but which contain a more authentic soul and tell of a peasant Sicily, immersed in the hills.
These are farmhouses or country houses of heterogeneous architectural conformation known as ‘bagli‘, ‘masserie‘, ‘casali‘ and ‘ville agrogentilizie‘, often built in areas adjoining large plots of land. This was because, inside these buildings, lived the owners of the property, as well as the owners of the land, and the farmers and/or breeders to whom they gave the land in concession.
The birth of these residences seems to be very much linked to the baronial colonisation of large abandoned or uncultivated inland areas in the period between the 16th and 18th centuries, when Spain, in order to procure cereals, granted the nobles of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies the licence to repopulate. These often founded real small villages, the bagli, around the original building, usually a ‘parmento‘ (a room or series of rooms for transforming grapes into wine), a stable or a barn, or extended it, creating a fortified group of rural buildings used as dwellings, usually called ‘masserie‘ or, not infrequently, actual villas.
There were two types of ‘bagli‘: peasant baglio and manor baglio. Both were fortified buildings, but organised differently on the inside: the peasant baglio was inhabited by those who managed the land granted by the lord and had less thick walls and also contained buildings such as the stable, hayloft, cellar and areas reserved for the peasant’s food and lodging, while the manor baglio had more imposing walls and was entered through a mighty main gate leading to the courtyard, onto which the building’s balconies overlooked.
On the other hand, the ‘ville agrogentilizie‘ (agro-gentile villas), located mainly on the slopes of Mount Etna (Europe’s highest active volcano, at 3,357 metres above sea level), with a ‘more elegant’ appearance than the masserie, are surrounded by luxuriant gardens.
These rather large residences are characterised by a first floor, known as the ‘piano nobile‘ (noble floor), which was intended for the owners, who lived in the building during harvest time or holiday periods, while on the ground floor there were rooms dedicated to the peasants who worked the land, and rooms for storing products and agricultural tools in sheltered places. In some villas on the ground floor one could also find a large parmento and a chapel. Nearby was the land given to the farmers for cultivation, just as was the case in classic masserie.
On some of the small islands scattered along the Sicilian coast, one can find ancient and typical houses known by the name of Dammusi. There are two types that, although similar, are found on two different islands: the Pantelleria’s dammusi and Lampedusa’s dammusi. Both constructions are made of stone, but they differ in the type of stone used and the colouring: Pantelleria’s dammusi were built in very dark volcanic stone and are sometimes plastered and painted white – somewhat reminiscent of the houses on the Greek islands – while the Lampedusa’s dammusi were built in a lighter rough stone and are always left in their natural state.
The dammusi have a square base and domed roofs. They are peculiar and somewhat mysterious architectural works, because it is not known exactly who introduced them to both Pantelleria and Lampedusa, but they undoubtedly make these islands even more fascinating to the eye of the beholder.
Today, in Sicily, there are numerous examples of masserie, bagli, agro-gentile villas, ancient farmhouses and dammusi that often remain uninhabited and that can be purchased to be restored to their former glory.
These are buildings for residential purposes that retain, steeped in stone, the history of a not-too-distant past, and of a land that managed to reconcile and reconcile the luxurious and opulent life of princes, marquises and barons with the simplicity and dedication of the peasants who tended the fruits of the earth.
