"And the Mountains Danced As If Drunk......" - Agrigento, Italy
Agrigento, Italy
Where I stayed
Antichi Catoi Bed & Breakfast, Agrigento
9.00 pm Sunday January 11, 1693 - Noto, South-East Sicily
"Then came an earthquake so terrible and ghastly that the soil undulated like the waves of a stormy sea, and the mountains danced as if drunk, and the city collapsed in one miserable moment killing more than one thousand people...." Observations of an onlooker in the city of Noto during the tragic Val di Noto earthquake of 1693.
It must have been utter pandemonium when the most powerful earthquake in Italy's recorded history struck south-eastern Sicily at 9.00 pm local time causing the deaths of more than 93,000 people and almost completely destroying some seventy urban centres within the Val di Noto in south-eastern Sicily and the Val Demone in north-eastern Sicily. It is estimated that a staggering two thirds of the entire population of the city of Catania were killed as a result of the four minute 'quake.
Preceded by a damaging foreshock on January 9, 1693, the earthquake is estimated to have reached a magnitude of 7.4 on the Moment Magnitude Scale and a staggering maximum intensity of 11 or "Extreme"on the Mercali Intensity Scale*. Triggering massive landslides, the earthquake was followed by a series of tsunamis which devastated coastal villages on the Ionian coastline and the Straits of Messina.
Sicily lies on part of a complex convergent boundary where the African Plate sub-ducts beneath the Eurasian Plate. The sub-duction is responsible for the formation of Mount Etna and the ongoing seething seismic activity on the island of Sicily and its Mediterranean surrounds.
The Val di Noto (often mistakenly referred to as The Valley of Noto) is actually a regional precinct located some 32 kilometers south-east of Syracuse at the foot of the Iblean Mountains. The region which includes the now much famed "Baroque Triangle" of the townships of Noto, Modica and Ragusa, bore the brunt of some of the most devastating destruction caused by the 1693 earthquake.
If the well documented phrase "Something Good Always Comes from Something Bad" is correct, it could accurately describe the outcome for the disastrous 1693 earthquake. Sicily at this time was ruled as part of the Crown of Aragon by the Kings of Spain. Their swift reaction was commendable and far sighted. High ranking commissioners were appointed with special powers to organise immediate relief in the worst affected areas. Nobleman Giuseppe Lanza was appointed to totally redesign the devastated towns based on sound seisimologial and scenographic town planning rationale.
The period following the earthquake saw the massive re-construction of the Val di Noto and the creation of some of the finest and most lavish Baroque architecture known. Guide Athena "Baroque in Val di Noto" (2012), describes the re-construction: "The surviving population and the Crown reacted with vigour to the catastrophe, initiating an impressive period of re-construction which involved all the area struck by the earthquake. Thus, Sicily was able to experience a historical period comparable, for the resources involved and the beauty and majesty of the buildings erected, to the magnificent artistic periods of the Greek Age, the Roman Imperial Age and the Arab-Norman Age."
NOTO
Following a leisurely breafast in our lovely Des E'trangers Hotel, Carmelo picked us up for our coming visit to the Baroque Triangle townships of Noto, Modica and Ragusa en route to our final destination for the day of Agrigento.
In our opinion, a hallmark of a truly professional guide is his or her ability to be highly organised yet appear to their clients to be calm and even quite laid back. Carmelo never seemed to be in any sort of hurry but he was meticulous with his attention to detail and was always on time. Furthermore, he took great pains to ensure that our mobile phone contained his correct phone number configuration and that the devices actually "talked to each other".
Alan, being typical of our generation, absolutely hates our so called "smart phone" and probably hates our iPad even more. Nearly every time he answers the phone, he touches either the key that turns the device off or hits the "mute key". And then he is amazed that when he jabs at the iPad's keys it refuses to co-operate. I am no better.
Being acutely conscious of the problems we had experienced with these devices and our woeful Internet connection at home, we spent a considerable amount of time ensuring that our devices were working and that our Australian telecommunications provider Telstra knew that we were travelling. In fact, during the two weeks period prior to our departure, I clocked up a massive 19 hours on the phone trying to resolve our problems. Anyone who has had dealing with our telecommunications provider would thoroughly sympathise. It didn't really help - Telstra cut our Internet connection off in Morocco (the pathetic excuse was that this was for "safety reasons" as the telecommunications company had identified "unusual overseas phone calls") but at least we had Internet and phone capacity in Sicily.
Sun-bleached rocky hills cradling lush green valley orchards, and buff clay brick, geometrically spaced houses dotted the landscape as we drove toward the Val di Noto. Much like any semi-arid region in the Middle East, I thought idly to myself that you could almost be in Palestine or Iran, or even Pakistan.
We arrived happy and relaxed in the Baroque township of Noto on a glorious sunny morning. Noto had a lovely feel. The combination of the stunningly beautiful Baroque architecture, clean streets and spacious piazzas, friendly local people and the almost complete lack of tourists made for a warm welcome to the famous UNESCO listed township. It is regarded as one of Sicily's most beautiful historic centres and is packed with a wonderful array of Baroque churches, cathedrals and palazzi.
When Noto was re-built after the earthquake it was planned on a more stable grid system by Giovanni Battista Landolina and re-located to what was thought to be the safer site of the left bank of the Asinaro River. At the time the noble gentry and government officials were granted the safest housing, the clergy the next best sites and of course the poor plebs were granted whatever was not taken. Some things never change...
We entered Noto through the gorgeous Noto Gate built in 1838, otherwise known as Porto Reale or Porta Ferdinandea. The gate features three distinctive symbolic statues of a crenellated tower, a pelican and a dog representing the traits of "Strength, Fidelity and Loyalty". The eastern entrance led us through the town's most famous street the elegant Corso Vittorio Emanuale past the Church of San Francesco all'Immacolata and the Church and Convent of San Salvadore to the right, and the Church of Santa Chiara on the left. A few paces further we came across the magnificent Noto Cathedral (right hand side) and opposite the former Palazzo Ducezio which is now Noto's strikingly beautiful Town Hall.
THE CATHEDRAL
Erected in the 18th Century, the stunning cathedral which is dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Myra, features a huge broad facade measuring some 40 meters wide and 32 meters in height and is regarded widely as one of the masterpieces and symbols of Sicilian Baroque architecture.
Designed by architect Francesco Sinatra, the main building comprises a central body divided into three vertical sections: the central body with three naves, the two bell towers and the city clock.
A large part of the cathedral collapsed in 1996 as a result of structural weakening caused by the 1990 earthquake. The re-building was a highly complex process and the cathedral only opened again in 2007. Today, the interior of the cathedral is painted simply in white but the ornate frescoes and decorated central pulpit are exquisite.
DUCEZIO PALACE
The imposing Ducezio Palace, now Noto's Town Hall, faces the grand facade of the Noto Cathedral. Designed by the architect Vincenzo Sinatra in 1748 and built over a ten year period, it is said that the palace was built "for the politicians to confront the religious power of the clergy".
Although the palace was originally of modest dimensions with the second story being added on in the mid 1950's, it is regarded as one of the finest expressions of Sicilian Baroque architecture.
NOTO'S PALAZZI
Noto Cathedral and the Ducezio Palace are surrounded by a series of breathtakingly elegant old palaces which were once the homes of the noble gentry.
Palazzo Nicolaci is the only palace which is now open to the public. Built by the aristocrat Giacomo Nicolaci in 1737, this "small palace" which was built for his own family comprised a staggering ninety rooms. The flamboyant palace is famous for its wrought iron balconies supported by richly carved brackets, ornamented with arrays of fantastical cherubs, horses, mermaids, lions and grotesque figures.
MODICA
From Noto we travelled south-west for some 38 kilometers to the Baroque township of Modica. The drive through rural countryside was picturesque; the road flanked with fruiting citrus and olive orchards and large prosperous looking houses enclosed by pretty limestone walls, dotted the rolling landscape.
Modica is situated in a gorge on a triangular plateau surrounded by fertile fluvial plains. Like other towns in the Val di Noto, Modica was badly damaged in the 1693 earthquake and like Noto was largely re-built in Sicilian Baroque style. Following the earthquake, noble gentry re-built their homes in the upper part of Modica whereas the middle classes and aristocratic landowners settled in the lower town which was thought more profitable for commerce. Today the town is divided into two parts, "higher" Modica and "lower" Modica, which are connected by numerous flights of steps.
The view of Modica from the 300 meter high Guerrieri Bridge is nothing short of spectacular. Dominated by the magnificent Church of San Giorgio, the architecture of the whole town is such that you may well think you are looking at a facade of a totally medieval city. Houses are juxtapositioned side by side and appear to be almost stacked on top of each other, making the whole township look somewhat like a re-assembled jigsaw puzzle of houses, palazzi and cathedrals.
Today the UNESCO listed town is known not only for its beautiful architecture but also for its famous chocolate.
Carmelo drove us through Modica but despite its obvious beauty and quaintness, we decided not to stop to walk through the town. We are not fans of chocolate and decided that as we would be seeing a significant number of cathedrals, churches and other historic sites during the next few days that we would prefer to travel on to our next destination of Ragusa.
We were in truth becoming a bit "cathedraled out" and keen to find some free time in the late afternoon to explore our destination of Agrigento.
RAGUSA
Hilly country, pock marked by rugged limestone outcrops giving the countryside a strange and somewhat biblical appearance, greeted us on our short drive from Modica to our third Baroque township for the day of Ragusa.
Ragusa is the capital of the Province of Ragusa and houses a population of around 750,000 people. It is built on a wide limestone hill between the two deep valleys of Cava San Leonardo and Cava Santa Domenica.
The township like Noto, was devastated by the 1693 earthquake and again public opinion was divided as to where the new town was to be re-built. The wealthier aristocratic citizens built a new town in a new location know as (not surprisingly) "Ragusa Superiore" and the other half of the populations (presumably the not so wealthy) re-built on the original site on a ridge at the bottom of a gorge known now as "Ragusa Ibla". The two towns remained separated for many years until in 1926 they merged to become the chief town of the province.
As for Modica, the entry to the town is quite delightful with the jumble of houses, churches and palazzi looking as though they are piled on top of each other while clinging to the sheer face of the gorge. Carmelo gave us a short briefing on where to walk to and what to see before dropping us off at Ragusa Ibla, home to 18 UNESCO Heritage Listed Sites including the beautiful Basilica di San Giorgio.
"Don't forget to try the wine flavoured gelato" he called out as he left us. And that was exactly what we intended to do.
And like Noto, the UNESCO listed township of Ragusa had a lovely feel. It was surprisingly quiet, with virtually no tourists - or strangely many other local people for that matter - and the entire township exuded a friendly laid back atmosphere.
A leisurely walk in the sunshine took us to the Basilica di San Giorgio. Built in 1738 as a substitute for the first Gothic styled temple dedicated to San Giorgio which was destroyed in the earthquake, this elegant Baroque building is characterised by 250 steps and massive ornate columns, and includes statues of saints and decorated portals. The Basilica comprises also a huge neo-classical dome that was added on in 1820.
The Basilica was closed for the day and so we heeded Carmelo's advice and headed toward a series of side cafes for lunch. He was right. The wine flavoured gelatos we bought from the Gelati di Vini shop were fantastic and we sat back under a number of shade umbrella thoroughly enjoying our quieter time and the relaxed ambiance of down town Ragusa.
I should be ashamed to say that we didn't visit any other historic sites or churches at Ragusa. But I am not. It was all too delicious to sit back and wind down after many days of non-stop travel and touring.
ACROSS THE PLAINS OF GELA TO AGRIGENTO
Soon we were heading off to Agrigento across the Gela Plains in the south-west of Sicily.
Agriculture dominates the economy of the rich alluvial plains and the countryside was a mass of greenhouses, vineyards (table and wine grapes) and fruit trees. Orchards comprised mainly olives, pistchios and carob trees whereas vegetables included melons and artichokes. The 132 kilometer trip took us through the prettiest countryside; rolling hills flecked with rich red Flanders Poppies, yellow daisies and pink and white Valerian flowers and low lying limestone cobble fences gave way to the brilliant azure Mediterranean coastline. Waving arms of enormous wind farm mills welcomed us on our journey.
The road to Agrigento skirted the city of Comiso, a large agricultural and trade centre and then the large industrial port city of Gela, famous for its petroleum industry and home to the largest oil refinery in Europe.
We arrived in Agrigento in the late afternoon. Alan had booked on-line a delightful looking bed and breakfast establishment, the Antichi Catoi which was apparently located in the heart of the old city. It looked lovely but as usual with on-line bookings, we were unsure as to what to expect.
Marina's friendly laughing voice literally burst through Carmelo's mobile phone. He was smiling and we felt relieved. The establishment had not been easy to find but within minutes our luggage was whisked off by Marina's father, a delightful man with sparkling eyes and a wonderful warm manner, and the owner and interior architect of the Antichi Catoi B & B.
The Antichi Catoi was fascinating. Formerly an old house of the Arab era, the establishment was actually part of the old underground stables. The furnishing were modern but blended with older style paintings and were in perfect harmony with the old white washed rooms. Flower arrangements and candles provided nice touches to our charming suite which included kitchen facilities and a sunken bath in an underground bathroom. It was all very lovely and very comfortable.
Some wandering around the old city was just what we needed and we were not disappointed. The lane ways of Agrigento were fascinating and we eventually found the Le Naif restaurant which was recommended by Marina.
A few drinks back at the Antchi Catoi followed by a good meal at Le Naif** was very enjoyable and a fitting end to a very pleasant day.
* The Moment Magnitude Scale supercedes the logarithmic Richter Scale as a more accurate and informative measure of the size all moderate to large earthquakes. It was devised by scientists after the 1960 Chilean and the1964 Alaskan earthquakes that so were so large that the Richter Scale did not adequately show the magnitude and size of what happened during
these great 'quakes. Similarly, the Mercalli Scale is used to measure the intensity of an earthquake based on its observed effects, with Level12 being the highest intensity - or "Total Destruction".
** Le Naif Restaurant and Steak House is located at Via Vela No. 8 (traversa di Via Atenea), 92100 Agrugento. Telephone: 0992 1870735.
MORE PHOTOS OF THE TOWNS OF THE BAROQUE TRIANGLE