ITALIAN JOURNEY – PROGRAMME 1

SICILY – GREEK TRADITIONS

Because of its unique geographical situation, the island of Sicily has always been a melting pot for some of the Mediterranean’s most important cultures and civilisations.

Inland, the landscape is still primitive with its untamed wilderness, while the island’s coastline boasts seductive crystal-clear waters. Over the centuries it has attracted a great variety of civilisations: Greeks, Arabs, Normans and Spanish have all dominated the island at different stages of its history.

It is on the eastern coast, in towns like Syracuse, that you can find the most evidence of Ancient Greece’s colonisation of the island.

With Angelo Ciurcina as her Virgil, Gabriella embarks on a vivid historic exploration of the city.

Gabriella: Angelo, the Greeks who founded Syracuse in 734 BC were Corinthians. How did they end up here?

Angelo Ciurcina: Well, in a way they didn’t have much choice, because a lot of them were thrown out of their country, so to speak. They discovered this land after they were sent into exile. I think they decided to settle here because they found this harbour, this very large natural harbour (it’s one of the largest in the Mediterranean), and realised its potential…its potential as a commercial port, as a trading centre for the Mediterranean. Then they discovered this island, the island of Ortigia, which was off the mainland and therefore easy to defend. They also found ample water supplies and a fertile land. Syracuse must have seemed like an earthly paradise to them. I think any civilisation at that time would have seen it as a perfect location for a city.

Gabriella: So how significant was Syracuse as a Greek settlement?

Angelo Ciurcina: It was very significant, one of the largest cities of its time. I’m not a hundred per cent sure about this, but I think it had over one million inhabitants. There were settlements all around the port, in the Pantanelli area, and in the mountains where the modern city now stands. The harbour provided the Greeks with a very pleasant lifestyle, and so Syracuse soon developed as a major city.

Gabriella: Angelo, what do you think is the most obvious sign of the Greeks’ presence here?

Angelo Ciurcina: There is evidence of it everywhere. All you have to do is dig up a hole to plant a tree and you’ll find fragments of Ancient Greece. And it’s like that all around the area: in fact the Archaeology Council can’t keep track of all the finds, there are too many. The most significant remains can be found in the Archaeological Area: the Greek Amphitheatre, the Temple of Jove, the Temple of Apollo and the Temple of Minerva, but there are remains all over the place.

Gabriella: And do you think Greek culture still has an influence on the character and temperament of Syracusians?

Angelo Ciurcina: You’d have to ask a psychologist about that, about the legacies of the Greek psyche. I don’t know. What I believe is that the Greeks did pass some of their physical attributes on to us: clearly they were a beautiful and fascinating people. As far as their psychological and spiritual characteristics are concerned, they may well have mirrored their physical attributes, but I’m not sure about that. The Syracusians are a very calm people- some say almost too calm. It’s not necessarily a compliment, but that has more to do with their being Sicilian than the descendants of a Greek civilisation.

Gabriella: There’s something I’ve always wanted to know: do Sicilians feel completely, utterly Italian? Or do they feel, above all, Sicilian?

Angelo Ciurcina: We are, first and foremost, Sicilians. There’s no doubt about that. After all we’ve always been Italy’s ‘cursed race’, in the sense that we stand apart from the rest of the country. We don’t fit in with the mainland’s rules and principles, and anyway there’s never been a united Italian race, and there still isn’t to this day. Now, I have an idea: why don’t we interrupt our conversation to have a look at some of Syracuse’s treasures?

Gabriella: With pleasure! This is one of the most beautiful squares I’ve ever seen! The combination of blue sky, pale stone, and intense light make it a wonderful place.

Angelo Ciurcina: You’ve described the square beautifully, Gabriella. Everyone who comes here says the same thing, it never fails to move people. Now look at this building, this is one of Italy’s most beautiful Baroque buildings. It’s called Palazzo Beneventano, it’s a private residence. This other one here is Palazzo del Vermexio, it’s the Town Hall. This is the Duomo. It’s wonderful. I have something else to show you, a surprise.

Gabriella: A surprise?

Angelo Ciurcina: Come in here, I’ll show you something.

Gabriella: Angelo, I really wasn’t expecting to see this type of column inside the Duomo. Does this mean the cathedral is very ancient?

Angelo Ciurcina: Yes, it’s very ancient. In fact this has always been a holy place. 

Gabriella: What was it originally?

Angelo Ciurcina: Originally it was a temple dedicated to Minerva, that’s why the Greeks built it here on Syracuse’s highest hill. These columns have been here since 480 BC, which is when the first temple was built. They have been partly incorporated into the wall of the Duomo as a way of expressing the transition, the contrast between the two types of religions…

Gabriella: But also to represent the different stages of the site’s history…

Angelo Ciurcina: Yes, the different stages… Anyway, this has always been a sacred place. Ever since it was built as a temple to Minerva, and then transformed into a Catholic place of worship, it’s always been a holy place.

Gabriella: Syracuse’s holy place.