The night before, Steven and I arrived at our apartment in the dark in the hills far above Cefalu on Sicily's northern coast, so we couldn't see a thing. These were the lovely views that greeted us from our large deck the next morning!
Hint: If you're ever lucky enough to travel to Sicily, I highly recommend you give yourself a couple of days to tour the medieval town of Cefalu, nestled between the coast and the mountains. Having just four or so hours there as we did was not nearly enough.
We then headed east on the coastal road instead of the autostrada along the Tyrrhenian Coast toward the seaside town of Castel di Tusa.
Though the town's beaches are regularly praised as the best in Sicily, we didn't have the time to enjoy them except for this panoramic view.
The town's Castello San Giorgio was constructed in the first half of the 14th century.
Another view of the immense autostrada:
When Steven and I read about the Fiumare d'Arte, an outdoor sculpture park that was listed under Castel di Tusa, it sounded just like our cup of tea. We didn't realize, however, that the sculpture park, one of Europe’s largest, was spread over a mammoth area. The history of Fiumara d’arte began in 1982 when patron Antonio Presti donated an enormous concrete sculpture that was placed in 1986 in the Nebrodi Mountains. After it was announced that an open-air museum would be created in the same location by other important sculptors, there were 25 years of legal battles. In 2007, Fiumara d’Arte was finally granted the right to protect and preserve twelve works of art pieces.
We started at one of Fiumara’s most famous and impressive works, 38° Parallelo-Piramide, created by Mauro Staccioli in 2010. The sculpture is a 38-meter-high pyramid with a split that is lit during sunset. We read that it is possible to enter the pyramid through a dark iron tube that leads to the sculpture's illuminated cavity during the Ritual of Light, which takes place a few times during the year.
The bronze pyramid was placed directly on the 38th parallel of latitude.
Views from the pyramid over the Nebrodi Mountains, Cefalu, and the Tyrrhenian Sea:
It was then on through the mountains to view Energia Mediterranea, created by Antonio di Palma in 1989.
The sculpture was described as "a blue wave that ideally binds the mountain to the sea, a wriggle of Mediterranean energy in wild nature. The blue concrete was swollen by the wind, a solid sign of water on the mountain." Got that?! We began to wonder whether the trek and schlep to see more of the Fiumara d'Arte sculptures was worth it.
Far below was the town of Pettineo.
On the outskirts of Pettineo was Una curva gettata alle spalle del tempo, or A curve thrown behind time, sculpted in 1990 by Paolo Schiavocampo on a bend that connected the new main road to an old country road. The concrete piece in the shape of a sail moved by the wind was covered with iron and intended to represent the past and present.
Across from the sculpture was the old country road and what looked like an imitation of Stonehenge. We could hear cattle bells in the hills around us but didn't spot any this time, unlike the previous morning in Collessano.
Located just a stone’s throw from the village of Castel di Lucio, on a hilltop between the Nebrodi and Madonie mountain ranges, was the Labirinto di Arianna, a red spiral labyrinth created in 1990 by Italo Lanfredini.
The sculpture was described as representing the search for purity toward a path of meditation.
Steven waited while I entered the labyrinth and walked a fair bit through the maze until I found it too muddy to continue safely. If I had reached the center of the labyrinth, I would have found an olive tree, a symbol of wisdom and knowledge.
We found the approach to the labyrinth the approach a surprising location for wedding photos.
We took a few minutes to wander through the narrow streets of nearby Castel di Lucio
I did say narrow, remember!
We made time for one more of the Fiumara d'Arte works of art. Arethusa, created in 1990 by painters Pietro Dorazio and Graziano Marini, was a graphic image on the facade of the town’s police barracks.
As we'd spent far longer than planned traipsing around to explore the Fiumara d'Arte, we didn't have time to explore Mistretta's castle that hugged the mountain at the top of the town.
Even though modern art is generally not our 'thing,' Steven and I enjoyed viewing the various sculptures. However, I think what attracted us more was the opportunity to see a great deal of that stretch of the Sicilian countryside that we wouldn't have seen otherwise. But, since we hadn't anticipated the few works we did see being so far apart, we again ran into a time crunch later that day.
Next post: Exploring the ceramics-filled town of Santo Stefano di Camastra and the Sanctuario di Tindar later that day.
Posted on November 26th, 2024, from back home in Denver after quick trips to Chicago, Ottawa, and Toronto the last ten days. It's great to catch our breath for a bit before we escape to the Caribbean in ten days' time. For all of you celebrating the American Thanksgiving holiday later this week, I hope you will have a special time with loved ones.
I am amazed at the narrow roads you navigate, the blue skies and breathtaking vistas you gaze at and the number of weddings you happen upon ! Happy Thanksgiving dear friend ! xo Lina ox
ReplyDeleteLina, We too are amazed at the many weddings we happen upon in our travels! I was surprised that his couple arrived in a Jag as I wondered where it might have come from in the very small neighboring towns and villages.
ReplyDeleteMany more ultra-narrow roads to come, BTW!