Sambuca di Sicilia

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tourists' guide of the city of Sambuca di Sicilia

 

 

I am glad to present you this new tourists' guide of
the city of Sambuca di Sicilia. A publication made,
thanks to the contribution of the region providence
of Agrigento, that has the intent to propose on the
market, home and foreign, a product turned to show
up the historical, artistic and naturalistic beauties of
our territory.

This booklet is to create a substantial contribution
to the knowledge of the historical and archaelogical
 patrimony that this little town has: from Mount
Adranone to Lake Arancio, in fact, we can see one
of the most interesting territories that our
providence has. It is a place of amusement and, at
the same time, of creativity and culture. Famous
representatives of culture and art have made this
place famous.

The beauty of the landscape, the illustrious history,
 the remains of the beautiful ancient civilizations,
 justify the international fame of the city and the
homesickness that takes the visitor at the end of
his journey.

Francesco Zinna
Assessore al Turismo della Citta` di Sambuca
 
 
 
 
 
 
An entrire area of the town "Vicoli Saraceni",
 that has just recently been restores, and the fortress
 of Mazzallakkar on Lake Arancio demonstrate these
 origins. Sambuca (Sambuca Zabut until 1923) has
developed both culturally and urbanistically. The
churches of Carmine, of St. catherin, of St. Joseph
and of tge Conception; the Palaces Baccadelli,
Credito Cooperativo, Ciaccio, Arpa (the Town Hall)
and Panitteri (XV century); the local Theatre "L'ideA"
 (1850); the Belvedere terrace together with the
monumental church of Matrice; the Towers of Cellaro and Pandofina, the convents aredemonstration of this
development.

Sambuca with the Gianbecchina Institute, which
collects, in the church of St. Calogero, the works of
 the famous painter 

 

 
Etno-anthropological Museum
 
 

 
presentation
Mother Church
Pannitteri Palace

The palace is called "Trunacli-Panitteri-Amodei" because it belonged to three different families.

It turned into a palace from a fort, stylistic touches were added although the main structure was left the same. As we can see in a photograph by Giuseppe La Barbera, the Palazzo keeps its rectangular shape that contains a large courtyard that is limited on both sides by tall ivy-clad walls (Vicolo Calcara and Via Gaspare Puccio). The other two sides arte limited by the central body of the palace that faces Via Panitteri with a superb frontispiece, and the Northern side of the palace which faces St. Michele. Inside the courtyard there are big stores and a big Catalan styled staircase leading to the first floor which contains a living room next to the kitchen and the living quartes of the servants, a splendid hall with a lacunar ceiling, frescoed walls and floors in old baked clay. the hall taked light from the central balcony of the palace and at the end of the area there are the bedrooms. The art and the structure of the palace are characterized by the lines of the late Sicilian Renaissance and are also influenced by that vague idea of the new, sober, austere and monumental Baroque style which flourished in the island.
 
Palazzo Panitteri, bacone
Panitteri Palace, balcony
 
 
 
Salotto Sambucese
Sambuca's sitting-room
Corner of Arab neighborhood

Through the centuries, even if it has been violated by logistic modifications,
it neither got alterations in the road plan nor in social-economic destination
of habitation, rural and artisan.

The Church of Rosario
Founded at the end of the 16th century, this squatlooking church with three
naves, low arches and vaults, was attended by large congregations of
people. The bell-tower was built between 1950 and 1955. The frontespieces
and the whole plan keep a sober original style. The church is rich in
 paintings that belong to the seventeenth century schools. Noteworthy is the
 wooden portal scultures in base-relief on which are told life events of
St Domenico from Cusman, the inventor of the "Rosary". The Church of
St. Michele and the Church of Rosary are the only churches in Sambuca
that present three doors, a central one and two side doors arranged
symmetricaly.
 
Convento dei Cappuccini
Convent of the Capuchins
 
Adranone (VII cent. B.C.)
To the North of Adragna there is an interesting archaeological area. The excavations started by the Archaeological Superintencence of Agrigento in the second half of the sixties and continued, up to present, brought to light a very rich necropolis and the finding of precious objects catalogued and exhibited in the National Museum of Agrigento. Some other objects have been brought to light: the walls for various kilometers, one of the entrances doors to the fort-city and the acroplis with bases of Punic temples. Note worthy is an artisan and commerical quarter and the artisan works: amphoras, big pithos and various utensils.
The importance of Adranone, since the beginning of the excavations, has been underlined by the national and international press: Le Monde wrote about it in August 1972 and a few years ago. 900 meters high, in front of a splendid scenery, standing on this millenary structures you can observe, meditate and remain plunged into a past of which one wants to know dates, historical events, mysteries of buried civilizations.
 

The complex of Acroplis buildings


Stravuliata, 1978

Maternita`, 1954   Maternity
 
 
Capo Argenteo, 1983
Mpastata, 1981
 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
Etno-anthropological Museum
Return to page 1 of Brochure

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Balcone barocco, Palazzo Beccadelli
 
Palazzo della Cassa Rurale
 
Gli archi/ The arches
Stucci sulla volta della Chiesa Madre
Stuccoes on the Mother Church vault
Balcone barocco, Palazzo Beccadelli


The Mother Church

 
Balcone barocco, Palazzo Beccadelli
 
 
Arab neighborhood
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The exrta-urban sanctuary

Archeolgical excavations
 
Top: View of the Acroplis with the Punic temple.

Middle: Finding the Acroplis buildings.

Bottom: The Queen's Tomb.
 

Gianbecchina Institute, opened on Dec. 20, 1997, is situated in the Church of S. Calogero, along the main street "Corso Umberto 1". The Church, transformed into a museum with expositive structures of great sobriety and refinement, permanently accommodates 40 very meaningful paintings by the Master. But the works of art donated by Gianbecchina to the town of Sambuca di Sicilia are 190 and cover a period that goes from the 1924 to 1996. They illustrate the prestigous was of the artist, that is considered one of the best painters of the Italian 1900's. This huge artistic patrimony, consisting of oil paintings, watercolors, sketches, ecting, concurs to evidence the leit motiv that gives life to the works of Gianbecchina: Sicily, with its chromatic colos, stage and scene on which human life goes on.
Campiere, 1971  Farmer
 
L'indovina, 1951  The diviner
 
Le dejeuner sur l'herbe, 1976/77
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Maternita`, 1954   Maternity
 

 

 

 

Portale della Chiesa della Conezione

Portal of Conception Church
 
 
 
 
Archeolgical excavations
Palmento
 
 
Largo San Michele
Largo S. Michael
 Architectonical element