BAROQUE IN ACIREALE

The baroque town of Acireale rises on the edge of a lava plateau

on the southeast slopes of Mount Etna, overlooking the blue Ionian

Sea, the dark colour of the lava stone and the green of the citrus

groves surrounding the town. Acireale has its roots sunk in ancient times, the town already had trading relations with the Phoenicians

even before being ruled by the Greeks, the Romans, the Arabs and

the Normans. In 1642, a decree of Philip IV of Spain gave the city

the appellation ‘Reale’ (Royal), making it crown property. The 1600’s

were a golden age of baroque architecture for Acireale and despite serious damage from the 1669 eruption of Etna and the 1693 earthquake, the city sprang up again, creating the splendid palaces

and churches we admire today. The finest examples of baroque architecture are the buildings surrounding Piazza Duomo, the

Basilica of S.Sebastiano and the Basilica dei SS. Pietro e Paolo.

On the Corso there are many café and bars where one can taste

some of the gastronomic delicatessens the town is known for: “pasta

di mandorla” (almond cake), “pasta reale” (marzipan), pistachio ice cream or almond flavoured “granita”. In February one of the most important events in Acireale takes place: Carnival. The origin of the term derives from “carne levare” (meat fasting) and precedes the Lenten fast in the countries of catholic tradition. This four hundred years old celebration, considered to be ‘The best Carnival in Sicily’, developed amongst the splendour of the architecture that acts as a backdrop to parades of flowered floats with allegorical-grotesque

paper-mache’ structures and groups of masked celebrants while thousands of people crowd the streets and the squares in the town center. The Isle of the Cyclops in Acitrezza and the Norman castle

in Acicastello are both nearby and worth visiting. The legend has it

that the “faraglioni” of Acitrezza are the enormous rocks of lava

stone that, in the Greek epic ‘The Odyssey’, the one-eye giant

Polifemo cast on Ulysses when he realized that he had escaped from

his cave. The line of sea that surrounds them, a protected oasis, is an interesting place for people who enjoy snorkeling. Together with the fishing villages nearby, Acitrezza is known among the locals for its

fine fish restaurants, right by the sea.

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