Sortino, nestled between valleys and clear waterways represents a well-known tourist resort. This patch of Sicilian land is enough to evoke 40 centuries of memories and take us back to the dawn of Sicilian origins with the vision of the Necropolis of Pantalica, its caves and burial cells that constitute one of the oldest examples of urban community. Sortino is a town rich in history, and it is evident from the archaeological remains of which the area is full. The town before the 1693 earthquake, stood on the coast above the Guccione River. Currently there are many medieval paths that unite today’s Sortino with the medieval town “Diruta,” where the following can still be visited: rock mills and millstones, tanneries, troglodyte dwellings, rock churches; all carved out of the impermeable Iblean limestone. Reconstruction took place on the hill above and enriched the town with fine Art Nouveau buildings and wonderful Baroque churches: the Basilica of St. Sophia, the Mother Church, a national monument, and the Church of the Monastery of Montevergini. Among the most authentic traditions are the production of honey and pizzolo a durum wheat flatbread stuffed with vegetables or meat, a true gastronomic delicacy appreciated throughout the region. The centuries-long history and socio-cultural evolution as well as the traditions of the people are documented by the fine museums that, with careful and judicious conservation work, trace the human journey of this bright town.
Museum (choice)
– TheAntiquarium of the Middle Ages is located in the former Convent of the Carmine, and offers a chronological itinerary inside, ranging from the prehistoric Pantalica, with 63 pieces from the archaeological excavations of Europe’s largest Sicilian Necropolis, to the medieval artifacts of the Sortino diruta due to the 1693 earthquake. The exhibition is complemented by the rich ethnoanthropological collection of the Bruno Family. Formed of artifacts from agro-pastoral culture; enriched with tools, implements and machines for working stone, wood and iron. A visit to a farmhouse setting, with a stone oven, a loom and its artifacts, stimulates the senses.
– Civic Museum of the Puppet Opera, thanks to the foresight of the municipal administration and the competent management of the Puglisi Family Puppet Opera Association you have this museum. Here the contemporary nature of the exhibition space is contrasted with the “living spectacle” contained in this museum. Stages, puppets, heads, and costumes bear witness to a past that no longer exists but which made entire generations laugh, cry and spread culture in the last century, so much so that in 2001 it was declared a UNESCO Intangible Heritage of Humanity. The museum houses the puppets from the collection of Don Ignazio Puglisi, the last “king of puppeteers.” The exhibition is arranged by thematic areas and displays marionettes, “string puppets,” and “rod puppets.”
– A permanent exhibition of the Sicilian cart “RIO,” it was born out of the RIO family’s passion for Sicily in all its expressions, especially the cart. The collection has 24 carts, one different from the other in characteristics and depictions, some of which belong to the Catania school, and highlight the path of the cart over the years and the pictorial themes represented in the paintings (chess). Of great value are the two carts by Lorenzo Sardo of Sortino, the last carradore (carritteri) of Sortino. Today the cart has almost disappeared, but the fascination it manages to exert remains in those lucky enough to be able to admire its details, in an exciting journey of discovery of distant civilizations.
– House Museum of Traditional Beekeeping ” A casa do fascitraru.” rises on the idea of a group of beekeepers who grant the tools to the scholar Franco Giuliano; here you have the opportunity to relive the history of an ancient craft by visiting a natural and fascinating environment that allows a plunge into the past, Along the museum route the tourist, wrapped in an atmosphere of yesteryear can admire the tools of the beekeeper who built the hives, the fascetri ca ferra, with the ferula. Bellied jars used to store sweet orange blossom, wildflower or thyme honey,filling the room with an intoxicating fragrance.
The workshops of the user’s choice, upon agreement with the expert, are 6 hours in length:
Decoration of Ceramics
Folk painting decoration – painting Carretto
Chisel
Construction Puppets – Metal overhang
Crochet
Clay processing
Weaving techniques
PROGRAM
Friday
6 p.m.,00 – Arrival of participants in Sortino
8:30 pm – Dinner in a typical restaurant with tasting of typical products
Overnight stay at B&B
Saturday
9:30 a.m. – Tour of the historic center and a museum
1:30 p.m. – Lunch at a restaurant or farmhouse
4:00 p.m./7:00 p.m. – Educational workshop 1 part
8:30 p.m. – Dinner
Sunday
9 a.m./12,00 – Educational workshop 2 part
Closing of the course – certificate of attendance and greeting
COST
The fee includes: The course, museum admission, two dinners and one lunch, and two nights’ accommodation for p. 275.00 + vat
The package is arranged for min. 6 participants.
LABORATORIES
