The small town of Acquedolci, in the province of Messina, has become famous in recent years as it has become a veritable open-air museum.
In fact, thanks to the will of the municipal administration, the possibility was given to street artist both local and international to be able to express their creativity on village walls which is nestled between the Nebrodi Mountains. The locality is not yet very popular with the best known and mass tourist routes but for this very reason a visit to these places is even more fascinating, given that it is an itinerary to be discovered.
Here, then, is all the information you need to organize your trip.
The history of the Street Art of Acquedolci
The open-air museum of street art in Acquedolci it was born out of the commitment of the boys of the Pro Loco. In the early eighties, the artist Delfo Artino created the first mural on the facade of a building located in the station area. It is a very beautiful work, still visible today, but which remains an isolated case because no one thinks of investing in such an activity. Years go by and the streets of Acquedolci begin to empty as the town is affected by the emigration of young people towards the North, in search of work and career opportunities. Those who remain think they can find a way to make the buildings less anonymous, to give a touch of color to the city and redeem it from a gray future.
In 2016, therefore, the first street art competition, with the aim of involving not only local artists but also ordinary citizens in the creation of an artistic journey that would make Acquedolci different from all the other neighboring towns. It is the beginning of a new era which will lead to the repetition of the experience in the following years, attracting the attention of world famous street artist.
Which works of Street Art can be admired in Acquedolci
To date there are about thirty works of street art that can be admired in Acquedolci. One of the most beautiful and evocative works is the one dedicated to St. Benedict the Moor, made by a group called Collective FX. The mural represents the Saint who is also the patron saint of the village, a pious man of Ethiopian origin who grew up in San Fratello and lent his charitable work in these areas. One of the largest works, however, is the Little Mermaid, created by the artist Julieta which occupies an area of almost 100 square meters. Then there are the works that instead tell the story of the territory, such as the one that represents the legends of Cariddi and Colapesce, signed by the artist NessuNettuno. Another very particular mural is the one created by the artist Ligama of Catania which has the title Introvert and depicts the head of a statue sectioned in half. Wandering through the streets of the city, then, you can see numerous other works that represent the most varied subjects, from Ficarra and Picone to the Great Wave of Kanagawa, also passing through Ciccio and Franco.
What you can see in Acquedolci
Who decides to visit Acquedolci to admire all the Street Art works, you can then take advantage of the opportunity to discover some particular corners that make the village truly unique. Among the monuments that absolutely cannot be missed is the village of Marina Vecchia, perhaps the oldest part of the locality, which still retains a lattice structure typical of the medieval age. It should be remembered that the locality is located on the Via Francigena, therefore in the village there are numerous places of worship that once welcomed pilgrims. Among these, a special mention goes to Church of St. James, built between the eighth and ninth centuries, rebuilt several times as a target of Saracen reprisals. Among the civil architectures, however, the Rich Palace which is a noble building in Liberty style of the first half of the twentieth century but also the city Hall which dates back to the same period and has extremely similar characteristics. Finally there is the Mother Church of San Benedetto il Moro inaugurated in 1928.
How to get to Acquedolci
To get to Acquedolci and admire the works of street art it is possible to take the E45 from Syracuse while from Messina, Trapani, Palermo and Catania the route to follow first takes the A20 and then the E90. Finally, from Enna, the road is the SS117.
In Acquedolci there is also the railway station, shared with Sab Fratello, along the line that connects Palermo to Messina. Finally, the local buses made available by the public company AST are active.
© Image by Nuccio Miraglia from Acquedolci, Italy, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
