Vizzini's House of Memory and the Arts

Vizzini is known throughout the world as the city of Giovanni Verga since it is here that the writer, a great exponent of the verismo Italian, was born. Precisely in this small town on the outskirts of Catania, then, there is a museum in what was once the family home Trao-Ventimiglia and which wants to tell, through the author's work, the Sicilian world and Vizzini in particular, his art and his memory.

A unique opportunity to learn more about the recent past of a wonderful land but also a writer who has revolutionized the way of telling the facts in national literature.
Here is everything that can be useful for organizing your visit to the Vizzini House of Memory and the Arts.

History of Vizzini's House of Memory and the Arts

The historic center of Vizzini is full of prestigious buildings need secular churches. In the midst of this scenario, on 2 September 1840, Giovanni Verga was born. In reality this figure is not certain as the writer's birth certificate was registered in Catania but in all probability the mother was in Vizzini when she was in labor pains, as the family had been displaced in a country farm that belonged to her for generations, probably to escape a cholera epidemic that was raging in Catania.

This circumstance has always created a very close bond between Vizzini and the writer, so much so that it prompted Verga to set many of his works such as Mastro Don Gesualdo and Cavalleria Rusticana there. Natural, then, that the local authorities decided to create something dedicated to the writer. Thus was born the idea of ​​a House of Memory and Arts Museum to Vizzini with inside a part dedicated to Verga's memory, with many works that tell in more detail the relationship between the writer and his land.

The architecture and any works of art present in the Museum House of Memory and the Arts in Vizzini

Vizzini's House of Memory and the Arts is housed in Palazzo Trao-Ventimiglia, a structure which is great value not only from a historical point of view but also from an architectural one.

The choice of this building is very symbolic as in literary fiction the building is owned by Donna Bianca Trao, a young woman from the noble family who will unite in a loveless marriage with Mastro Don Gesualdo. Beyond this, the building is stylistically very beautiful Baroque especially as regards the balconies which are in wrought iron and show the typical style of the time. Also worthy of note is the portal which is in beaten stone and bears some truly particular and artistically refined engravings.

The inside of the building is very spacious, so much so that it is considered a multi-museum structure which gives a complete account of the history of Vizzini and of those who were his most illustrious exponents. An important area is dedicated to Verga but other aspects are also covered, thanks to a collection of historical, photographic, cinematographic and literary artefacts.

What you can do around the house of memory and the arts of Vizzini

Vizzini's House of Memory and the Arts is internally organized into sections, each with a precise identity. One of the most appreciated by visitors is the one dedicated to Verghian Imaginary Museum, in which the photos taken directly by the writer are collected, as well as his complex cameras and the rest of the equipment.

Then there are the rooms dedicated to Vizzini as he has been represented in national filmography, especially as regards i film taken from the works of Verga while a full-bodied section is the one that deals with the same topic but with theatrical exhibits of the writer's works that have been staged thanks to the work of artists such as Arnoldo Foà, Orso Maria Guerrini, Turi Ferri and Regina Bianchi, just to name a few.

A small section is dedicated only to Cavalleria Rusticana, not that of Verga but that of Mascagni. Finally, in the same structure there is also the Ethno-anthropological Museum, which collects all the work tools that in the early twentieth century were used by the artisans of Vizzini, in particular those dedicated to working with leather but also by farmers, shoemakers and shepherds.

A place that is definitely worth a visit is the Mother Church dedicated to the Patron Saint Gregory the Great. The church is very interesting to see as it has different styles, such as Gothic and even Baroque, plus inside there are sacred furnishings, statues and ornaments.

How is it possible to get to Vizzini

Vizzini is a municipality in the metropolitan area of ​​Catania and can be easily reached by auto from different places on the island. From Catania itself, for example, it is sufficient to take the SS 194 in the direction of Ragusa to reach your destination.

Instead who comes from Messina must choose the A 18 motorway for Catania and then continue on the SS 194, a road that must also be traveled by those coming from Palermo or Trapani, after having traveled respectively on the A 19 in the first case and the A 29 in the second.

Those who wish, however, to make the trip in train, however, the reference station is that of Grammichele even if the town has its own station but is affected by very few daily connections.

Finally, from Catania, with several departures a day, there is a bus transport service created by the ATS company.