Piazza Carlo Maria Carafa in Grammichele

La piazza Carlo Maria Carafa in Grammichele it was built with the town at the behest of Prince Carafa who carried out the project of the inhabited center in detail. The hexagonal square houses seventeenth-century buildings and modern works that trace the history of the town while remaining faithful to the prince's vision.

History of Grammichele and Piazza Carlo Maria Carafa

La Grammichele main square it owes its name to the founder of the town, Carlo Maria Carafa Branciforte. Don Carlo is prince of Butera and Roccella and baron of Occhiolà and lends aid to the few survivors of the earthquake of 11 January 1693 which hits the Val di Noto. Shortly after the disaster, in fact, the prince commissioned Don Giovanni Di Silvestro, a man of the palace, to lead the survivors of Occhiolà to the feud of Gran Michele.

The construction of the inhabited center began under the guidance of the architect Fra Michele da Ferla, but the plan of the city was designed by Prince Carafa who traced the location of the houses and churches on a slate blackboard, now kept in the town hall. The first stone was laid on 18 April 1693 and, as established by Don Carlo, the city was built with hexagonal plan. At the center of the project is the square, also hexagonal, from which six peripheral villages branch off, one of which is reserved for the Carafa family.

The architecture of Piazza Carlo Maria Carafa and the monuments that make it unique

A cross-shaped sundial was placed in the center of the square, removed in the early nineteenth century and replaced by one bronze statue, sundial among the largest in the world. The work designed by Giovanni Brich, depicts a kneeling man holding a pole. The man represents time and is surrounded by a series of concentric circles which symbolize the limits set by the era in which he lives. The clock consists of a gnomon, a dial and a series of lines and shows the most important dates of the community, the destruction of Occhiolà and the foundation of Grammichele.

South of the square is a bronze sculpture by the artist Paolo Guerrera who portrays the Prince Carafa. The statue, 2 meters high, is imposing and is placed at the top of a staircase which symbolizes the prince's passion for philosophy, religion, literature, art, science and politics. Don Carlo is linked to the community of Grammichele therefore the artist depicts him while he is intent on descending the steps to symbolically approach the city. The prince's left leg leaves Occhialà destroyed by the earthquake, while the right leads towards the new town.

Limit the square, the Mother Church of Grammichele, dedicated to patron saints Michael and Catherine it is preceded by a staircase that leads to a very suggestive churchyard. The building, which dates back to 1724, was designed by the architect Andrea Amato and is in the late Baroque style. Inside it has a Latin cross plan with three naves. The Church was completed by the architect Carlo Sada and collects various canvases that belonged to the Mother Church of Occhiolà such as "The dispute of S. Caterina with the philosophers", a work by an unknown author from 1618. Adjacent to the building stands the communal palace, also built on a project by the architect Sada, is built in Renaissance style and lower in height than the Church to underline the pre-eminent role of the Pope's authority with respect to the civil power. Today the structure is home to theHistorical archive and Civic Museum.

What to see in Grammichele and its surroundings

At the end of Corso Roma in Grammichele is the Church of the Addolorata or l 'Hermitage of Calvary which has a rather simple facade with three orders. Inside there is a painting by Francesco and Giuseppe Vaccaro "St. Francis of Assisi who intervenes at the Madonna for the souls in purgatory" and a canvas by an unknown artist from the Church of Calvario in Occhiolà, depicting the "Christ deposed by Cross". Not far from the village there is the Occhiolà archaeological park which preserves the ruins of the ancient village with the famous Terravecchia Castle. a few kilometers away is the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Piano, seventeenth-century jewel spared from the earthquake.

How to reach Grammichele

By car:, from Catania take the SS417 for Ramacca where to continue for Caltagirone with the SS385. Upon entering the town, take the SP33 in the direction of via Giuseppe Garibaldi in Grammichele where you then follow the signs for piazza Carlo Maria Carafa.

© Image by David Mauro, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons