Vizzini

"If you want to come to Canziria's cactus pear fields tomorrow morning, we can talk about that deal, friend [...] wait for me by road at the break of dawn, and we'll go together."

With these words Turiddu and Alfio exchanged the kiss of challenge for the love of the beautiful Lola in the novella “Cavalleria Rusticana” by Giovanni Verga, transformed by Pietro Mascagni into one of the most celebrated Italian opera dramas of the 19th century. The setting and stage of this story is one of the most beautiful and precious places in Sicily, where the myths and the defeated still reign: the ancient Greek Bedis, now Vizzini.

On the slopes of Monte Lauro, near the Dirillo river and a few kilometers away from the homonymous lake, called "A' Diga" by the locals, rises Vizzini, which still well preserves the original structure of its historic center with the characteristic staircase decorated with pottery tile called the "Salita Marineo". The Chiesa Madre dedicated to San Gregorio, the Basilica of San Vito and the Chiesa di S. Agata, together with the Palazzo Verga and the Palazzo Municipale, constitute the most interesting buildings of one of the most ancient cities in Sicily, whose traces date back to the Bronze Age. Vizzini gained great fame in 1540 when it was authorized to bear the royal coat of arms and the title of “Urbs Odoediens” (Obedient City) and enjoyed numerous privileges for many years.

An iconic place and a suggestive example of industrial archaeology, is the 18th century village named Cunziria (conceria), made famous by Giovanni Verga as a setting for "Cavalleria Rusticana" with the duel between the two rivals Turiddu and Alfio. The “Museo Immaginario Verghiano” is the greatest tribute to the great Sicilian writer whose family was originally from Vizzini. Finally, for those who want to know a typical product, look for ricotta along with fresh cheeses.

www.buonastrada.eu | www.vivasicilia.com | www.comune.vizzini.ct.it

The Vizzini HUB is interested in the "La Via dei Laghi" route and is the arrival point of stage n° 7 coming from Monterosso Almo (17.4 km and 314 meters of difference in height). From Vizzini (GATE in Piazza Umberto I), stage n° 8 then departs to reach the POINT in Buccheri, near the Chiesa di S. Antonio Abate. 14.3 km with 311 meters of difference in height.