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Visit Cinisi
Cinisi is a small town and coastal resort located in the eastern Gulf of Castellammare, in the valley of the “Furi” stream, in north-west Sicily near Palermo.
The towns proximity to Palermo (and airport), and the presence of an attractive natural landscape with a rocky coastline, and also sandy beaches, make Cinisi a strong tourist attraction.
Benedictine Monastery
The visit to Cinisi can start from the Benedictine monastery, which has an imposing façade and two cylindrical towers that date from the 18th century and overlook the town. The rooms of the central structure, which is accessed by a double flight of stone steps, have a painted wooden ceiling (in the central room) and tufa stone vaults (in the two side rooms).
G. Etna, a scholar of Giovanni Meli (see below) and of the friary of Cinisi told that it was to the Convent of Cinisi, at that time deep in the countryside, that the Abbots of the Monastery of San Martino delle Scale “assigned the more crude friars, perhaps the children of the provincial lords who was familiar with the country. The convent was a kind of fortress, with a facade equipped with battlements against the Barbaresques".
Church of Santa Fara
Leaving the Convent of the Benedictines, in “Piazza Vittorio Emanuele Orlando”, there is the Mother Church of Cinisi, dedicated to “Santa Fara”, the patron saint of the town. The church dates from the mid 17th century and has a single nave, divided from the choir by an arch. Of great artistic value is the frontal choral on the main altar, attributed to artists of the 18th century. Also remarkable are the wooden statues of "Sant 'Anna" and "San Benedetto" (the latter is attributed to Girolamo Bagnasco [1759-1832]) and the painting of the Martyrdom of Santa Barbara (XVIII century), by Filippo Randazzo (1692-1744).
From the Mother Church we can visit the crypts, a necropolis dating from the 18th century, in which crucifixes, gold and silver coins, and bronze medals were found.
In addition to the Mother Church, another religious building is the "Church of the Holy Souls," which is more recent; it was built in the early 19th century, and it is characterized by a wooden altar and two paintings attributed to the school of "Zoppo di Gangi" (1550-1630), "The Nativity" and "Marriage of St. Catherine," which in past times were in the church of the Benedictine monastery of St. Catherine.
Giovanni Meli
Near the church of the "Holy Souls" is the house of Giovanni Meli, a native of Palermo (1740-1815), but considered a citizen of Cinisi - in fact, he resided as a doctor for five years in Cinisi. Meli later moved to Palermo where he was professor of chemistry at the local University. G. Meli studied the life and customs of the people of Sicily, and carfeully collected proverbs and slang expressions. Meli was also a talented poet, and with a typical Arcadian taste he described the spectacles of nature and ancient country traditions.
In 1880 a commemorative plaque was unveiled in the house inhabited by Meli, which says: "Giovanni Meli, the First and very elegant among the vernacular poets." Equipped with a great satirical verve and an excellent knowledge of the Sicilian dialect, he described the giant Polyphemus: “ Polifemu era un omu grossu ammatula/ chi cu la testa tuccava li nuvuli” [Polyphemus was an aimless big man / that with his head touched the clouds].
Mignosi Museum
For antique lovers, we recommend a visit to the “Mignosi” Museum, which contains some models of period old cars, some of which date back to the 17th and 18th centuries.
Other highlights in Cinisi
The importance of the maritime area at Cinisi has deep-seated historical roots. From the 15th century, three watch towers were built because of possible enemy attacks and to protect the nearby tunny nets.
- The first, called the “Torre dell’Orsa” ["Bear Tower"], belonged to the Benedictine monastery of St. Martino delle Scale and dates from 1569. The tower may be much older than it seems - a document referring to the tower dates back to 1344, in which King Ludovico of Sicily (1335-1355) gave to Corrado de Castellis the privilege to set up a tunny net in the marine territory of Cinisi - to confuse matters it is likely the document was a fake produced a couple of centuries later.
- We mention then the "Torre Pozzillo", an imposing two-storey building situated on a rock: "At the time of its construction it was called" Torre Torisano seu Poczillo'. In a map from 1826 it was called “Torre Nuova” ['New Tower']
- A third defensive tower is called "Torre Molinazzo”, where some Roman findings were identified.
Sitting on the beaches...
For bathing lovers visiting Cinisi, near the "Torre Molinazzo" there is a sandy beach called “Magaggiari.” This coastal area not far from Palermo also provides various nature trails. Between Monte Pecoraro and Mount Anello there are woods of holm oak and of ash; the ash trees were once exploited for the extraction of the famous "manna," which had, according to tradition, special medicinal properties (it was a purgative and a laxative, and it was indicated in cases of indigestion).
...Looking at the peaches
In May, in the town there is the "Ricotta Festival”, with the tasting of typical local products. Cinisi is an important town for the cultivation of olive trees and others such as carob, almonds, walnuts, apricots and peaches. Of great local importance also are dairy produce like cheese.
See also Cinisi history and etymology. Note: photo of Cinisi is subject to copyright