Give me a reason to love Italy.

Sicily, a Mediterranean island in southern Italy, not only has the magic of sunshine and the sea, but also a small town immersed in time ... After experiencing the trauma of war and the rapid development of modern civilization, it no longer stays alone in people's imagination. Those traces of time precipitation are reflected on the wind-carved wall tiles, and in the empty streets at night, they create a dreamlike reality with the erratic owners.

Legend of wine

The dark clouds on the road urge the green hills and black rocks, and the clouds pulled down by the wind are outside the window. The empty land fills people's hearts with romantic heroism. The water drops on the glass are like looking at the road map of an ancient expeditionary force. Soldiers who have only worked hard for one thing all their lives gather from the vast Sicily and go to the battlefield, but they don't know the way home. The interior of Sicily runs through mountains, and active volcanoes make the surface here less exquisite than that of the interior of Europe. The typical form is black boulders scattered on the green grass slope. In traditional agriculture, Sicily may be rough, but it is not barren. Sicily, as a wedding room for civilized exchanges around the Mediterranean, has its own way of life and resources created by heaven and earth. It's just that years have made it vicissitudes, and the gorgeous appearance has added a layer of sad color. The beauty of Sicily seems to be just a legend.

Farewell to the languid Palermo, the green Sicilian countryside, and the crimson wine in the winery, rendering the originally pale Sicilian countryside into a watercolor painting. Donnafugata means "runaway woman" in Italian. I won't tell you a woman's love story. This is a legend about wine. Donnafugata was born in a Sicilian family and is regarded as an outstanding model of wine brewing industry in this region, with 150 years of super wine brewing experience. Giacomo Laro and his wife gabriela launched a new brand: Donnafugata on 1983. Their adventure made the family develop rapidly, from producing traditional Sicilian Ma Sala white wine, owning vineyards only in western Sicily, to the whole of pantelleria island.

Donnafugata is a representative of Sicilian wine industry, which originated from a novel. Maria Carolina is the wife of Queen Habsburg of Bourbon and ferdinand iv. When Napoleon I's army arrived, she took refuge in the castle described in the novel to escape the trial of the Napoli court.

This incident inspired the portrait of this woman, and the portrait of her hair dancing in the wind now appears on every bottle of Donnafugata wine. Now, 6,000 people visit Donnafugata winery every year. Most of them will listen to jazz tasting in the tasting room like me. Different music with different flavors of red wine. In the singing and explanation of Jose Lalo (clever daughter Jose Lalo (giacomo Lalo)), I realized whether this glass of wine is mellow for girls or strong for women. Good wine and good jazz have attracted many famous musicians to participate in this activity, and the Donnafugata family wine cellar with a long history has become the music stage.

During my stay in Sicily, except for a short trip to the city, I spent most of my time on the way through Sicily, visiting wineries, factories and archaeological sites.

I can't remember how many wineries I have been to. The rest of my impression seems to be that I have to drive more than 1 hour for a meal every day. Later, I loved and hated the winery. I always have good wine and food when I love to go, but I hate having to go back and forth when I go, and I always waste a lot of time on the way. You know, my Sicily can be drunk, but not drunk.

Modica

White clouds and pale dogs, the wind is blowing violently, and the green grass slopes and rugged rocks in Sicily have been spread from the soles of your feet to the clouds ... It is said that we are the first tourists from China to the archaeological site of Morgantina, which is hidden in the exquisite hills in central Sicily.

In 100 BC, the ancient Romans occupied and destroyed the city. Those who act as interpreters in these sites are called "archaeologists", who objectively explain the structure and speculation of the whole city-state, including American archaeologists leading the excavation of this site. This website gives the impression that the ancient Greeks had a strong public awareness. When they have financial resources, they always build public facilities, such as theaters and bathhouses, but their houses are very simple, which is different from our modern people's sense of self-care. The luxury of the ancient Romans and the superiority of the occupiers are vividly reflected in the mosaic floor paintings of the noble villas in Amelina Square.

For tourists, the southeast is the essence of Sicily, and my trip to Sicily has reached a climax. Under the soaking of history and the sunshine of the Mediterranean, on the southern ridge of Iberian Plateau, modica, ragusa and Chickley still seem to be human settlements piled up with rocks, stubbornly rejecting the invasion of surrounding valleys and plains. Although modern civilization often hinders the harmony between architecture and some historical centers of these cities, they are still models of late Baroque style, which makes southeast Sicily different from other places in Sicily.

Anyone who has been to modica will have a good memory of this city. Historically, it was ruled by Romans, later conquered by Arabs, and finally saved by Normans. Until19th century, modica was the capital of this province. 1693 earthquake caused many urban residents to move out. Limestone was mined in large quantities from nearby valleys and used by skilled craftsmen for post-Baroque urban reconstruction. The local people's strong desire for revival has come true: dazzling cornices are widely distributed in monuments, squares, stairs and church towers with a delicate background of canyons, among which the cornices of two cathedrals dedicated to St. George in ragusa and modica are the most beautiful. The stone turned into a lifelike sculpture, and the sadness of the earthquake turned into a flash. Half of my fond memories of modica belong to chocolate. The traditional handmade cold chocolate here is very famous. Chocolate is a daily food like bread-not just candy. Every spring, modica holds a grand chocolate festival. I also noticed one detail. On the map beside the roads in the city, the streets are painted dark brown, as if painted with rich modica chocolate.

Ragusa is a city standing on the cliff of a canyon. After sunset, it feels like the old city of Kashgar, Xinjiang, but it is more stereoscopic than the old city of Kashgar. Ragusa had distinctive architecture in the18th century, which made Iberian baroque architecture unique and won the reputation of "alternative baroque".

Shenmiaogu

Sicilian lives in history. On the flight from Beijing to Rome, a Wenzhou girl who is doing business next to her commented on Italian "too lazy, the city is almost the same as it was a hundred years ago." The architecture I saw in Sicily is very old. Sicily has a strong museum complex, and even the performances I saw at night are historical dramas. ...

Agrigento, which I have been waiting for for for a long time, is known as "the most spectacular temple group outside Greece". The archaeological site area here was listed as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations in 1998. The history of the famous Valle dei Templi in agrigento can be traced back to 58 BC1year. The Greek city here (then called Accra) lasted for more than 1000 years. It was not until the end of the Christian era in the 7th and 9th centuries that the surviving residents moved to the hills in the northwest of the city. The huge and magnificent buildings preserved in the ancient city constitute a huge artistic, historical and natural heritage-Temple Valley.

In the Temple Valley, the natural environment is in perfect harmony with majestic temples, labyrinthine cemeteries and underground buildings. The white petals of peach trees and the yellow flowers blooming in the grass are accompanied by broken walls, but most ancient cities and Roman cities are still hidden under the forests of almonds and olives formed in many centuries.

Now the most complete building in the Temple Valley is Tempio della Concordia, which was built in 450 ~ 440 BC and is the largest Dorian-style building in Sicily. The integrity of the temple is second only to the famous Parthenon in Athens, and it has also become a symbol of agrigento. The six pillars on the front and the 34 pillars on the side of the temple are intact. As a shining example of Dorian architecture, it survived being destroyed because it was converted into a Christian church in the 6th century. However, among the nine temples in Temple Valley, I'm afraid no more than four can see the outline. Most of them are almost integrated with the undulating land.

The perfect combination of this historical site and natural scenery has been described in great detail by many tourists, and archaeologists and restoration engineers have been exploring and studying it constantly. Unfortunately, several buildings that can see the outline have also been repaired with scaffolding, which has affected the appearance. It may not be feasible to ask Italians to use "speed" to repair and show the thick history of more than 2,000 years. I can't enjoy the slow-paced life like Italians, so let me stop for a while, sit on the wall shattered by the Millennium solar wind, put down my camera and look at the green on the hillside and the blue Mediterranean in the distance with slow eyes.

Stone road and three churches

Palermo is the capital of Sicily, and all my impressions of the city stay on the stone road on the night I arrived and the three churches I saw two days later. Due to the narrow streets in the old city, the bus from the airport to the hotel can only stop at the relatively spacious Little Square. Next, I will drag my suitcase and walk through a long alley. At the beginning of the light rain, the mottled stone road glowed green in the dim light, clothes were hanging on the balcony, and a stone wall was erected overhead for hundreds of years, and the night was humid. The suitcase slammed on every square brick, and in a trance, it seemed to be back to the Jiangnan water town of that year. A car with a window open and loud electronic music slowly passed the other end of the alley. I got excited and shouted "hi" to the car butt like a gangster. Yes, that's what brought me back to Sicily. I really want to stay in this remote land like a Sicilian robber for a few days! Look at this island at the crossroads of the Mediterranean, a mysterious land that has been blown by the violent wind of history in every corner.

Before describing the church in Palermo, I can say a few words about the history of Sicily. Sicily, the largest island in Italy, is triangular and located in the middle of Mediterranean waters. Its special geographical location makes it vulnerable to external attacks. First, the Greeks invaded, and the Greeks made the city of this island prosper rapidly. At that time, many magnificent ancient buildings and exquisite sculptures mushroomed in every corner of Sicily. Later, Greece declined, and Sicily was occupied by the Roman Empire, Arabs and Normans. Sicily was ruled by the Normans from 1 1 to12nd century. It was also during this period that the art and spiritual culture of this area were sublimated. Therefore, visiting historical sites in Sicily often makes people forget that this is Sicily, and what they see and hear is always inseparable from the words Greece, Arabia, Rome and Norman. Sicily is a wonderful mashup.

King Roger of Norman never imagined that the Parati, which he built in the12nd century, would become the most beautiful scenic spot in Palermo more than 800 years later. This private chapel embodies the comprehensive architectural style popular in Sicily during Norman rule. The Roman columns supported its Roman interior, and the Moorish wooden arched ceiling was decorated with Arabic mosaic patterns. The decorative pattern of the wooden ceiling is exquisite and complex, reflecting the basic necessities of life of Arabs at that time, and its artistic value is similar to our Qingming Riverside Map. On my first night in Sicily, on my way to the hotel, I could see Palermo Cathedral from a distance.

Walking into the main church during the day, I found that the stones of the building were honey-colored. 1 184 started construction, which is a monument to record Norman history. In the18th century, the interior of the church was renovated, but the exterior still retained the unique synthesis of that style: the gate is a mixture of Catalan style and Gothic style, and it is a luxurious15th century work. For the church, as an atheist, it seems that I can only stay in the observation of the building scale and decoration details. Even if I walk in devoutly and look solemn in the priest's prayer, I still have some distance from God.

The third church, monreal, is a huge castle-like building complex, with the same architecture and style as Palermo's main church, but it is about 1 hour away from downtown Palermo.

Because Mengruier is a small town alone on a mountain, it is particularly majestic and durable, away from the noise and ruin of the city. Huge gardens and long Arab cloisters are not found in other churches. The black striped stone collected from volcanic rocks on the outer wall and its castle-like scale also remind me of the power of religion and the integration of many ethnic groups-this may be a cruel process of blood and fire.

Catania

Strangely, cacti can be found everywhere in Sicily. It is said that red fruits will bear in summer. I haven't eaten red "fairy fruit", but I can drink red blood orange juice for breakfast almost every day-this is a specialty of Sicily.

With the snow-capped peaks as the background, the magnificent Tama Square and the bustling Etna Street of Catania-Etna volcano made me jump into Etna Street without hesitation.

Catania is the most famous tourist city in Sicily, which depends on its three unique cultural and artistic treasures: the city of Baroque art, the hometown of musician Bei Lini and the active volcano Etna. Catania has a long history and was founded in ancient Greece in 729 BC. Due to its important geographical position, Catania became one of the earliest towns occupied by ancient Rome in Sicily, and was later occupied by Byzantines, Arabs and Normans.

Multiculturalism is stirring and blending here, leaving a deep impression on Catania in different periods. Bei Lini, a famous opera composer, is the proudest figure in Catania. Bei Lini was born in Catania in 65438. He was brilliant and exquisite in music, and was called "Chopin of opera music" by later generations. Bei Lini died young at the age of 34, but he created many immortal musical masterpieces. Bei Lini's operas are full of romantic colors and beautiful melodies, and many arias in operas are still regarded as classic teaching materials of Bel Canto.

The most famous volcano in Catania is Mount Etna, which is 3323 meters above sea level and is the highest, largest and most active volcano in Europe. Mount Etna has erupted more than 200 times so far, ranking the highest in the world. Although Catania was destroyed by Mount Etna and buried by volcanic ash nine times in history, it has always been stubbornly reborn from the ashes, just like the inscription on the clock of Catania reads "I am reborn from my own ashes". The last eruption of Etna was in September 2004, and all major photo agencies distributed photos of Mount Etna and the city of Catania below. That scene must be the ultimate experience of life.

Taormina, a 0/hour drive from Catania/Kloc, is the perfect ending of my stay in Sicily.

It is located on the mountainside of Taoluo, like a blooming agave, gorgeous, charming and smooth. Tamina has a wide field of vision and charming scenery, with the blue Ionian Sea in the east and the snow-capped Mount Etna in the southwest. There are historical sites, sea water, snow-capped mountains and well-dressed Italians. All the elements of a perfect resort are complete. All you can do is keep looking. The highest point of Mount Taor is the ruins of an ancient Greek opera house. The Opera House was built in 300 BC with a maximum diameter of 209 meters. It is the second grand theatre in Sicily. In 200 AD, Rome invaded and occupied Sicily. This ancient opera house became the gathering place of the elite in ancient Rome at that time, and a sink was dug in the performance area, and a naval battle that the Romans liked to watch was staged.

Being in this broken walls, I think of the prosperity of ancient times and the smoke of war. My mood is like being comforted by a pair of big hands full of sunshine, and time passes quietly between my fingers like quicksand. ...