Piazza Ciullo
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Piazza Ciullo is the main square of
Alcamo Alcamo (; ) is the fourth-largest town and communes of Italy, commune of the Province of Trapani, Sicily, with a population of 44.925 inhabitants. It is on the borderline with the Metropolitan City of Palermo at a distance of about 50 kilometr ...
, in the
province of Trapani The province of Trapani (; ; officially ''libero consorzio comunale di Trapani'') is a Provinces of Italy, province in the autonomous island region of Sicily, Italy. Following the suppression of the Sicilian provinces, it was replaced in 2015 by ...
,
Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...
,
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
. Being located in the very town centre, it is a meeting place for people and an attraction for important events, especially for teenagers.


History

According to some historical sources, in 1500 a watercourse crossed Piazza Ciullo: the ditch, where it ran, filled up with water during winter, but after a few centuries the area took its present form. Today traces of the stream's existence are seen through the particular position of the buildings, whose profiles are made to stand out through the pavement lines after architect
Gae Aulenti Gaetana "Gae" Emilia Aulenti (; 4 December 1927 – 31 October 2012) was an Italian architect and designer. Aulenti began her career in the early 1950s, establishing herself as one of the few prominent female architects in post-war Italy. Alth ...
's restoration work. In the 16th century there were a number of houses with courts inside them and churches within the town; many houses were built on the east-west axis towards ''Porta Trapani''. The banks of the stream were very suitable for the construction of new churches. The Church of Saint Olivia was built first in 1533, then the Church of the Holy Family (after 1650), the Collegio or Church of Jesus (1684), and the Ex Chiesa di Santa Maria dello Stellario (constructed in 1605, demolished in 1962 and the seat of a bank now). The area became important in the first half of the 16th century due to events such as the passage and stay of the emperor
Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...
(in 1535), and later the construction of the Church of Jesus by the
Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
in 1650, which gave the square its characteristic shape. The present square has risen with the union of the forecourts of three churches: Saint Olivia, Stellario (1625) and the Chiesa del Collegio (1650). It was originally called Piazza Maggiore, then until 1875 Piano Sant'Oliva, and finally Piazza Ciullo, in honour of the great poet Ciullo d'Alcamo, the author of the famous love contrast "".


Description

Piazza Ciullo has an oblong shape, and it is characterised by two parallel sides, winding like the ancient walls no longer in existence. The imposing
Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...
of the Church of Jesus is visible with a large circular clock in the upper part, the architectural ensemble of the Ex Collegio dei Gesuiti next to it, then the Church of the Holy Family, Palazzo Comunale (Town Hall) and the Church of Saint Olivia, founded in 1533 and rebuilt in 1723 after Giovanni Biagio Amico's project. Just opposite the Town Hall is the Liberty building, once the seat of the post office. In 1919, at the corner with Corso 6 Aprile, a wooden
kiosk Historically, a kiosk () was a small garden pavilion open on some or all sides common in Iran, Persia, the Indian subcontinent, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward. Today, several examples of this type of kiosk still exist ...
(in
Liberty style Liberty style ( ) was the Italian variant of Art Nouveau, which flourished between about 1890 and 1914. It was also sometimes known as ("floral style"), ("new art"), or ("modern style" not to be confused with the Spanish variant of Art Nouveau ...
) was placed that served drinks and decoctions:Roberto Calia, I palazzi dell'aristocrazia e della borghesia alcamese, Alcamo, Carrubba, 1997. today it is an ice cream and sandwich shop. Until 1929, at the corner with via Porta Stella, there was a fountain built by sculptor Antonino Gaggini, Antonello's son; there were additionally two shields and the
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...
of Alcamo in a frame with a Latin inscription. Below the square, on its north side and going down the steps, is Piazza Mercato.


Restoration

In 1952 the square was paved by the local authorities. The last restoration in 1996 as part of Gae Aulenti's restoration project has led to new flooring and new
street furniture Street furniture is a collective term for objects and pieces of equipment installed along streets and roads for various purposes. It includes bench (furniture), benches, traffic barriers, bollards, post boxes, phone boxes, streetlamps, traffic ...
, following the guidelines of the stream which crossed the square and disappeared. The renovation of the main square of Alcamo, which also included the placing of the much-discussed ‘’green poles’’ (T-shaped profiles which light it instead of the old lamps with
cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...
poles), is still today the subject of lively discussion among those who argue that it has brought added value, and others who, on the contrary, see a quite striking contrast with the older part of the square. However, this lighting system, later used in other places, has taken the name of . Today the whole square, and part of Corso 6 Aprile, is a
pedestrian area Pedestrian zones (also known as auto-free zones and car-free zones, as pedestrian precincts in British English, and as pedestrian malls in the United States and Australia) are areas of a city or town restricted to use by people on foot or ...
. File:Piazza Ciullo, Alcamo.jpg, An early 1990s photo File:Alcamo piazza ciullo.jpg, Piazza Ciullo snow-covered File:Collegio dei Gesuiti (Alcamo) - Porticato.jpg, The arcade of Ex Collegio dei Gesuiti File:Piazza Ciullo (Alcamo) - Vista dall'alto.jpg, The square seen from above File:Chiesa della Sacra Famiglia (Alcamo) 51.JPG, The Church of the Holy Family File:Municipio di Alcamo.jpg, Palazzo Comunale (the Town Hall) File:Chiesa di Sant'Oliva (Alcamo) 68.jpg, The Church of Saint Olivia File:Chiosco Liberty.jpg, The Liberty kiosk File:Piazza Ciullo.jpg, The crossroad between Corso 6 Aprile and Piazza Mercato File:Piazza Mercato, Alcamo.jpg, Piazza Mercato


See also

* Piazza Bagolino *
Piazza della Repubblica (Alcamo) Piazza della Repubblica is the largest square in Alcamo, a town in the province of Trapani. It is located in the town centre. History Its origin dates back to the middle of the 14th century: at first it was used as a place-of-arms for militar ...
* Cielo d'Alcamo *
Gae Aulenti Gaetana "Gae" Emilia Aulenti (; 4 December 1927 – 31 October 2012) was an Italian architect and designer. Aulenti began her career in the early 1950s, establishing herself as one of the few prominent female architects in post-war Italy. Alth ...


References


Sources

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Other projects

{{commons category, Piazza Ciullo Alcamo