A moment of dialogue and reflection on one of the most important archaeological sites in the Iblei. “Akrai
1824-2024” is the title of the Study Day scheduled for Saturday 30 November, at 10 am,
in the Auditorium former Library of the Palazzolo Acreide Town Hall. Organized by the Park
Archaeological and landscape museum of Syracuse, Eloro, Villa del Tellaro and Akrai, by the Municipality of Palazzolo Acreide and the Museum of Travellers in Sicily, the prestigious conference will bring together experts and scholars of archaeology and history who will discuss the 200 years since the discovery of the Greek Theatre of Akrai and the publication of the unpublished drawings by Jakob Ignaz Hittorff.
Akrai, the conference interventions
The proceedings will open with institutional greetings from Salvatore Gallo, mayor of Palazzolo Acreide,
Carmelo Bennardo, director of the Archaeological and Landscape Park of Syracuse, Eloro, Villa del Tellaro and
Akrai, Antonino Lutri, Superintendent for Cultural and Environmental Heritage of Syracuse, Nadia Spada, Councilor
to the Cultural Activities of Palazzolo Acreide and Francesca Gringeri Pantano, director of the Museum of Travellers in Sicily – “Jean Houel” Study Centre.
The first session of the works, starting from 10,30, will be chaired by Francesca Gringeri Pantano; on the programme are:
interventions by Angela Maria Manenti, Archaeological Officer of the Archaeological and Landscape Park of
Syracuse, Eloro, Villa del Tellaro and Akrai on “Notabilities to see” from Paolo Orsi's notebook n.2 of 1888; and
by Lavinia Gazzè, professor of Modern History at the University of Catania on “Between politics and
antiquarianism: German travellers in Sicily between the 17th and 19th centuries”.
A volume dedicated to the site
The morning session will continue with the presentation of the volume Hittorff Rèserautiste, published in 2024 by the University and Library of Cologne. Francesca Gringeri Pantano will be in conversation with the volume's author, Michael Kiene, professor of Art History at the University of Cologne. The first session will close with a presentation by Luigi Lombardo, demo-ethnoanthropologist, on "Gabriele Judica and Jacob Ignaz Hittorff: An Excavation into Memory."
The second session of the conference, scheduled to begin at 3:00 PM, will be chaired by Carmelo Scandurra, co-director of the Museum of Travellers in Sicily. Speakers will include Michele Cometa, professor of Cultural History and Visual Culture at the University of Palermo, with a presentation on "Hittorff and Sicily"; Ornella Valvo, professor of Latin and Greek and coordinator of the Theatre Laboratory at the IIS of Palermo;
Palazzolo Acreide on “The Young Generations, the Akrai Theatre, and the Message of Ancient Playwrights.”
The conference will close with a performance by students from the Palazzolo Higher Education Institutes.
Acreide who will stage Aristophanes' Acharnians.
