A village rich in history where you can discover a priceless treasure. Sant'Angelo Muxaro, in the province of Agrigento seems to owe the first part of its name to a hermit, Angelo, who in the twelfth century, according to tradition, stayed in a cave, which is called the Grotta di Sant'Angelo or Tomb of the Prince.
A different way to visit Sicily
Sant'Angelo Muxaro is not at the center of tourism in Sicily in the way we are used to thinking it. It still retains the charm of the mountains, of those places suspended in time, which remain faithful to their original vocation. A place, the valley of the Platani, which hides unique testimonies. "Not far from the houses, on the sides of the hill on which the town stands, there is the necropolis where the 'Tomb of the Prince' is located - says the tourist guide Marina Di Gristina -. In the area there are several necropolises but this tomb is very significant ".
The guide explains what it is “Unique testimonials. The most ancient tombs are in the well, or rather dug into the rock. While the Tomb of the Prince has a roof, called a tholos, and is preceded by a dròmos, a corridor. Here the funeral rites were celebrated ”. In this type of tombs from the corridor, the dròmos in fact, we then arrive at another area of the burial, a room, with a stone bed. "It is one of the largest of the protohistoric era, from the late Bronze Age, clearly Mycenaean inspiration. It is also located in a center that is not very busy today with tourist routes ", adds Di Gristina. In Sant'Angelo Muxaro there is also a multimedia museum in the inhabited center, which collects local finds including some typical ceramics of the period.
Sant'Angelo Muxaro between history and legend
These are routes traveled by the Mycenaeans “Who stopped here increasing the knowledge of a people through the journey. A path that has always been fundamental for Sicily, the hub and center of the known world of antiquity - underlines the guide -. A territory that always reserves surprises and that has been and is the scene of travel across the Mediterranean. For reasons related to the economy, for commercial exchanges or to acquire agricultural land. People who, as happens today, moved to improve their condition ".
In addition to history this place is steeped in myth. It is said that in these lands the legend of Daedalus and Icarus. Icarus on his journey to Sicily with his wings of wax and feathers found his death disobeying his father, getting too close to the sun. According to the legend after the death of his son “Daedalus found refuge from the wrath of Minos with the Sican king Kokalos. The latter eventually killed the King of Crete with a ruse ", tells the guide.
Experiential tourism, total immersion in these places
But Sant'Angelo Muxaro is also a place of a particular type of so-called experiential tourism. That is to say “A local environmental guide organizes guided tours of the area involving the locals - adds Di Gristina -. To make those who arrive here experience a moment of total immersion in the life of these places. A way to savor chez l'Abitant (at the home of those who live in these places), moments of sharing everyday life ".
Nor is the charm of its particular geological conformation negligible. “In ancient times, the reduction of communications with the Atlantic Ocean made the Mediterranean become an immense saline - he concludes - creating blocks of gypsum and selenite in these areas. The banks of selenite that shine in the sun of these lands they are one of the many beauties to be discovered ".
