Grand Tour
5259 Alcamo
Vincenzo Regina. Edited by Gianni Guadalupi and Mariano Coppola
1995 / 92 PAGES.
Language: Two editions: Italian, English
An ancient city and its history, which we have been able to reconstruct thanks to the several works that escaped the ravages of time. All the wonders of Alcamo are collected here in a single volume.
With its remote origins and name that comes from the Arabic, nestled off the Gulf of Castellammare near ancient Segesta with its renowned temple, Alcamo gained some of the most astounding masterpieces of the Sicilian Baroque – the triumph of a decorative fancy at least two centuries early thanks to local artistic fervour – during the 18th century. The heart of Alcamo is still the Chiesa Madre with its great dome and bell tower. Dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, it received the title of collegiage church in 1969 and stands out for its grandiosity and for the opulence of the Sicilian Baroque style. Its dome is still considered to be one of the most beautiful in Italy.
Scholars and tourists alike, however, cannot ignore the chapel of the Holy Spirit inside the Chiesa Madre, the church of San Tommaso Apostolo, the De Ballis Tower or the several paintings and sculptures still to be found in this ancient city and portrayed in this volume in all their glory.