On Tuesday 30 April, on a warm spring day, the first classes of the “Foscolo” secondary school in Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto had an unforgettable experience by taking part in an exciting educational visit to Castelbuono and Cefalù.
Arriving in Castelbuono, the students and the teachers who accompanied them immediately walked through the ancient streets and, as a first stop, visited a monastery which has now been used as a museum, the “Naturalistic Museum” named after Francesco Minà Palumbo, a great naturalist scholar from Castelbona who analyzed the flora of the Madonie. Here the children had the pleasure of admiring the creatures he analyzed, such as birds, insects, owls and many other mammals, or of observing the desk with which he studied and the books he used. In the same Museum, manna was also handcrafted, a healing product that can be both eaten and dissolved in liquids, extracted from the bark of the ash tree and with numerous nutritional properties. Subsequently the time came for the students to visit the majestic Castelbuono Castle inside which, in addition to a beautiful museum containing wonderful eighteenth-century sacred vestments and a silver collection of very precious sacred objects, there is the splendid Chapel of Sant ‘Anna, patron saint of Castelbuono, erected by the Ventimiglia family for private use and decorated by the Serpotta brothers in 1683. Now in this chapel there is the very precious reliquary with the skull of Saint Anna, kept inside a grate with four combinations of keys to be opened while only one of the Castelbonesi has the four necessary keys.
All very interesting, but Castelbuono is also famous for its desserts, especially the panettone and artisanal “Fiasconaro” doves, exported all over the world and which you couldn’t help but taste. So it was and, after the tasting and then lunch, once the experience in Castelbuono was over, the group moved in the afternoon towards Cefalù, where the scent of tourism and the magnificent panorama welcomed them, without naturally neglecting the the art and history of one of the most beautiful places in our Sicily. Here the children had, in particular, the pleasure of visiting the famous Cathedral and guides explained to them the history of the building and the beautiful image of the blessing Christ found in the high dome of the apse, a precious testimony of the art Arab-Norman that left many testimonies on the island. It was all very interesting and, after seeing many new things, the day ended like this for the students, with a walk through the historic center and a delicious ice cream enjoyed in front of the sea, all certain of having had an educational and fun as only educational visits can be.
Emanuele Milone
Class I, 1st grade Sec. School “Foscolo” of Barcellona PG (ME)
