While a relatively recent addition to Sicily’s extensive history, the Sicilian Cart (Il Carretto Siciliano) has become an icon. These beautiful, crafted carts rose to popularity in the early 1800s as a means of transport, but were by no means simply utilitarian.
Sicily was largely roadless until 1778, when the Sicilian Parliament put aside a budget for construction of the island’s roads. By 1830 the island’s main roads were established, and while not exactly comfortable to use, inspired the production of the first Sicilian carts.
The Sicilian Cart
The Sicilian cart soon became a common and useful means of transport across the island. While the Sicilian cart is famous for its large, sturdy wheels that were ideal for travelling on often uneven dirt roads, every region had its own signature style and even typology.
Differences in Sicilian Carts
- Parlemitan – Parlermo, Agrigento, Caltanissetta and some areas of Trapani all used the Parlemitano style, which was unique because it had a “casciafusu,” a small wooden beam usually carved and painted in blue that protected the wheel’s axis. Most were decorated with wrought iron arabesques and had side shelves attached to the body. The carts themselves had a trapezoidal shape and generally had a yellow base colour. The cart was often decorated with geometric designs.
- Trapanese – In the majority of Trapani, carts had even larger wheels, and each side panel of the cart were divided into 4 panels.
- Castelvetranese – In areas of Trapani away from the coast, this style of cart was used which was a combination of the Parlemitan and Trapanese.
- Catanese – In Eastern Sicily this model was used, which looked largely like the Parlemitan. These carts usually had a rectangular shape with a red background.
Decoration
All Sicilian carts are elaborately and artfully decorated in bright colours, and in almost all cases, in one of the 5 following styles:
- Devotional: depicting saints and religious references on the side panels
- Chivalric-Historical: depicting scenes of knights and battles
- Legendary: depicting fairytales and legends on the side panels
- Operatic: depicting scenes from famous operas
- Realistic: depicting scenes of daily life
These depictions were usually close-ups, not landscape scenes, and were a way to tell stories, share the stories the owner of the cart adored, feel protected by their faith, and advertise on commercial carts. While some were painted, these depictions were usually carved.
On the rest of the carts, vivid geometric patterns were popular, as well as intricate floral designs.
Craftsmanship
Building a carretto siciliano took approximately 3 months and involved several different craftsmen: woodworkers and carvers, metal workers, and of course, painters. When you see one of these beautiful carts, it is immediately clear why these carts took so long to make. The art of making the carretto was passed down through the generations, and finding craftsmen today with the skill to make a Sicilian cart is becoming harder and harder.
UNESCO World Heritage Recognition
Overtime, the carts became obsolete for practical use, but remained essential to the heritage and culture in Sicily. Today, the Sicilian Cart will soon be recognized by UNESCO to ensure it is not lost to history. The Museo Regionale di Terrasini recently hosted what they plan to be the first edition of a regional annual event that celebrates Sicilian identity, focusing on the Sicilian cart, which is a free event, so if you’re in the area, make sure you visit the museum to see their some 70 Sicilian carts.
May I have information on the topic of your article?
DreamProxies.com – Best Private Proxies With respect to Minimum Price tags Ever!
Enjoyed looking at this, very good stuff, thanks.
Please tell me more about your excellent articles
It is indeed my belief that mesothelioma is most deadly cancer. It’s got unusual attributes. The more I actually look at it the more I am persuaded it does not react like a real solid flesh cancer. In the event that mesothelioma is really a rogue virus-like infection, so there is the probability of developing a vaccine and also offering vaccination to asbestos open people who are really at high risk with developing foreseeable future asbestos linked malignancies. Thanks for sharing your ideas on this important health issue.
Hello my friend! I wish to say that this article is awesome, nice written and come with approximately all vital infos. I would like to look extra posts like this .
I simply couldn’t leave your site before suggesting that I extremely enjoyed the standard information an individual supply on your visitors? Is gonna be again steadily in order to check out new posts
Howdy! Would you mind if I share your blog with my twitter group? There’s a lot of folks that I think would really enjoy your content. Please let me know. Many thanks
This is very interesting, You are a very skilled blogger. I’ve joined your feed and look forward to seeking more of your excellent post. Also, I’ve shared your website in my social networks!
Very good written story. It will be helpful to anyone who utilizes it, as well as me. Keep doing what you are doing – can’r wait to read more posts.
It is perfect time to make some plans for the future and it’s time to be happy. I have read this post and if I could I want to suggest you few interesting things or tips. Perhaps you can write next articles referring to this article. I wish to read even more things about it!
I’ve come across that currently, more and more people are being attracted to cams and the subject of photography. However, as a photographer, it’s important to first shell out so much time period deciding the model of dslr camera to buy and also moving out of store to store just so you could potentially buy the most affordable camera of the brand you have decided to settle on. But it doesn’t end generally there. You also have to consider whether you should obtain a digital digital camera extended warranty. Thx for the good suggestions I obtained from your blog.
I truly wanted to write down a simple message so as to express gratitude to you for those wonderful concepts you are showing on this site. My long internet look up has finally been paid with professional tips to write about with my best friends. I ‘d tell you that most of us visitors are unquestionably blessed to live in a wonderful community with many wonderful professionals with very helpful secrets. I feel rather fortunate to have used your entire webpage and look forward to plenty of more brilliant minutes reading here. Thanks once again for everything.
I like this site very much so much fantastic information.