SICILY

LEGENDS AND MYTHS OF MAGNA GRACE

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Sicily is a land rich in myths and legends but above all in places that have inspired the birth of fascinating mythological events: Cyclopes, Greek deities and nymphs are the main protagonists of these tales handed down for centuries.

Sicily is a magical land, bringing with it centuries-old stories and traditions. 

According to an ancient myth, it is said that Sicily was born from the dance of three Nymphs.

They were going around the world crossing the sea, collecting stones, fruits and earth from the most fertile lands, dancing, when the three Nymphs came across a region with a clear blue sky.

Attracted by this luminous land, these deities begin to dance while simultaneously throwing everything they had collected during their long journey into the sea. They thus move on the surface of the water, forming a triangle.

It is then that from their dance an island begins to emerge with its three promontories, each at the point where each nymph danced.

The promontories we are talking about are the most extreme points of Sicily, the very ones that give it its famous triangular shape: Capo Peloro to the North-East, Capo Passero to the South-East and Capo Lilibeo to the West.

All the gifts of nature collected and then thrown by the three Nymphs form, according to this ancient legend, the three promontories that we all know today. This is exactly how Sicily was born, a land in the shape of an inverted triangle, with a mild climate and fertile land.
From here, probably, one of the ancient names of Sicily was born, Trinacria, precisely to refer to the three vertices of the triangle from which the island was born.

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WESTERN SICILY

Western Sicily is defined as that part of the Sicilian territory that overlooks the north-west coast of Sicily. It is made up of the metropolitan city of Palermo and the free municipal consortia of Trapani and Agrigento, which took the place of the three former provinces.

The trait of it costs which from Palermo reaches up to Agrigento is characterized by a continuous alternation of sand and rock and will lead you to beautiful beaches and ravines that follow one another up to Gela.

Dalla Mondello beach, visit the Zingaro Reserve and San Vito Lo Capo, to then reach a long sandy coast within a gulf that extends between the mouth of the Selino river and that of the Belice.

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​The legend of Deli and Hades and the origins of the Egadi islands

Before the rivers ran towards the seas, before the birds flew in the blue sky and the fields were plowed, there lived in a mysterious land, bathed by very blue waters, a beautiful young woman. Her name was Deli. She was hidden in that land far from her mother, conceived by secret love with the God Ares.

The little girl was welcomed by the Dryads, the nymphs of the woods, who gave her a lot of love. Deli grew up healthy and strong but above all beautiful, loved by her animal friends and well-liked and protected by the entire forest. His smile made those places bright and its inhabitants happy.

The news of the beauty of Deli, praised and appreciated, spread everywhere, becoming increasingly known, so much so that it was known even as far as the Underworld, the kingdom of Pluto (Hades according to Roman mythology), who was fascinated by it. The cruel deity then decided to lurk on Mount Erice, waiting to scrutinize the young woman.

Deli had recently stretched out under a large oak tree, to enjoy the coolness that the thick branches made possible. Hades suddenly approached and tried in every way to forcefully obtain the girl. The plant under which this insane act was being carried out retracted its branches, making the violence and carnal act that was taking place visible to the Gods.

A troop of guerrillas led by Ares soon descended to punish Pluto. However, the evil deity managed to defend himself from the attacks and defeat the entire army, including Ares. Those green and uncontaminated landscapes were stained with blood and the beautiful Deli resigned herself to her fate. The Gods of Olympus raised a cry of pain at the sight of the scene. Zeus held Deli's soul while Aeolus freed the light Zephyr, who breathed a breath of life into the young woman's body.

Venus, coming down from Mount Ericino, took Deli's body and took her away from Pluto's perverse desires, beyond the waters of Drepanon, (Trapani). The young woman was transformed into an island, Favignana, and entrusted to the care of the Nereids, the sea nymphs, who assisted her until the birth of the demigods, Hiera and Pharbantia, the result of Pluto's violence.

The beauty of the demigods is equal to that of the mother and is still admirable today. Favignana, a few kilometers from Trapani, looks carefully at its creatures, Marettimo and Levanzo, every day.

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