Macss
Petralia Soprana and the Macss: contemporary art as you've never seen it before.
11 April 2022 - Categorie: Secluded places, Cities of Art and Villages, Cultural tourism Tags:
Petralia Soprana is an Italian town in the province of Palermo and part of the southern slope of the Madonie Park, the heart of tourism in Sicily and one of the most popular destinations for national and international visitors. Macss, the SottoSale (both the name of the association and meaning literally "under salt") Museum of Contemporary Art, was born in this pearl of the Mediterranean.
You have certainly heard of other museums in the world built inside mines that are now inactive and abandoned, but this is precisely one of the peculiarities of Macss: it is the only museum in the world to exist inside a mine that is still active and called Italkali . If, on the one hand, salt has been mined for well over 50 years, on the other, unprecedented works of art are created and guided tours open to the public are organized. For just over 10 years the miners, after the ordinary work shift, have changed their role as curators of the museum and its rock salt works. Well yes: the place has never received public contributions, the Macss actually exists and has always been in the hearts of those who wanted to create it and donate it to the public.
The Italkali mine in Raffo (fraction of Petralia Soprana) is a salt deposit that was born in the 1950s, although it seems it was already known by the ancient Romans, and which is divided in 13 floors and almost 200 meters deep. And right on the second level are the various works of art, of which there are now about thirty (number destined to grow), which can only exist in these galleries and in the humid environment of the mine: outside that place, they would dry up irretrievably. To all lovers of tourism, art and sharing: you cannot miss this jewel of north-western Sicily.
You have certainly heard of other museums in the world built inside mines that are now inactive and abandoned, but this is precisely one of the peculiarities of Macss: it is the only museum in the world to exist inside a mine that is still active and called Italkali . If, on the one hand, salt has been mined for well over 50 years, on the other, unprecedented works of art are created and guided tours open to the public are organized. For just over 10 years the miners, after the ordinary work shift, have changed their role as curators of the museum and its rock salt works. Well yes: the place has never received public contributions, the Macss actually exists and has always been in the hearts of those who wanted to create it and donate it to the public.
The Italkali mine in Raffo (fraction of Petralia Soprana) is a salt deposit that was born in the 1950s, although it seems it was already known by the ancient Romans, and which is divided in 13 floors and almost 200 meters deep. And right on the second level are the various works of art, of which there are now about thirty (number destined to grow), which can only exist in these galleries and in the humid environment of the mine: outside that place, they would dry up irretrievably. To all lovers of tourism, art and sharing: you cannot miss this jewel of north-western Sicily.
Macss
Macss
Macss
Macss
Macss
The originators of this innovative and poetic idea are Enzo Rinaldi (artist-sculptor of Petralia Soprana) and Fabrizio Garghetti (Milanese photographer) who, since their visit to the underground of the mine in 2011, have done nothing but think about the creation and exhibition of sculptures in rock salt. This is not an easy job because, as stated, "salt is a hard but unstable material, so until the last blow of the chisel it is not known whether the statue holds up or crumbles completely." From this idea and from a lot of hard work, a biennial was born, hosted in Petralia Soprana and promoted by the SottoSale and Arte e Memoria del Territorio associations, in collaboration with the Italkali Society and the artistic direction of the art historian Alba Romano Pace. To date, the MACSS has about 15,000 visitors a year. What more do you want from your holidays in Sicily? Come and become art as you have never seen it in the wonderful Madonie Park.
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Blanca: Delightful residence that once belonged to a Baron and his sharecroppers and tastefully transformed into a modern country house which, from the heart of the Madonie Natural Park (a destination for national and international tourism), will give you a breathtaking view of the town and the surrounding mountains. Ideal corner of peace and serenity which you can surely enjoy from the wonderful private swimming pool fed with spring water. You cannot miss this unprecedented glimpse of north-western Sicily.
Carlotta: If you were looking for a delightful modern villa by the sea and with a private pool for your holidays with family or friends in Sicily, do not go any further because Carlotta is the solution for you. Near the wonderful town of Cefalù, within the Madonie Natural Park and one of the most coveted seaside resorts and dedicated to tourism in the whole region. Detached from the chaos of the city, this beautiful villa is ready to offer you a unique holiday, lulled by the sea breeze of the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Baia Smeraldo: This beautiful residence awaits only you to offer you the colors and scents of Northern Sicily. The villa will give you a breathtaking view of the wonderful sea of Cefalù, a tourist-seaside town included in the list of the most beautiful villages in Italy. Not to mention the lush and flowery garden that surrounds the residence and the comfortable and private entrance to the delightful beach and flat rocks to enjoy the Sicilian sun or dive from the rocks.