When a good friend insisted that I should visit a tiny village in the heart of Sicily, in the province of Palermo, I initially paid scant attention. True, I was titillated by the knowledge that this same village is selling some of its oldest properties for a prize of €1 each. But I relegated this unusual news item which hit the Italian headlines some months ago, to clever marketing aimed at attracting foreign investment to Sicily.
My good friend is a wise Sicilian who would not admit defeat. In order to further make his point he mentioned a movie which relates a true-life story associated with this village. And this time I was well and truly intrigued.
In 1977, the Italian movie heart-throb Giuliano Gemma, together with the ravishing Claudia Cardinale featured in a movie directed by Pasquale Squitieri and released internationally with the title of The Iron Prefect. The original Italian title Il Prefetto di Ferro was derived from the nickname which perfectly described an Italian prefect who had been assigned by Mussolini with the task of restoring law and order in the tiny village of Gangi.
During the fascist period, Gangi was considered to be the hive from which the Sicilian mafia emerged. The movie ably portrays the challenges which the strong-willed lawmaker Cesare Mori (played by Gemma), had to work his way through, in order to effectively defeat the lawbreakers and quell their activities. His systematic and cunning campaign successfully destroyed the mafia in Sicily at the time, with many of the bandits dispersing themselves, or simply "disappearing". The mafia would eventually re-emerge elsewhere in Sicily after the collapse of the fascist regime in 1943. The movie is wonderfully directed and worth viewing. If anything, to understand better what happened in Gangi.
And so on a very cold January day we drove our way up to the Madonie Mountains of central Sicily. The visit pushed home the fact that "variegated" is Sicily's second name. As we drove uphill from the sun-drenched plains, we made our way up the mountains along narrow winding roads flanked by high banks of snow which did not seem keen to melt, notwithstanding the sunshine.
Viewed from a distance Gangi looks pretty much like any other small and picturesque village scrabbling to hold on to a sweeping hillside. Indeed, Gangi is situated 1,011 metres above sea level on the highest mountain range of Sicily and considered one of the most beautiful villages or borghi of Italy.
Village alleyways lined with swept snow greeted us as we gingerly walked where the melted water was not iced over. We made our way to the first surprise - a tiny chapel dedicated to St John the Baptist. This was constructed during the first half of the 16th century by the Knights of the Order of St John who are locally appreciated as the Knights of Malta. Repeatedly restored, it is annexed to the Palazzo Mocciaro, privately owned and constructed in the 14th century, making it one of the oldest and most imposing of Gangi.
Close by is the baroque building of Palazzo Bongiorno, once the home of a Baron Bongiorno and his family, and today serving as the local council's seat. Indoors, one gets the impression of walking inside a palace belonging to a place much larger and much more imposing than the humble location of Gangi. No expenses are spared here, in a bid to show typical Italian good taste with its most classical refinery. Pride of place is taken up by the frescoes and trompe-l'oeil created by the Roman artist Gaspare Fumagalli, well known among others, for his frescoes at Palazzo Valguarnera Gangi in Palermo, a location well-appreciated in Luchino Visconti's movie Il Gattopardo.
Next on our itinerary is the Chiesa Madre, a church of the 18th century including a magnificent and imposing painting by Giuseppe Salerno who was commissioned to create a depiction of universal judgement inspired by the Vatican's own. The painting, once on the main entrance, was eventually moved in the choir to protect its condition. There are divergent opinions on this painting since hearsay links it to Il Zoppo di Gangi, an artist with a limp, whose name is also associated with other artists namely Gaspare Vazzano. The choir was created in wood by Filippo Quattrocchio who is proudly considered as the "Michelangelo" of wood in Sicily.
The church is beautifully maintained with its typically Sicilian church ceilings in pristine white decorated with gold and touches of blue. We were invited to descend to the crypt and what came next surprised us no end. A rather gruesome scenario and a curiosity to booth, consisting of cadavres, mummified and still standing up lined up for attention, all members of clergy who served the Church in Gangi between the 1700s and 1800s. While fascinated by this unexpected sight which verges on the morbid, it is certainly not for the faint-hearted.
Out of doors, we gulped in fresh air as deserving living mortals and proceeded onwards. Close to one another are the emblematic Fountain of the Lion and the panoramic view from the bell tower known as La Torre di Ventimiglia. The fountain recalls the story of the defeated mafia bosses, since water played a key role there. The tower dating back to feudal times, was constructed in the early 14th century and belonged to the Ventimiglia family. Eventually it was handed over to the Knights of Malta and transformed for bell-ringing, which must have sounded extremely effective over all the valley below. Impressively elegant, the construction provides the opportunity to observe Gangi from above - a patchwork of rooftops, fields and snow.
There is much more to view in Gangi, much more to learn about this quaint and historically loaded little corner of Sicily. As the project to sell empty old properties at €1 continues, the mayor Giuseppe Ferrarello is proud of what has been accomplished so far. He persists in investing energy and great attention to the maintenance of the historic buildings, the upkeep of public cleanliness and general law and order. The revitalising of the village is slowly but steadily manifesting itself also thanks to varied initiatives such as the packed calendar of events which for 2015 promises something to experience in the forthcoming months namely March, May, July, September, October and December.