Between ceramics and convents

The experience

We start from Burgio, a town famous for its ceramics that date back to the Arab domination. A guided walk will allow you to visit the treasures of the village, starting from the Museum of Ceramics set up in the former convent of the Reformed Fathers to the last shops where the secrets of this centuries-old craftsmanship will be told, crossing medieval streets that lead to the Castle of the Peralta nobles, perched on a hill above the village. The treasures that will be told by young insiders of the town are surprising, including the Mother Church with its eleven altars, the sixteenth-century San Vito with the marble statue of the saint sculpted by Antonello Gagini, and the Baroque church of San Giuseppe, considered a small Sistine Chapel of Sicily. It closes with the small museum of the nativity scene by Paolo Pendola where it will be possible to make a small ceramic artifact. After a light lunch based on Burgio’s specialties, we will move towards Chiusa Sclafani, where we can visit the ancient immense Monastery of the Olivetan Fathers, where Giuseppe Tornatore shot some scenes of Nuovo Cinema Paradiso. Once the visit is over, it will be time to discover a living treasure: Giuliano Colletti, one of the few craftsmen in Sicily who is involved in the restoration of pipe organs, so much so that he is registered in the national register of “professional restorers of cultural heritage.” The profession of the organ builder is multitasking, since to practice it you need to be a skilled carpenter, welder, tuner… But it is thanks to this passion that many ancient organs can be restored and make their voices heard again. Visitors will be able to appreciate the different phases of restoration, see up close how a pipe organ is made and how it works, in short, discover its most intimate secrets; And they will also learn about the main stages of the construction of the new organs. An interesting journey with an ancient flavor in a craft of yesteryear.