Capo Milazzo. Milazzo, Italy.
Between January 22 and January 29, 2024, Aromas Itinerarium Salutis (AIS) and the network of partners in Sicily (Italy), coordinated by AIS Steering Committee member Giuseppe Pandolfo, worked on defining an innovative Sicilian route that narrates the territory of the Niceto Valley: its history, landscape, and traditions linked to botanical knowledge, medicinal plants, and pharmacy history.
This route involves cultural and landscape sites, from the Ancient Pharmacy of the SS. Sacramento in Roccavaldina to the “Pietro Castelli” Botanical Garden of the University of Messina, engaging in synergy with local SMEs, including agricultural enterprises and hospitality venues. It is a journey where the community actively participates in recounting its own history, culture, and identity.
As part of the week's activities, a Workshop on Applied Diagnostics for the study of heritage collections in historical pharmacies took place at the Ancient Pharmacy of the SS. Sacramento in Roccavaldina (16th century), organized by Aromas Itinerarium Salutis in collaboration with the Cultural Heritage Superintendence of Messina and the Municipality of Roccavaldina. During the workshop, an agreement was reached with the authorities of the Cultural Heritage Superintendence and the Municipality of Roccavaldina to conduct physical-chemical and cultural studies at this extraordinary heritage site, as well as to evaluate the “The Apothecary’s Route in Sicily" project, which will soon be inaugurated.
Among the on-site visits, the one to the “Pietro Castelli” Botanical Garden of the University of Messina was particularly relevant, as it provided an opportunity to discuss common actions within the collaboration agreement signed in July 2023 between AIS and the Botanical Garden. The focus is on enhancing endangered endemic flora and recovering historical and botanical memory related to Pietro Castelli. During the visit, the director of the Botanical Garden, Maria Rosa Picone, presented the inclusive path created within the garden. The use of Braille as an educational and inclusive resource makes it a reference point for similar spaces within the European Route, such as the medicinal garden of the Monastery of Santa Cecilia in Trastevere (Rome), which, thanks to AIS, will incorporate this resource in July 2024.
The visit to Monforte San Giorgio was also of great value, exploring a reality that, in response to the depopulation of small villages, has initiated a series of initiatives and events aimed at recovering local history and traditions. This initiative not only serves as a driving force for social cohesion, strengthening the sense of identity but also, thanks to the cyclical succession of various activities in different seasons, contributes to making tourism sustainable, offering unique experiences at certain times of the year, such as Katabba (January) or the Barrels Tour (November).
Finally, the journey from one stage to another of the route is framed by a unique landscape that only the Niceto Valley can offer, culminating in the arrival at Poggio del Tempo Perduto in Valdina. Here, experiential initiatives and thematic laboratories are launched, highlighting the eno-gastronomic resources of the territory - an example is the Moulin Vert and its production of nickel-free tomatoes. Foremost among them is the project to create a foraging trail for the recognition of medicinal plants linked to the Messina pharmacopoeia, to be realized in collaboration with the "Pietro Castelli" Botanical Garden of the University of Messina.
This local route sheds new light on Sicily, an extraordinary island bathed by the Mediterranean Sea, witnessing numerous vessels transporting medicinal materials (remedies, spices, fragrances) between its two shores, the eastern and western. This contributed to the gradual construction of a common cultural heritage, now evidenced by the wealth of historical pharmacies as well as natural reserves and botanical gardens hosting different species with important therapeutic properties.
AIS expresses gratitude for the hospitality and participation in the activities to:
- Giuseppe Pandolfo, member of the Technical-Steering Committee of AIS
- Stefania Lanuzza, Superintendence for Cultural and Environmental Heritage of Messina
- Filippo Grasso, University of Messina
- Rosa Maria Picone, Alessandro Crisafulli and Antonino Tavilla, "Pietro Castelli" Botanical Garden of the University of Messina
- Salvatore Visalli, Mayor of Roccavaldina
- Piero Marchetta, Municipality of Roccavaldina
- Enzo Sindoni, Il Poggio del Tempo Perduto, Valdina
- Alessio Sergi, "Il Moulin Vert" Agricultural Company, Valdina
- Rosa Midili, Katabba Association, Monforte S. Giorgio
- Hotel Redebora, Torregrotta
- Rocco Crimi, Sebastiano Crimi Foundation for the study, research, and history of pharmacy in Sicily
Local route coordinator:
Giuseppe Pandolfo
References:
Pandolfo, Giuseppe. 2024 (in Press). "La Spezieria del SS. Sacramento di Roccavaldina oggi Museo Farmacia". Geo-archeologia, Periodico della Associazione Geo-Archeologica Italiana, Special Issue (2).
Related News:
Potta cu'ttia ciauru e sapuri di sta Sicilia terra d'amuri.
Carry with you the perfume and the flavor of this Sicily, land of love.