Do you know the famous Faraglioni of Acitrezza? It is a magic place to spend a day off by the sea, deep in legends. The islands that make the archipelago are: Lachea island, the island Faraglione Grande, Faraglione di mezzo and Faraglione degli Uccelli. We assure that visiting these places is a unique experience.
In addition to the variety of beautiful scenery, the Riviera of the Cyclops is popular for having been a source of inspirations for legends and literary histories.
Let’s start to discover this gorgeous place!
Lachea Island
Lachea island is crossed by a rift that seems to cut it in two parts. It extends until the underwater part of the island creating a little canyon, waiting to be discovered. The sea stacks are three and they are located south of Lachea island. The first traces of settlements date back to the Prehistoric Age, testified by the presence of two small cave tombs, which over the years have been adapted to various uses. Northeast of the caves, after the staircase that leads to the museum of the island, there are two large circular holes one meter deep, where archaeologists have unearthed utensils of from the late Roman Age.
Just a few steps from the shore there is a small building, which now hosts the marine biological laboratory and a few steps away begins the path leading to the top of the island, where you can find the Museum, the Cistern and the Grotta del Monaco, from which you can enjoy a wonderful view.
Faraglione Grande
The Faraglione Grande, or St. Maria, is the only one that has undergone the intervention of man, testified by the presence of a stone staircase that leads to a square, where stands the statue of the Virgin (sign of fisherman’s devotion).
The other two Faraglioni are much smaller and they do not have specific features.
But why is it a magical place?
The legend tells that in this strip of eastern Sicily, between Etna and the sea, lived a stunning nymph called Galatea, daughter of Neptune. The young girl was in love with the shepherd boy Aci, with whom she used to flirt on a beach along the coast. They were different creatures, belonging to two distant worlds: Galatea, daughter of the sea, was a Nereid, that is one of the 50 nymphs who had the task of protecting the sailors. Instead, the world of Aci was between the woods and the mountains.
Every day at sunset, the two separated, with the promise to meet again the following day. Unfortunately, in that area also lived the cyclops Polyphemus, giant with one eye on the forehead, who was in love with Galatea. Polyphemus was in the service of Hephaestus, god of fire, and he worked in him forge inside the Etna volcano, where he forged Zeus’ thunderbolts and other fine works such as the Armour of Achilles.
One day, the cyclops saw the two lovers entertaining themselves on the shore. Blinded by jealousy, took a huge rock and threw it at Aci, killing him. The rock kept going reaching the sea, giving rise to the current Lachea island. Galatea, grief-stricken, cried all her tears, to the point that the gods had mercy on her. Then, they turned the young Aci into a river and the nymph into the sea foam, so that the lovers could hug each other forever.
Islands of the Cyclops. The “blood” of Aci.
The Aci river springs from Etna and flows mostly underground, flowing into the sea right in that stretch of the coast where the lovers used to meet. Here, as evidence of that tragic love, there is a freshwater spring with a characteristic reddish colour, that the Sicilians call “u sangu di Jaci”, which means the blood of Aci.
The body of the shepherd boy, dismembered in nine parts, was thrown away by Polyphemus and nine new towns were founded, where the various parts arrived. These places took the name of the unfortunate boy, as a prefix, but changing the suffix (Aci Trezza, Acireale, Aci Castello, Aci Sant’Antonio, Aci Santa Lucia, Aci Bonaccorsi, Aci Catema, Aci Platani, Aci San Filippo).
Ulysses and Polyphemus
The legend of Aci and Galatea is not the only one linked to the territory. Another popular myth is the one related to the meeting between Ulysses and Polyphemus, which symbolizes the victory of intelligence and shrewdness over brute strength. This myth, narrated in Homer’s Odyssey, tells that Ulysses and his companions landed right on the island of Lachea.
The cyclops devoured six of his companions, but Ulysses was able to escape, fooling the Giant with a clever trick. In a fit of rage, Polyphemus took some stones and threw them against the escapees. Those stones ended up in the sea, creating the current sea stacks of the archipelago.
“I Malavoglia” by Giovanni Verga
A magical scenery that of the islands of Cyclops, land of fabulous love stories and captivating legends. A truly unique natural stage, which also inspired literature and cinema. The Faraglioni of Aci Trezza constitute the setting of the novel “I Malavoglia” by Giovanni Verga, as well as of the movie “The Earth Trembles” by Luchino Visconti, based on the novel.
Discover our Tour to enjoy all the magic of the Rivera of the Cyclops