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SANTA MARGHERITA DEL BELICE : Passeggiate tomasiane
 Santa
Margherita and its palace were seriously damaged by the 1968 Belice
earthquake. The palace was then restored by the Town Administration - that turned it
into its seat and today that of the Literary Park too. It now
has a theatrical space and many of its rooms and courtyards are
used for the various activities of the Literary Park, like for
example the garden
with its lush vegetation. As regrads the Mother church, once the
chapel of the Palace, it is still possible to see one of its flanks
that shows its rich decoration to the open sky as a consequence
of the rift caused by the earthquake.In the garden, that "in the fury of the summer when the source dwindled its gush was a paradise of parched perfumes of oregano and calamint, just like many gardens of Sicily are, that seem to be designed for the enjoyment of the nose rather than the eye" and around its fountain "in the middle of which on a little islet of artificial ruins, the goddess of plenty, long haired and half-dressed, poured torrents of water in the deep basin, traversed by friendly waves ", it is possible to take a walk, to attend the performances that take place during the long warm season and to sit at the Caffè letterario, which proposes, besides the pleasure of literature, also that of tasting the excellent local wines, accompanied by the products of the local countryside and gastronomy. "Story - teller guides" - actors who reinterpret the atmosphere of The Leopard - animate the palce and its garden with their ghosts; about this favourite one among his childhood countryside residences Tomasi says, "it was one of the most beautiful country houses I had ever seen". In the seat of the Park there is a library where it is possible to consult all the vast bibliography concerning Tomasi's work and the edition of The Leopard also in twenty-seven translations into foreign languages. There, conventions take place to study the author and the local history, the investigation of which is also a way of gaining back memory and a recovery of identity for the young people from Santa Margherita. |