As part of Magna Graecia, the southern Italian island of Sicily inspired much of ancient Greek mythology and nowhere is this more felt than along the black lava coast below Mount Etna volcano.
The tale of Acis and Galatea is one of seduction, obsession, murder and metamorphosis, a deadly love triangle set against the mimosa- and lemon-scented hills of mythic Arcadia.
As Ovid (43 BC to 18 AD) wrote in his Metamorphoses, through this idyllic landscape roamed shepherdesses and shepherds, one of them Acis, handsome son of god Pan and a river nymph. When the slender 16-year-old is spied on the shore by the much older, milk-white sea nymph Galatea, it is love at first sight.
Far in the hills above them, however, Galatea's rejected suitor the Cyclops Polyphemus (violent, one-eyed volcano Etna personified) spies the strange and beautiful couple together and explodes.
Polyphemus kills his rival by smashing Acis with a boulder. As the boy's life seeps from beneath the rock, Zeus hears Galatea's shrieks and from pity turns her beloved's blood into a crystal stream.
Today the River Acis (found on maps as the Fiume de Jaci), flows from its source under a rock on Mt. Etna's flank, past the town of Acireale, down to the sparkling sea where the spirit of Acis is forever reunited with that of Galatea.
Famous for its baroque churches, traditional puppetry and exuberant Carnival celebrations, the town of Acireale makes a great base for exploring Mount Etna, area fishing villages and beaches. See the Etna Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau's website for visitor information, accommodation links and special offers.
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Enchanted by the tale of Cyclops-crossed lovers? Toronto's baroque Opera Atelier opens its 25th season today with Handel's pastoral opera Acis and Galatea (October 30 to November 7, 2010).
For more impressions of--and links for--Sicily, see my blog.
Comments
This sounds incredibly interesting. I love places steeped in myths.
What wonderful myths , gorgeous scenery and above all, the beautiful scent of mimosa and lemon! Agreat site to imagine the dramatic past of this volcanic island
Is Etna still active?
Also, you look great in that picture.
Etna's last eruption was 2000:)
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