Appointments in the Sicans

In Siculiana
medieval Christmas
in the village of Kalat

Dames, knights and tastings
to re-enact the wedding of the “Blessed Wedding”
Soon also a widespread museum

A plunge into the past, a walk through history, an atmosphere of yesteryear to relive, as if it were yesterday, all the magic of a legend that harks back to 1311, the fateful year of the sumptuous wedding that would have been solemnly celebrated here, in the Chiaramonte Castle of Siculiana, between Constance, Frederick’s only daughter, and the Genoese nobleman Brancaleone Doria, who was married in second marriage.

On Dec. 28 and 29 and Jan. 3 and 4, ladies, knights, street performers and jesters will meet in the streets of the small Agrigento village of just over four thousand inhabitants. Amid entertainment and tastings, “The Blessed Wedding” will, in fact, be re-enacted by the second edition of the event “Medieval Christmas in the Village of Kalat.” From 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., visitors will thus be able to relive the pompous wedding that, amid legend and history, earned Siculiana the appellation of “City of the Bride and Groom.”
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“According to tradition,” says Mayor Peppe Zambito, “whoever gets married in Siculiana will have a marriage protected by Providence. By next spring, moreover, “Lo Sposalizio Benedetto” will become a widespread museum, thanks to the installation of more than twenty ceramic works, created by artists Mariano Brusca and Salvo Scherma.”

“The itinerary,” says Zambito, “which will take place in the center of the town, will tell in five locations the highlights of the love story between Constance and Brancaleone, from the first meeting to the first kiss and the wedding. In Palazzo Agnello, on the other hand, the bride’s house will be set up, where the singing of a medieval choir will resound, while at the entrance two trumpeters, also dressed in period costumes, will make a fine display.”

“Medieval Christmas in the Village of Kalat” will also be an opportunity to taste local products; these include cudduruni, tasty flatbread with potatoes, onions and anchovies, and sheep’s milk ricotta, freshly prepared.