FAVIGNANA ART CENTER
The fortress of Santa Caterina stands over the peak of Favignana,
an isle set at the heart of the Mediterranean Sea.
It appears as a real jewel of solitude. It is a place imbued
with an imposing and moving beauty. In such place, the embrace
of nature is so intimate that it creates the sweet and
yearned for oblivion that fills the heart of those who had the
bravery to leave civilization to listen to silence.
a bucolic path characterized by prior stones covered by spotted musk, represents the first level of experience of the new fortress of Santa Caterina. The main character is Nature but new interventions directly related with that, give to the visitors the consciousness of a necessary presence. According to the prexisting topography, they take place on the corners of tortuous street always creating perspective slants, hosting or representing Art by themselves. They work with contrasting natural elements, phenomena and human feelings: water, sun, ground, window, light, shadow, hot, cold, effort/rest.
At the end of the walkway visitors reach the fortress which represents the hearth of Culture as the perfect equilibrium between man and surroundings. Art expositions are set into some dedicated rooms, creating an intimate place. A restaurant at the lower accessible level is characterized by a new podium ans it has the fundamental role of letting guests experience and discover the essence of the food island Culture. The place also embraces the quiet coming from the thermal bath, hotel, and resort.
At last, a roof terrace takes place at the summit of the fortress and it hosts temporary and permanent expositions, but also represents the maximum contact between nature, past and new architecture. The aim here is to reactivate inaccessible levels and connect them with a continuous element, making reference from ancient watch passage (camminamento di ronda), whereby is possible to experience the fortress and art exhibitions from different points of view, and feel nature’s fundamentals. Materials, according to the principles of sustainability follow Sicilian tradition: manufactured ceramics white coated give the property of reflection to the new intervention and a new brightness to the fortress, both respecting and contrasting the history of ancient tufo constructions.
