The training course for 40 tour guides of Sicily took place yesterday between the “hill of the remembrance” – ancient Noto and the Gagliardi hall at Noto.
The course that was organized by the cultural association Mosaica with the patronage of the Municipality of Noto, born from the will of the associates with the intent to enhance the cultural heritage of Ancient Noto and in particular the Jewish history and its contribution to the city developmement throughout the Middle Ages.
“With the fateful expulsion of the Jews, occurred by will of the Spanish rulers in
1492”, says the president of the association Dr. Moshe Ben Simon, “the curtain closes on more than fifteen years of coexistence in medieval Noto”. A presence and
historical investigation, still to be researched in the Noto subsoil.
The visit to the “hill of Remembrance” was conducted by Rosanna Terranova, a tourist guide, focusing on the peculiarity of the site entirely excavated in the rocky ridge, where traces of the Jewish past are evident.
Alongside prehistoric cave tombs, Greek pit tombs, late ancient hypogea and a Christian catacomb called “Grotta delle Cento Bocche”, the whole history of a small Jewish necropolis from the 5th-6th century AD comes to light.
The course continues in the Gagliardi room with more in-depth information on the topic, illustrated by local experts who have been investigating the area for years. Archaeologist Laura Fallesi, who investigated the Jewish necropolis, showed the uniqueness of the site in the Sicilian archaeological panorama: “The Jewish Necropolis composed of a group of tombs in close proximity to each other, characterized by the presence of five menorahs engraved in the local tuff limestone where two of these are sculpted inside a hypogeum, called “Grotta del Carciofo”, obtained from previous proto historic tombs and takes the traditional Arcosolium shape”.
Recently, the scholar stated “a sixth catacomb with a larger menorah has been identified on the same hill, which leads to speaking of a true Jewish catacomb complex, unique of its kind, today called “The hill of the remembrance”.
The historical investigation continued with the intervention of Dr. Moshe Ben Simon, who, by studying medieval documents, clarified not only the demographic composition of the Jewish community in Medieval Noto and the location of the two Giudecche within the ancient area, but also the productive – commercial contribution of the Jewish community to the city, making it the beating heart of the Sicilian hinterland throughout the Middle Ages.
The study of the territory continued, shifting the gaze towards a wider range,
through two master lectures held by the abbot professor Vittorio Rizzone and
the archaeologist Salvina Fiorilla.
While Rizzone focused on an ancient context, showing Jewish settlements in antiquity along the entire Iblean plateau, La Fiorilla enriched us with stories and
events of all the Giudecche that were born in the Iblean territory in the Medieval period.
In search of traces of the medieval city located on Mount Alveria, we dealt with the
millennial history of the Jewish community that between integration and persecution,
could not fail to remember the fateful massacre of the Jews that occurred in 1474.
KALEIDOSCOPE OF CULTURE