Holiday apartment in Ciolino – village ensemble and rural history

Ciolino is considered an ancient village and a hamlet of Resuttano. Its townscape combines a village ensemble with traces of its rural past. Religious architecture, residential buildings and agricultural structures form a shared village context. The earliest forms of settlement are just as much a part of this history as the landscape, whose colours change between spring and summer. In Ciolino, architectural traditions therefore meet a distinctly changing landscape impression.

Chapel and manor house in Borgo Ciolino

Borgo Ciolino comprises the village ensemble with the chapel and the manor house. In Ciolino stands a small, recently restored chapel that was built around the middle of the 19th century and dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. A wooden crucifix stands on the chapel’s central altar. The ensemble thus includes a religious building and a manor house within Borgo Ciolino. The chapel combines its historical dating with a clear religious dedication and a distinctive furnishing detail.

Stone houses, roof tiles and rural buildings

The houses in Ciolino are built of stone and have low roofs covered with Sicilian roof tiles. In addition to the residential buildings, stables and hay barns have been preserved. These agricultural structures preserve the historic rural atmosphere of the place. The townscape includes low residential buildings with Sicilian roof tiles as well as buildings associated with housing animals and storing hay. Together, residential and agricultural buildings form Ciolino’s rural appearance.

The early “pagghiari” in the town centre

The buildings known as “pagghiari” are among the earliest settlement structures in Ciolino. They served as homes and places for sheltering animals; traces of them are still visible in the town centre. In this early form of settlement, residential use and animal housing were combined. The pagghiari therefore belong to an earlier settlement phase than the chapel from the middle of the 19th century. Their traces preserve a tangible connection in the town centre to Ciolino’s earliest forms of settlement.

Landscape between spring and summer

The landscape of Ciolino is considered barren and sun-scorched. In spring it appears green, while in summer it is characterised by the yellow of the grain. The colour impression of the surroundings changes noticeably between these seasons. This seasonal change in colour adds a dynamic accent alongside the permanently stony buildings and the preserved rural structures.

Two settlement centres and the road to Borgo Ciolino

Ciolino currently appears to be divided into two separate settlement centres, approximately 500 metres apart. A provincial road branches off towards Borgo Ciolino from the “Portella del Morto” crossroads. The two settlement centres and this turn-off form part of the spatial arrangement of the place.

Other places: Butera, Campofranco, Serradifalco, Montedoro, Sutera, Niscemi, Acquaviva Platani, Riesi.

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