Piazza Ciullo is the main square of Alcamo, in the province of Trapani. Being located in the very town centre, it is the meeting place for people and attraction for important events, especially for teenagers.
History
According to some historical sources, in 1500 a watercourse crossed Piazza Ciullo: the ditch, where it ran, filled up with water during winter, but after a few centuries the area took the present conformation. Today the proof of the existence of this stream is given by the particular position of the buildings, whose profiles are made to stand out through the lines of the pavement, after the restoration work realized according to Gae Aulenti's project. In the 16th century there were a lot of houses, with courts inside them, and churches within the town; many houses were built on the east-west axis towards Porta Trapani. The banks of the stream were very suitable to built new churches. They started Church of Saint Olivia in 1533, then the Church of the Holy Family, the Collegio or Church of Jesus, the Ex Chiesa di Santa Maria dello Stellario. This place became important in the first half of the XVI century thanks to some events, like the passage and stay of the emperor Carlo V, and later the realization of the Church of Jesus by the Jesuits in 1650, which gave the square its characteristic shape. The present square has risen with the union of the forecourts of three churches: Saint Olivia, Stellario and the Chiesa del Collegio. Its first name was Piazza Maggiore, then, until 1875, Piano Sant'Oliva, and finally Piazza Ciullo, in honour of the great poet Ciullo d’Alcamo, the author of the famous love contrast Rosa fresca aulentissima.
Description
Piazza Ciullo has an oblong shape, and it is characterised by two parallel sides, winding as the ancient walls, no longer in existence. In the square you can admire the imposing Baroquefaçade of Church of Jesus with a big circular clock in the upper part, the architectural ensemble of the Ex Collegio dei Gesuiti next to it, then the Church of the Holy Family, Palazzo Comunale and the Church of Saint Olivia, founded in 1533 and rebuilt in 1723 after Giovanni Biagio Amico's project. Just opposite the Town Hall there is the Liberty building, once the seat of the Post Office. In 1919, at the corner with Corso 6 Aprile, they placed a very beautiful wooden kiosk that served drinks and decoctions: today it is an ice-cream and sandwich shop. Until 1929, at the corner with via Porta Stella, there was a fountain realized by the sculptorAntonino Gaggini, Antonello’s son; in addition, within a frame, there were two shields and the coat of arms of Alcamo, with a Latin inscription. Below the square, on its north side and going down some steps, there is Piazza Mercato.
Restoration
In 1952 the square was paved by the local authority. The last restoration, made in 1996 after the project of the famous architect Gae Aulenti, has led to the new flooring and new street furniture, following the guidelines of the stream which crossed the square and that disappeared. The renovation of the main square of Alcamo, which also included the placing of those much-discussed ‘’green poles’’, even today, is still today a subject of lively discussion between some people affirming that it has brought an added value, and other people who, on the contrary, see a quite striking contrast with the older part of the square. However, this lighting system, later used in other places, has taken the name of Sistema Alcamo. Today the whole square, and part of Corso 6 Aprile, is a pedestrian area.
