Ancient Paths and Historical Itineraries of Sicily: VI Via Maritima Loca (Syracuse – Agrigento)
Rev. B1.0 (edited by Ignazio Caloggero)

ROUTE MODIFIED – TEXT BEING UPDATED. 

Interactive map updated in real time. For a global view of all the historical itineraries of Sicily, for the presentation of the project, the "zoomable" historical maps taken as reference and the relative methodological notes, please refer to the project page: Ancient paths and historical itineraries of Sicily. For a view of all the routes in one web page, see: Ancient Paths and Historical Itineraries of Sicily: All the routes live.

The map shows the main "stations" and the archaeological sites encountered along the way. Under the map further details and technical notes. The overall length of the route involved in this route is approximately 280 km. 

Description

"Tourist" itinerary of the Roman period which includes (Syracuse - Eloro stretch) the Via Elorina (remembered by Thucydides in VI,80 and VII, 80) and which falls on previous Greek, Sicilian and Sican routes. 

Along the way, we should also consider some cross roads connected in some way to via Selinuntina and via Maritima Loca. Only the transversal Calafarina- Contrada Cuba and Contrada Pianetti – Valli Caitena have been left on this web page, as they could be considered variants of the via Maritima Loca. For a broader view that takes into account other transversals and links with other paths, including the Via Maritima Loca, we recommend viewing the cumulative interactive map of the South East Grid: South East grid

 

Itinerary Itinerarium Antonini (5) (21)

  • Syracuse 
  • Apollon [plague] 
  • Hereo [sive Cymbe] [refugium] 
  • Mesopotamian [plaga] 
  • Calvisianis [plague] 
  • Chalis [plague] 
  • Plintis [refuge]
  • Daedalius 
  • agrigentum 

 Antonini Path reworked.  

Summary of sections, sub-sections, variants and possible cross-sections that can be connected, even indirectly, to the route. 

  • VIA section (Siracusa – Avola) 
  • Section VIB (Avola – Calafarina) 
  • Section VIC (Calafarina – Pozzallo) 
  • Section VID (Pozzallo – Mazzarelli)
  • VIE Section (Mazzarelli Kamarina)
  •  Section VIF (Kamarina – Plaga Calvisiana)
  • Section VIG (Plaga Calvisiana – Licata)
  • Section VIH (Licata – Agrigento)
  • T1: Transversal Calafarina – Contrada Cuba  
  • T2: Transversal Contrada Pianetti – Valli Caitena  

Below is the detailed description (indication of the bibliographic or cartographic source in brackets)

VIA section (Siracusa – Avola) 

The section from Syracuse to Rinaura is the same as a section of the Via Selinuntina (Variant VAa2 (Forum of Syracuse - Temple of Zeus - Cozzo Pantano)

  • Syracuse (5)
  • VIA.1: Contrada Pantanelli (3.477) (36 book IV- 316) (C30) (C26) (C17) (CAMS)
  • VIA.2: Temple of Zeus (3.477) (C30) (C26) (C12) (C29) (CAMS)
  • VIA.3: Contrada Carroziere (C26) (C30) (CAMS) 
  • VIA.4: Rinaura (99) (CAMS) (C30) (C26) (CAMS) (see note VIA.4)
  • VIA.5: Contrada Laganelli di Motta (C26) (C30) (CAMS)
  • VIA.6: Piana di San Michele (C26) (C30) (CAMS)
  • VIA.7: Contrada Longarini (or Longarino) (C26) (C30) (21.10)
  • VIA.8: Cassibile (C26) (C30) (CAMS)
  • VIA.9: Stratò (C26) (C30) (CAMS)
  • VIA.10: Contrada Borgellusa (C26) (C30) (CAMS)
  • Avola

Section VIB (Avola – Calafarina) 

  • Avola
  • VIB.1: Contrada La Gebbia (C26) (C30) (CAMS)
  • VIB.2: Contrada Mammanelli (C26) (C30) (CAMS)
  • VIB.3: Cicerata (C26) (C30) (CAMS)
  • VIB.4: Contrada Piccio – S. Marco (C26) (C30) (CAMS)
  • VIB.5: Pizzuta (Eloro) (21.10) (C26) (C26) (C30) (C27)
  • VIB.6: Eloro River (Bucachemi Bridge) (21.10)
  • VIB.7: Roman Villa of Tellaro (CAMS) (C26) (C30)
  • VIB.8: Bimisca (21.10) (C26) (C30) (CAMS)
  • VIB.9: Sichilli (21.10) (C26) (C30) (CAMS)
  • VIB.10: Cozzo Gerbi (C26) (C30) (CAMS)
  • VIB.11: Case Tamburino (C26) (C30) (CAMS)
  • VIB.12: Contrada Maccari (C26) (C30) (CAMS)
  • VIB.13: San Lorenzo Vecchio (C26) (C30) (CAMS)
  • VIB.13: Bove Marino (CAMS)
  • VIB.13: Marzamemi (CAMS)
  • VIB.13: Calafarina (CAMS)

Section VIC (Calafarina – Pozzallo) 

  • VIC.1: Portopalo di Capo Passero (CAMS) (C26) (C30)
  • VIC.2: Valli Caitena (CAMS) (C26) (C30)
  • VIC.3: Contrada Pagliarello (C26) (C30)
  • VIC.4: Maucini (CAMS) (C26) (C30)
  • VIC.5: Contrada Cuba (CAMS) (C26) (C30) 
  • VIC.6: Contrada Passo Corrado (CAMS) (C26) (C30) (21.10)
  • VIC.7: Apolline [plaga] (Castellazzo della Marza) (5) (Apollinis) (21.7) (21.7) (CAMS) (3.479) (8) 
  • VIC.8: Santa Maria del Focallo (99) (C26) (C30) 
  • VIC.9: Contrada Pietre Nere (Pozzallo) (99) (CAMS) (C26) (C30) 
  • VIC.10: Pozzallo (CAMS) 

T1: Transversal Calafarina – Contrada Cuba

  • T1.1: Cozzo Cugni
  • T1.2: Cugni – Morghella (CAMS)
  • T1.3: Pachino 
  • T1.4: Contrada Pianetti (CAMS) (C26)
  • T1.5: Crossroads (CAMS) (C26)
  • T1.6: Contrada Cuba (CAMS) (C26)

just before Contrada Cuba, the route flows into the Via Maritima

T2: Transversal Contrada Pianetti – Valli Caitena 

  1. Pachino
  2. T2.1: Contrada Pianetti (C26) (C30)
  3. T2.2: Scibini Tower (C26) (C30) (CAMS)
  4. T2.3: Valli Caitena (C26) (C30) (CAMS)

In Valli Caitena the route rejoins the Maritima Loca

VID section (Pozzallo – Mazzarelli) review 

  • VID.1: Cala Raganzino (21.7)
  • VID.2: Cala Maganuco (21.7)
  • VID.3: Punta Religione (CAMS) (Cala Samuele? 21.7))
  • VID.4: Cala Ciarcioro (Port of Ciarciuolo) (C26) (21.7)
  • VID.5: Cala Pisciotto (21.7)
  • VID.6: Cala Sampieri (21.7)
  • VID.7: Contrada Fornelli (CAMS)
  • VID.8: Contrada Cancellieri (CAMS)
  • VID.9: Contrada Milizie (Milici) (3.479) (CAMS) REVIEW
  • VID.10: Giardinelli (CAMS) (C30)
  • VID.11: Contrada Maulli (CAMS) (21.6)
  • VID.12: Hereo [sive Cymbe] (5) (Motycanus mouth – Fiumara di Modica or Ludderi – 21.6) (Reosino-Cymbi refugium) (3.478) REVIEW
  • VID.13: Contrada Legacy (C26) (C30)
  • VID.14: Contrada Maulli – Mormina (CAMS) (C26) (C30)
  • VID.15: Contrada Coste della Volpe (C26) (C30)
  • VID.16: Contrada Castellana (C26) (C30)
  • VID.17: Marina di Ragusa (Mazzarelli) C26) (C30)

ROUTE section (Mazzarelli – Kamarina)

  • VIE.1: Ship (C30) (C26)
  • VIE.2: S Cross (3.478) (C30) (C26)
  • ROUTE.3: Costa Archi – Mirio (C30) (C26) (CAMS) 
  • ROUTE.4: Contrada Cavette (C30) (C26) (CAMS) 
  • VIE.5: Contra Piombo (C30) (C26) (CAMS) 
  • VIE.6: Contrada Randello (CAMS) (C26) (CAMS) 
  • STREET.7: Contrada Rifriscolaro (21) (C26)
  • VIE.8: Camarina (21.7) (CAMS) 

Section VIF (Kamarina – Plaga Calvisiana)

  • VIF.1: Mouth of the Hipparis (21) (30)
  • VIF.2: Mesopotamio (5) Macconi di Vittoria (Mesopotami Plaga) (21.5) (30)
  • VIF.3: Scoglitti (30) (CAMS)
  • VIF.4: Contrada Anguilla (CAMS) (30)
  • VIF.5: Berdia (30) (CAMS)
  • VIF.6: Alcerito (30) (CAMS)
  • VIF.7: Contrada Iacono (30)
  • VIF.8: Piano Lace (30)
  • VIF.9: Cozzo Cipollazzo (CAMS) (30)
  • VIF.10: (Calvisiani Plaga) (Bitalemi) (5) (21.5) (30)

Section VIG (Plaga Calvisiana – Licata)

  • VIG.1: Molino al Vento (CAMS) (C30) 
  • VIG.2: Capo Soprano Gela (CAMS) (C30) 
  • VIG.3: Notaro Plan (Gela) (CAMS) (C30) 
  • VIG.4: Torto Bridge (C30)
  • VIG.5: Locality of La Zotta (Manfria) (C30) 
  • VIG.6: (Chalis) (Callis Plaga) (5) (21) (at the Marina dei Monumenti of Manfria) (3.478-479) (5) (8) (C26) (CAMS) (C30)
  • VIG.7: Mouth of Manfria (C30) (C26) (21.5)
  • VIG.8: Carrubba Torrent (Comunelle) (21.5) (C26)
  • VIG.9: Desusino Valley (21.4) (C26)
  • VIG.10: Poggio Lungo (21.4) (C26) (C30) 
  • VIG.11: Falconara (21.4) (C26) (C30) 
  • VIG.12: Cantigaglione torrent (21) (C30)
  • VIG.13: Vallone di Montegrante (ruins of an ancient building on the hillock) (21.4) (C26
  • VIG.14: Safarella Valley (Saffarello) (21.4) (C30)
  • VIG.15: Fondachello (Funnagello?) (21.4) (CAMS) (C30)
  • VIG.16: Salt River (21.4) (C30)
  • VIG.17: Licata (Plintis) (Phintias Licata 22.485) (CAMS) (C26) (5) (3.478-479) (5) (8) (21.4)

 

Section VIH (Licata – Agrigento)

  • VIH.1: Castel Sant'Angelo (Licata) (CAMS)
  • VIH.2: Poggio Cofino (CAMS)
  • VIH.3: Monte Sole (CAMS)
  • VIH.4: Lace Fall (CAMS) (C26)
  • VIH.5: Serra Mollarella-Monte Poliscia (CAMS)
  • VIH.6: Punta di S. Nicola (CAMS) 21.4
  • VIH.7: Mollaga (Mollaka?) (21.4)
  • VIH.8: Piss (21.4)
  • VIH.9: Acquicella (21)
  • VIH.10: Dedalio (Dedalia) (5) (21) (at the foot of Castellazzo di Palmi) (Gaffi at Licata 22.485)
  • VIH.11: Gaffes (21)
  • VIH.12: Ciotta (Ciota) (21) (CAMS) (C26)
  • VIH.13: Contrada Cento Salme/Portella Palumbo (CAMS)
  • VIH.14: Contrada Salice (CAMS)
  • VIH.15: Contrada Falcone (CAMS)
  • VIH.16: Contrada Tomazzo (CAMS)
  • VIH.17: Contrada Castello (CAMS)
  • VIH.18: Wind Floor (21.3) (CAMS)
  • VIH.19: Portella of Rocca di Corvo (21) (C26)
  • VIH.20: Mandrascava (Mandra Scavo) (C26) (21.3)
  • VIH.21: Naro River (21.3)
  • VIH.22: Cannatello (21.3)
  • VIH.23: Contrada Moses (CAMS)
  • VIH.24: Agrigentum (5) (second east gate – Gela gate -) (21) (3.478-479) (5) (8) (C13) (C14)

Insights

 

Note EIA.4: Uggeri (21.10) also inserts Cozzo Pantano in the route, at the moment I have not inserted this site as it seems to me quite far from the path I traced. I believe that Cozzo Pantano is rather to be assigned to via Selinuntina 

In blue the Via Selinuntina, in green the Maritima Loca

Note VIF1: This section had to be as close as possible to the sea if not directly on the beach. 

Taken from Manfria to Falconara from C26: Europe in the XIX. century (with the Third Military Survey)

 

Bibliography and Reference Cartography.

(1) (3) (11) (13) (14) (15) (17) (22) (26) (29) (35) (36) (40) (42) (99) (CAMS) (C4 ) (C7) (C12) (C13) (C15A) (C16) (C17) (C18) (C26) (C27) (C29) (C30)

  • [1] Giovanni Uggeri: The formation of the Roman road system in Sicily 
  • [3] Biagio Pace: Art and Civilization of Ancient Sicily Vol. 1 pag. 453-488
  • [11]: Patitucci - G. Uggeri, Contribution to Tabula Imperii Byzantini of Sicily: the Ippari Valley, in SAMI, Proceedings VII Congr. Nat. arch. Med. (Lecce 2015), Florence 2015, pp. 436-41.
  • [13]: G. Uggeri:  Itineraries and roads, routes, ports and ports of call of late ancient Sicilyin  Proceedings IX Ancient Sicily Congress (Palermo 1997), "Kokalos" 43-44 (1997-1998), Rome 2000, pp. 299-364.
  • [14]: The Roman road system in Sicily and the medieval remains. Extract from: ROCK SICILY IN THE CONTEXT OF MEDITERRANEAN CIVILIZATIONS Proceedings of the sixth International Study Conference on Medieval Rock Civilization in Southern Italy (Catania - Pantalica - lspica, 7-12 September 1981) - Congedo Editore Galatina - 1986
  • [15]: G. Uggeri: The Roman road system in Sicily with particular regard to the third and fourth centuries. In Kokalos XXVIII-XXIX 1982-1983
  • [17]: G. Uggeri: Sicily in the "Tabula Peutingeriana" - Editore Loffredo - Naples 1968
  • [21] G. Uggeri: On the Itinerarium per maritima loca from Agrigento to Syracuse, «Atene e Roma», ns, XV (Florence 1970), 2-3, pp. 107-117.
  • [22] Adolfo Holm History of Sicily Antiquity Vol. III Chap IV
  • [26] Biagio Pace: The most recent excavations of Camarina in the Historical Archive for Eastern Sicily Year XIV - File I, II, II (1917)
  • [29]: Corrado Fianchino, Gaetano Sciuto: The paths of naturalness in the south-east of Sicily - Aracne Edittrice - 2017
  • [35] Francesca Buscemi: Ancient routes and modern travelers through the Iblei. Notes on historical topography in: Archaeological landscapes of south-eastern Sicily. Rosolini's landscape curated by Francesca Buscemi and Francesco Tomasello - published as part of the Progetto KASA 2008 project (Koinè Archeologica, Sapiente Antichità) funded under the Interreg IIIA Italy-Malta program, 2004-2006
  • [36] Tommaso Fazello - History of Sicily Volume I. Palermo
  • [40] Thucydides - The Peloponnesian War Vol. VI, VII
  • [42] Giorgio Bejor - Aspects of the Romanization of Sicily. In: Modes de contacts et processus de transformation dans les sociétés anciennes. Actes du colloque de Cortone (24-30 mai 1981) Rome: École Française de Rome, 1983. pp. 345-378. (Publications de l'École française de Rome, 67);
  • [99] Ignazio Caloggero: The Project Ancient Paths and Historical Itineraries of Sicily
  • CAMS: Multimedia Archaeological Map of Sicily - Link: https://www.lasiciliainrete.it/archivio-patrimonio-archeologico-di-sicilia/
  • C4: Nova et accurate Siciliae Regionum, Urbium, Castellorum, Pagorum Montium, Sylvarum, Planitierum, Viarum Situum ac Singularium quorumque locorum et rerum ad Geographiam Partinentium Descriptio Universalis - 1721 author Schmettau, Samuel von
  • C7: Sicily. Publisher: Robert Laurie & James Whittle (1799) (always referable to Schmettau's paper))
  • C12: Siciliae Antiquae quae et Sicania et Trinacria dicta tabula geographic. Publisher: L'Isle, Guillaume de, 1675-1726
  • C13: [4] Tabula Peutingeriana (medieval map of the Roman world written by a monk of Colmar XIII century
  • C15A: General Map of the Island of Sicily - Officio Topografico 1826 (South-East)
  • C16: Guidelines of the Regional Territorial Landscape Plan - Historic road network
  • C17: Syracuse at the time of Gelone and Gelone I map with the roads leaving Syracuse attached to the book by Adolfo Holm: Storia di Sicilia-Vol. THE  
  • C18: Sicily Trazzerale Network (1929). Published in the Journal of the Land Registry and Tax Services in 1941
  • C26: Europe in the XNUMXth century. century (with the Third Military Survey)  
  • C27: Comparative Map of Modern Sicily (1859)
  • C28: Siciliae Antiquae Tabula (1834) (Sicily Tabulae Peutingerianae)
  • C29: La Sicile Pour l'Histoire Romaine (1740) 
  • C30: Cartography of the Landscape Plans of the Sicily Region which can be consulted online (for the trazzere and historical routes)
  • [36] Tommaso Fazello - History of Sicily Volume I. Palermo

For the bibliography and general cartography see the page: Methodological Notes and Bibliography 

 

 

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