“Golden age” it may have been for some, but for others less fortunate, the sulphur mines were a symbol of brutal working conditions. Children as young as six were sent into the narrow confines of the mines to carry the extracted sulphur to the surface. Temperatures below ground reached around 45 C, explosions, mine collapses and other hazards rendered the life of a miner – young or old – insufferable. The younger of these children were referred to as “Carusi”. “The Carusi” painting below, by Orlando Tomaselli, in 1905 clearly gives voice to the terrible treatment of the workers in sulphur production locally.

The sulphur mines were given the literary treatment by Giovanni Verga, in a short story called “The Evil Redhead” (available in translation in “The She-Wolf & Other Stories”)

We will look in more detail at Giovanni Verga, born in Catania, in another blog post, but for now know that he is considered a pioneer of realism, and a great writer of the late 19th Century and early 20th Century. Commercial activity ceased after the conclusion of the Second World War. Having dominated the market for more than a century, cheaper to exploit deposits of sulphur were found in the United States causing a collapse in demand for Sicilian sulphur. In fact, compared to the Nineteenth Century, production dropped from 90% of world supply to just 2%. and so the chimneys fell into disrepair.
In 1984 the Regional Authority of Catania engaged architects to restore a number of the chimneys, incorporating them into a project aimed at revitalising the city.

The project sought to maintain the basic structures, in particular the chimneys that could be saved. From these was born an exhibition centre of some 25 000 square metres. The centre today is used for trade fairs, conferences, concerts, theatrical performances, film viewings and exhibitions. Inside the complex one can find a museum of film, another commemorating the Allied landings on Sicily in 1943, an exhibition of ancient maps of Sicily and a collection of vintage radios.

Aside from these permanent displays, one can find temporary exhibitions such as the increasingly famous Etna Comics annual event.
Further Information (Please consult the respective websites for up to date entry times.)
Museo dello Sbarco 1943 – the museum allows entry on the hour and on the half hour, to facilitate guided tours. They feature interactive, and multimedia exhibits, as well as contemporary photographs, artefacts and information relating to the 1943 Allied invasion of Sicily which was used to inform tactics on D-Day in the following year.
To learn more about this extraordinary period there are a number of excellent books examining the invasion including The Allied Invasion of Sicily: The History of the Largest Amphibious Campaign of World War II, by Charles River editors.

Hours: (Confirm on site: www.cittametropolitana.ct.it)
10am-6pm, last entry 4pm Tue-Sun Jul & Aug
9am-5pm Tue-Sun, last entry 3pm Sep-Jun

Museo del Cinema - for non Italian speakers the primary interest here lies in the film posters, memorabilia and vintage cinematographic equipment on display. The tour is illuminating if you speak Italian. You do not have to take the tour to go in.
Hours: (Confirm on site: www.cittametropolitana.ct.it)
10am-5pm Tue-Sun Jul & Aug
9am-4pm Tue-Sun Sep-Jun

Antique Sicilian map exhibition: More than 150 maps from as far back as the Fourteenth Century, organised into categories such as nautical, religious themed and so on.
Hours: (Confirm on site: www.cittametropolitana.ct.it)
Tuesday to Saturday from 9.00 to 17.00 (last entrance at 16.30)

Vintage Radio Exhibition:
Hours: (Confirm on site www.cannizzaroct.org)
Tuesday to Saturday from 9.00 to 17.00 (last entrance at 16.30)
Closed on Monday and Sunday