La grotta come evocazione della divinità femminile nei giardini siciliani

Abstract

This essay looks at how garden grottos a in Europe have been defined and classified through the centuries to understand how they reveal the changing relationship between man and “other”. Made from ephemeral material and subject to high levels of humidity, grottos are particularly vulnerable cultural artefacts. Despite having a rich history of ornamental grottos, up until now little attention has been paid to the grottos of Sicily. Thus, an initial list of eight specifically Sicilian grotto types is offered, in the hopes of inspiring interest in their history and conservation.