Tyndaris and its wonderful theatre
The ancient Greeks, who in 396 BC founded Tyndaris, knew well the natural scenery that was just in front of them while on the top of the promontory with the same name. In the highest point they built a theatre with a cavea that lays on the natural slope pointed towards the so called Gulf of Patti. Due to its position it is impossible to embrace with your eyes the acropolis, the ancient Milay (today called Milazzo) on the east side and also Capo Calavà at the end of the gulf.
While Tyndaris is just an hamlet of the municipality of Patti, the splendour of his glorious past is likely to be seen in its small but very important archaeological area. Another fact concerning the theatre is a considerable portion of the cavea, part of the set and of the structures. This elements date back to the following Roman period.
Moreover the view from the top explains above all the effort of the beefy workers of that times, who had to bring big blocks of sandstone from the caves of the valley to the top of the hill. Most noteworthy is the sunset, because the red light paints the horizon and goes deep in the sea. Even more during the shows represented in this magic theatre, you do not certainly need any other kind of light.
Summer in Tyndaris
Consequently you can attend comedies, tragedies, concerts, operas during summer since 62 years. The theatre of Tyndaris has of course an ideal position for this kind of shows. While originally it had a capacity of 3000 people, now seats have been reduced for safety reasons.
Anyway it is very difficult to find a similar place around Sicily. Also Salvatore Quasimodo described Tyndaris in the poem which has the same name. First of all he referred to the melancholy he had of his land. As a result peace and tranquillity come over the visitors and reconcile them with the word.
Furthermore there is a big square just in front of the church, crowded by pilgrims who arrive for the cult of the so called Black Madonna. But this is another story, our friend Mata will tell you about it later.
Caterina De Simone (for the translation Grazia Occhino)
