Arianna’s Labyrinth, An Endless Spiral in the Heart Of Sicily

Arianna’s Labyrinth was created by the sculptor Italo Lanfredini in 1990 and is currently part of the open-air museum “Fiumara d’Arte”, a cultural tourist route made up of 12 large contemporary art installations in the small town of Castel di Lucio, nestled between the Sicilian mountain ranges of the Nebrodi and the Madonie, in the province of Messina.

Inspired by the myth of Ariadne and Theseus, which has its roots in ancient Greece, the work is inspired by the theme of the ascent to purity, a sensory experience. The visitor finds a text that says: “The labyrinth is a reflection, it is the spirituality that derives from a type of “motherhood”, expressed in a sweet concentric display of circles that culminates in an aspiration from above, to the sublime. ”

Located on top of a hill and perfectly integrated into the landscape, the labyrinth is made of patinated concrete, known for its terracotta color. Shaped later by the inexorable erosion of sun, rain and wind, the labyrinth took on the appearance of a primordial structure, appearing as if it had always been part of the environment. Upon crossing the entrance, there is an arch that recalls the female genital organ, behind which begins a path that gives the sensation of being welcomed in a large womb, a spiral that leads to the center where there is an olive tree, the Greek symbol of wisdom and knowledge.

There is a single path with the same exit and the same entrance, without crossroads or dead ends and where it is impossible to get lost. Arianna’s Labyrinth celebrates the nature and tradition of a land constantly shrouded in stories and legends that are still present today. Italo Lanfredini defines it as “a work that no longer belongs to the artist, but to everyone. It belongs to each one of us.”