U coppu e lu mari

The Mediterranean Sea is the sea that bathes Sicily, an island that is located right in the middle of it and for this reason it has always been a coveted land for the control of the entire area.Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans, Siceliots … sailed it with their ships. It is a sea rich in varieties of fish. It is a sea rich in archaeological finds from ships sunk over the centuries. It is a sea that 50 million years ago dried up and then tectonic uplifts led it to form the current mountains of Sicily. That’s why you can find shells and fishes walking on the summits of eastern Sicily. It is a sea that reminds us of the Temple of Venus Erice, the most revered temple of antiquity of sailors, right on top of Mount Erice, western Sicily. It is the mare Nostrum!

The coppo is a terracotta tile, curved, particularly used in the past especially to cover the roofs of houses.

Photo Prizzi, hinterland of Sicily, roofs with coppi, 1928