The Park Museum “Jalari” www.parcojalari.com is situated on the Peloritan mountains a few kilometres from Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto (ME) extended over 35 hectares (350,000 msq). “Jalari” originates from a dream and grows with perseverance and constancy due to 30 years of work from the Pietrini and Giorgianni families. It is difficult to synthesize in a few words what were the values, the culture and the spirit that animated the authors of the Park in these long, intensive and happy years of activity. Here, in the division of Maloto – near the so called “Pizzo Soglio” – a place which, circa 30 years ago, was erroneously considered arid for the (so thought) lack of water, an in-depth study and deep drilling, revealed it to be rich of water — creating a natural equilibrium. Originally there were only a few rows of oak trees; through work of redevelopment and reforestation, over forty thousand plants have been added. The creation of this rich vegetation has turned the park into a refuge for several animal species and a habitual stop for migratory birds. The name of the Park is not very usual: “Jalari”, the arab name of the district in which it has been created, means “shiny stone”; the same stone used for its realisation. Utilizing the stone as raw material, explains Salvatore Pietrini (creator of the architectural and environmental thought of the Park), also suggests the rediscovery of our land’s resources and their use in harmony with the surrounding environment, to create ecocompatible structures and consequently, inserting them perfectly in the territory. Unlike traditional museums, “Jalari’s” 15,000 (fifteen thousand) finds are placed in the 42 artisan shops with the aim to recreate faithfully the atmosphere and life of long time ago; in fact, they are positioned in their presumed original locations throughout the thousands of shops that once animated and filled the neighbourhoods. Along the avenues, hundreds of stone sculptures and fountains sculpted by Prof. Mariano Pietrini, accompany the visitors throughout a journey that brings them to discover their own identity, from a state of “Confusion” (name given to the first avenue) to that of “Dreams” (name of the avenue that concludes the journey), passing by the other avenues, through other states of the human mind: “Reflection”, “Rediscovery of Values”, “Pain”, “Love”, “Creativity”… In this context arises and is developed the “Jalari” Farm Holiday that proposes a new interpretation of tourism and agriculture: the reintroduction and valorization of agricultural products, the spread of techniques and principles of organic agriculture, the rediscovery of alimentary traditions, the regaining of the national and international image of Sicily. Today the Park Museum “Jalari” cannot be considered just a geographical site or a physical structure, but must be considered first of all a life philosophy. Every visitor, even the most distracted of them all, will be able to capture the variety and depth of the messages that will reach him/her throughout the walk along the avenues. The Park Museum “Jalari” also provides, a Congress Centre fit out for every type of event, meeting and training course, a banquet hall and a farmhouse.
