Grammichele, Italian comune
Grammichele is a town in the Metropolitan City of Catania in Sicily, built around a hexagonal street plan with a central square from which six main streets radiate outward. The center is compact, and the geometric layout remains clearly readable as you move through it.
The original settlement was destroyed by the 1693 earthquake that leveled much of eastern Sicily. The town was rebuilt from scratch on a new site, following a planned layout that drew on Baroque ideas about order and urban form.
The hexagonal layout of Grammichele is precise enough that you notice it simply by walking through the center. The main square draws locals together in the evening, when the surrounding streets empty and the pace of daily life slows.
The town center is easy to explore on foot, since the streets spread evenly from the central square and make orientation straightforward. A visit in the late afternoon works well, when the heat eases and the square becomes more lively.
The plan for Grammichele was commissioned by Carlo Maria Carafa, Prince of Butera, and was inspired by Renaissance ideal city drawings that had almost never been built before. Unlike many similar projects that stayed on paper, this one was fully constructed and has remained inhabited ever since.
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