Pizzuta Column in Noto
Colonna Pizzuta is a monument of Greek origin dating back to the 3rd century BC, which has now become the symbol of the district of Eloro . It is located a few kilometers from Noto near the seaside resort of Lido di Noto, in a place that is clearly visible from the sea.
The column is made up of square boulders and rises above a base of four steps 1.67 m high. with a base diameter of 3.79 and a height of approximately 10.50 m. The position of the column is in line with the four cardinal points: the respective corners of the base are perfectly aligned. A plaque, present on the column, testifies to the contribution of the restoration by Ferdinand of Bourbon during the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
Various theories have been advanced about its origin.
According to a first hypothesis, the monument may have been erected after the defeat of Hippocrates of Gela against Syracuse in the fifth century BC ..
The second theory states that the column was erected in memory of one of the bloodiest battles fought in Sicily: that between Athens and Syracuse.
The third hypothesis, to which the work of the archaeologist Paolo Orsi contributed, asserts that the column was not a monument to celebrate a victory, but a sepulcher. Evidence of this was the discovery, under the column, of a quadrangular funerary hypogeum stuccoed in red and white, with two warriors, one of which was holding a bronze from the time of Hieron II. This would move the dating from the 5th to the 3rd century BC, but it is still possible that the bodies were buried after keeping the oldest dating.
