One after the other, at Ferla there settled all the peoples that over the centuries lived in Sicily, and each of them left an impress in this small village on the slopes of Monte Lauro. So, for example, the archaeological remains in the territory speak to us of the Greeks, while the old historic area takes us back to the medieval past. In the heart of the village, around the big Piazza San Sebastiano - where there is a big late Baroque fountain - there are no fewer than three churches, bearing witness to a faith that finds tangible expression in art.
The biggest is the church dedicated to St. Sebastian, the patron saint: it was built in the eighteenth century on the site of a fifteenth-century church destroyed by the 1693 earthquake, and has a beautiful façade decorated with a composition (above the main portal) depicting the saint between two Roman soldiers and two Moors: it is the opinion of art critics that this is the best example of Sicilian Baroque sculpture in the period. Here there is also a big picture by Giuseppe Crestadoro depicting the 'Martyrdom of St. Sebastian' (1789) and fine wooden statues. In the same piazza there is the side of the main church, dedicated to St. James the Apostle. The parvis consists in a big balcony you get to up a flight of steps, and on the main portal you can see one of the oldest representations of the coat of arms of the village.
At Ferla, besides, there are so many churches: among them there is Sant'Antonio, a national monument, whose façade is attributed to an artist of the school of the famous architect Rosario Gagliardi (who also did the two San Giorgio churches at Ragusa Ibla and Modica) characterized by a particular and rare Greek cross scheme and a small octagonal cupola decorated on the inside with fine stuccoes and frescoes.
However, although they are very fine, the churches are not the only treasure of Ferla: from here you can quickly get to the necropolis and settlements of Pantalica that, according to archaeologists, can be identified with the mythical city of Hybla, the capital of a small autochthonous kingdom, about which there are notices dating from between the 13th and 8th centuries BC. Pantalica, which has been made World Heritage by UNESCO, is a magic place that one absolutely must visit.
The commune of Ferla, with about 3.000 inhabitants, is situated in the province of Siracusa (Sicily region), near the communes of Buccheri, Buscemi, Carlentini, Cassaro and Sortino.
