Located in the province of Catania, in the Italian island of Sicily, is the town of Grammichele.
It is one of the few towns in the world to have the unique hexagonal layout.
Grammichele was built by Carlo Maria Carafa Branciforte, the Prince of Roccella and Butera.
Designed by Michele da Ferla, it was the first city in Europe with a hexagonal plan.
Its layout was probably inspired byPalmanova, a fortified town built one hundred years earlier.
Many collecting areas were created in the town for residents to gather in case a calamity struck.
Beyond the hexagon, four rectangular districts were designed.
One of them was supposed to contain the Prince Palace but it was never built.
The turmoil of World War 2, however, put an end to hexagonal planning.
In practice, hexagonal blocks would have been too unusual to be a workable solution.
How would streets be named or dwellings numbered in a hexagon plan?
How would strangers navigate the streets of Hexagonopolis?
Besides, residential developers and home buyers did not like triangular lots and awkward corners.
Hexagonal planning is a concept that may work in theory but not in practice, he concludes.
Themain square of the Sicilian town of Grammichelewith town hall, mother church and sundial.
Photo credit: imagesef / Shutterstock.com
One of the many street views of Grammichele.
