Kaos – Pirandello’s Birth Place

Luigi Pirandello’s birth-home is a late-18th century country-house surrounded by olive trees and oaks. It stands alone and silent in the middle of Agrigento’s countryside, in this area known as Caos.

The Ricci Gramittos, the writer’s mother’s ancestors, took possession of the house in 1817 where they took refuge to escape a cholera epidemic that hit Sicily and it was here, in this house, where Pirandello was born on the 28th of June 1867.

On top-floor is the writer’s dwelling, which is now open to the public. The writer’s last visit to his house goes back to 1934, 2 years before his death. He loved this house and this place which overlooks the sea and where he spent his childhood and adolescence.

This is where is drew inspiration for his artistry and this is where he was buried. His last wishes were to have his ashes buried in the countryside of “Girgenti”, where he was born, close to his native house.

The rooms in the house now display written and iconographic material: family photographs, portraits of the writer and of Marta Abba, the actress to whom he became very close in his last years.

A short path, to the right of the house, leads to a pine-tree (irreparably damaged by a storm in 1997) at the foot of which is an urn containing the ashes of the writer. Beyond it, is the sea.