This Village in Sicily Is Shaped Like a Human Being

Centuripe Human Shaped Village in Italy

Photo: Google Earth

One of the beauties of aerial photography is the ability to see what's familiar in a whole new way. That was certainly true for photographer Pio Andrea Peri, who used his drone to photograph his hometown on the Italian island of Sicily. What he discovered was a delightful surprise that put his small town of Centuripe on the map.

The small village was already known for its wealth of Roman ruins and rare ancient sculptures, but Peri really spotlit its geography. After noticing its unusual shape on Google Earth, he decided to use his drone and see what he could find. He sent his drone as high as it could go and verified what he'd seen online—Centuripe looked like a human! With its five points that sprawl out from a central mass, the design of the village actually makes a shape that looks like a person.

Due to the limitations of his drone, Peri needed to stitch together several photos to fit in the entire village. When he posted the results online, he was delighted by the reaction. The images went viral and, all of a sudden, Centuripe was known as the town that looks like a human. And while some people accused the photographer of doctoring the image, a quick check on Google Earth verified that he had simply photographed what was there.

The ancient town was built on a hill, which gave it a good strategic position. The city was left in ruins in the 13th century, which means that its current design dates from the 16th century. Its tiny, winding streets lead down to terraced buildings; and today, around 5,000 people call Centuripe home. Now, thanks to Peri's photo, there is renewed interest in the village, with people traveling to take in the human-shaped town for themselves.

A local man caused a stir when he noticed that his small Sicilian town was shaped like a human.

Get another fantastic aerial view of Centuripe thanks to this drone footage.

h/t: [Oddity Central]

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Jessica Stewart

Jessica Stewart is a Contributing Writer and Digital Media Specialist for My Modern Met, as well as a curator and art historian. Since 2020, she is also one of the co-hosts of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. She earned her MA in Renaissance Studies from University College London and now lives in Rome, Italy. She cultivated expertise in street art which led to the purchase of her photographic archive by the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia in 2014. When she’s not spending time with her three dogs, she also manages the studio of a successful street artist. In 2013, she authored the book 'Street Art Stories Roma' and most recently contributed to 'Crossroads: A Glimpse Into the Life of Alice Pasquini'. You can follow her adventures online at @romephotoblog.
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