This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in Italian. (January 2022)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
Calatabiano | |
---|---|
Comune di Calatabiano | |
Coordinates: 37°49′N15°14′E / 37.817°N 15.233°E | |
Country | Italy |
Region | Sicily |
Metropolitan city | Catania (CT) |
Frazioni | Lapide Pasteria, Ponte Borea, Ciotto, San Marco |
Government | |
• Mayor | Giuseppe Intelisano |
Area | |
• Total | 26.42 km2 (10.20 sq mi) |
Elevation | 60 m (200 ft) |
Population | |
• Total | 5,264 |
• Density | 200/km2 (520/sq mi) |
Demonym | Calatabianesi |
Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Postal code | 95011 |
Dialing code | 095 |
Patron saint | St. Philip of Agira |
Saint day | 12 May |
Website | Official website |
Calatabiano (Sicilian : Cattabbianu) is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Catania in Sicily, southern Italy.
Calatabiano is located about 60 metres above the sea level. It is located about 42 kilometres northeast of Catania. about 58 kilometres southwest of Messina and about 175 kilometres east of Palermo. The population is about 75% in the center of the town, and about 25% is located in Pasteria Lapide. Calatabiano borders the following municipalities: Castiglione di Sicilia, Fiumefreddo di Sicilia, Giardini-Naxos, Linguaglossa, Piedimonte Etneo, Taormina. The municipality of Calatabiano is a part of Parco fluviale dell'Alcantara (Alcantara River Park).
The history of Calatabiano is closely linked to its castle, located 160 meters above the sea level. Calatabiano Castle was founded by the Arabs, who moved from Calatabiano to conquer Taormina in 902. The Arab presence in Calatabiano is clearly visible from the name of the town, which is divided in قلعة ("Kalaat", meaning "castle") and 'to Bian, likely name of the local lord.
After the death of Frederick II, the castle was given to Giovanni Moro by Conrad IV. In 1254, the Pope gave to Giovanni Moro some possessions, including Calatabiano Castle, in exchange for guarantee military aid in the defense of the Kingdom of Sicily.
The Cruyllas enlarged the castle and built the church of Santissimo Crocifisso (the Holy Cross).
In 1544 the pirate Dragut landed on the shore of San Marco beach, stormed and ransacked the village. In 1693 due to the earthquake felt in Sicily and Malta accompanied by the eruption of Mount Etna, [4] the village and castle were abandoned. In 1813 the Sicilian parliament marked the end of feudalism in the island. In the same year Calatabiano was declared an autonomous municipality, the boundaries has been maintained until this day.
This section is written like a travel guide rather than an encyclopedic description of the subject.(January 2022) |
Thanks to the excavations done between the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the next century, there has been found traces of a castle in the Byzantine era. Because of its military importance, the Hohenstaufen first and then the Aragonese improved the Castle's defence. The Cruyllas enlarged the fortress up to its current appearance.
Main features include the “Salone dei Cruyllas” (“Hall of Cruyllas”) and the entry portal. In the last few decades the castle has been renovated and became a tourist attraction. The castle could be reached by a winding road or by a cable car that was built during the restoration of the castle in 2011.
Despite its name, San Marco's Castle is actually a noble residence on the San Marco's shore. The construction was being built in 1689 by the lord of the time, Ignazio Sebastiano Gravina Prince of Palagonia, and completed in two years. The actual castle looks different from the original building, this is due to the numerous changes made over the decades. In 1856 it was leased to Baron Pasquale Pennisi of Floristella. The Baron changed the Castle with the construction of a winery and some houses for farmers.
The church of Santissimo Crocifisso (the Holy Cross) is the first church of Calatabiano and it was inaugurated on 4 March 1484. Its Gothic architecture include a massive crenellated bell tower and two ogival entrances, west and south. Inside the church there is a statue of St. Philip of Agira (patron saint of Calatabiano). In the bell tower, on the west wall, is a 16th-century fresco of the Madonna and Child.
The church of Madre di Maria Santissima Annunziata was built in 1740 with a single nave. It is located in the central of Vittorio Emanuele III square. Internally it houses a wooden crucifix from 1502 of Giovanni Salvo D'Antonio.
The Church of Gesù e Maria (Jesus and Mary) dates from 1697; it has a facade in masonry and white stone.
The traditional descent of St. Philip takes place during the feast of St. Philip Syriac, protector of the town, on the Saturday before the third Sunday of May. The tradition started back in 1766. During the descent, the statue of the saint has to be carried by the devotees from the Church of the Holy Cross to the center of the town. The procession begins at 06:30 pm, the devotees run through the bumpy roads of Calatabiano. The feast ends on the fourth Sunday of May.
Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 20 regions of Italy. The Strait of Messina separates it from the region of Calabria in Southern Italy. It is one of the five Italian autonomous regions and is officially referred to as Regione Siciliana. The region has 5 million inhabitants. Its capital city is Palermo.
Catania is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by the presence of important road and rail transport infrastructures as well as by the main airport in Sicily, fifth in Italy. It is located on Sicily's east coast, at the base of the active volcano, Mount Etna, and it faces the Ionian Sea. It is the capital of the 58-municipality region known as the Metropolitan City of Catania, which is the seventh-largest metropolitan city in Italy. The population of the city proper is 311,584, while the population of the Metropolitan City of Catania is 1,107,702.
Noto is a city and comune in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily, Italy. It is 32 kilometres (20 mi) southwest of the city of Syracuse at the foot of the Iblean Mountains. It lends its name to the surrounding area Val di Noto. In 2002 Noto and its church were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Agathaof Sicily is a Christian saint. Her feast is on 5 February. Agatha was born in Catania, part of the Roman Province of Sicily, and was martyred c. 251. She is one of several virgin martyrs who are commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass.
Agira is a town and comune in the province of Enna, Sicily. It is located in the mid-valley of the River Salso, 35 kilometres from Enna. Until 1861 it was called San Filippo d'Argiriò, in honour of its saint Philip of Agira.
Aci Castello is a comune in the Metropolitan City of Catania in Sicily, Italy. The city is located 9 kilometres (6 mi) north of Catania on the Mediterranean coast. The primary economic sectors are agriculture and industry. The city is neighbored by Aci Catena, Acireale, Catania, San Gregorio di Catania and Valverde.
Francavilla di Sicilia is a town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Messina on the island of Sicily, southern Italy.
Fiumefreddo di Sicilia is a comune in the Metropolitan City of Catania on the coast of the Ionian Sea on the island of Sicily, southern Italy. It shares its borders with the municipalities of Calatabiano to the north, Mascali to the south and Piedimonte Etneo to the west.
The Alcantara is a river in Sicily, southern Italy. It has its source on the south side of Monti Nebrodi and its mouth in the Ionian Sea at Capo Schiso in Giardini-Naxos. The river is 52 kilometres (32 mi) long.
Novara di Sicilia is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina in the Italian region of Sicily, located about 160 kilometres (99 mi) east of Palermo and some 40 kilometres (25 mi) southwest of Messina.
Sambuca di Sicilia is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Agrigento in the Italian region Sicily, located about 68 kilometres (42 mi) southwest of Palermo and about 89 kilometres (55 mi) northwest of Agrigento.
San Giovanni Gemini is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Agrigento in the Italian region Sicily, located about 60 kilometres (37 mi) southeast of Palermo and about 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Agrigento.
Belpasso is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Catania in the Italian region Sicily, located about 150 kilometres (93 mi) southeast of Palermo and about 10 kilometres (6 mi) northwest of Catania. Belpasso is the second biggest comune of the Catania's area for area.
Castiglione di Sicilia is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Catania in Sicily, southern Italy.
Militello in Val di Catania is a comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Catania in the Italian region Sicily, located about 160 kilometres (99 mi) southeast of Palermo and about 35 kilometres (22 mi) southwest of Catania, on the last slopes of the Hyblaean Mountains. It has a railway station on the line Catania-Gela.
Siculo-Arabic also known as Sicilian Arabic is the term used for varieties of Arabic that were spoken in the Emirate of Sicily from the 9th century, persisting under the subsequent Norman rule until the 13th century. It was derived from early Maghrebi Arabic following the Abbasid conquest of Sicily in the 9th century and gradually marginalized following the Norman conquest in the 11th century.
The Metropolitan City of Messina is a metropolitan city in Sicily, Italy. Its capital is the city of Messina. It replaced the Province of Messina and comprises the city of Messina and other 107 municipalities (comuni). According to Eurostat in 2014, the FUA of the metropolitan area of Messina had 277,584 inhabitants.
The Metropolitan City of Catania is a metropolitan city in Sicily, southern Italy. Its capital is the city of Catania. It replaced the Province of Catania and comprises the city of Catania and other 57 municipalities (comuni).
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Catania in the Sicily region of Italy.
Asmundo is an old Sicilian noble family that has played a notable role in the island's political, cultural, and economic history.