Santa Teresa di Riva
Encyclopedia
Santa Teresa di Riva is a small town and comune
in the province of Messina
, Sicily
, about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Taormina
. The town was known until 1854 as Marina di Savoca when it was renamed in honor of Teresa d'Austria. The town is neighbored to the northeast by the towns of Furci Siculo
and Roccalumera
, to the west by Savoca
, and to the Southwest by Sant'Alessio Siculo
and the mountainous Forza d'Agrò
.
On the first weekend of every August, the Festa della Madonna begins, celebrating Maria di Porto Salvo. On Saturday night, a statue of the Madonna is carried out from the church to the sea. She is placed on a boat and many town residents sail with her on their own boats. On Sunday, the Madonna is paraded around town, followed in a procession by a band and many of the town's residents. During the Festa weekend, via F. Crispi
(on which the church is located) is blocked off from traffic and decorated. Vendors line the street, selling peanuts
, incense
, sunglasses
, furniture
, art
, and even pet turtles and parrots. At the end of the night on Sunday, fireworks go off which can be seen from all over town.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in the province of Messina
Province of Messina
Messina is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy. Its capital is the city of Messina.-Geography and demography :...
, Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from Taormina
Taormina
Taormina is a comune and small town on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Italy, in the Province of Messina, about midway between Messina and Catania. Taormina has been a very popular tourist destination since the 19th century...
. The town was known until 1854 as Marina di Savoca when it was renamed in honor of Teresa d'Austria. The town is neighbored to the northeast by the towns of Furci Siculo
Furci Siculo
Furci Siculo is a comune in the Province of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, located about 180 km east of Palermo and about 30 km southwest of Messina. Furci Siculo is twinned with Octeville sur Mer since 2010...
and Roccalumera
Roccalumera
Roccalumera is a comune in the Province of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, located about 180 km east of Palermo and about 25 km southwest of Messina...
, to the west by Savoca
Savoca
Savoca is a comune in the Province of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, located about 170 km east of Palermo and about 30 km southwest of Messina....
, and to the Southwest by Sant'Alessio Siculo
Sant'Alessio Siculo
Sant'Alessio Siculo is a comune in the Province of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, located about 180 km east of Palermo and about 35 km southwest of Messina....
and the mountainous Forza d'Agrò
Forza d'Agrò
Forza d'Agrò is an Italian town and comune in Sicily, part of the Province of Messina.Forza d'Agrò is on the lower peak of a small mountain, while on the higher peak that overlooks the town are the remains of a Norman castle. Much of the town consists of traditional buildings and stone paved lanes...
.
On the first weekend of every August, the Festa della Madonna begins, celebrating Maria di Porto Salvo. On Saturday night, a statue of the Madonna is carried out from the church to the sea. She is placed on a boat and many town residents sail with her on their own boats. On Sunday, the Madonna is paraded around town, followed in a procession by a band and many of the town's residents. During the Festa weekend, via F. Crispi
Francesco Crispi
Francesco Crispi was a 19th-century Italian politician of Arbëreshë ancestry. He was instrumental in the unification of Italy and was its 17th and 20th Prime Minister from 1887 until 1891 and again from 1893 until 1896.-Sicily:Crispi’s paternal family came originally from the small agricultural...
(on which the church is located) is blocked off from traffic and decorated. Vendors line the street, selling peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
, incense
Incense
Incense is composed of aromatic biotic materials, which release fragrant smoke when burned. The term "incense" refers to the substance itself, rather than to the odor that it produces. It is used in religious ceremonies, ritual purification, aromatherapy, meditation, for creating a mood, and for...
, sunglasses
Sunglasses
Sunglasses or sun glasses are a form of protective eyewear designed primarily to prevent bright sunlight and high-energy visible light from damaging or discomforting the eyes. They can sometimes also function as a visual aid, as variously termed spectacles or glasses exist, featuring lenses that...
, furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
, art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, and even pet turtles and parrots. At the end of the night on Sunday, fireworks go off which can be seen from all over town.