Santo Stefano Quisquina (Sicilian

Sicilian language

Sicilian is a Romance language. Its dialects make up the Extreme-Southern Italian language group, which are spoken on the island of Sicily and its satellite islands; in southern and central Calabria ; in the southern parts of Apulia, the Salento ; and Campania, on the Italian mainland, where it is...

: Santu Stèfanu Quisquina) is a comune

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:...

(municipality) in the Province of Agrigento

Province of Agrigento

Agrigento is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy. It has an area of 3,042 km², and a total population of 454,370...

 in the Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 region 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,...

, located about 60 km south of Palermo

Palermo

Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...

 and about 35 km north of Agrigento

Agrigento

Agrigento , is a city on the southern coast of Sicily, Italy, and capital of the province of Agrigento. It is renowned as the site of the ancient Greek city of Akragas , one of the leading cities of Magna Graecia during the golden...

. It has strong ties with Tampa, Florida

Tampa, Florida

Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....

.

Santo Stefano Quisquina stands at an altitude of 730 metres above sea level and borders the following municipalities: Alessandria della Rocca

Alessandria della Rocca

Alessandria della Rocca is a comune and small agricultural town located in west central Sicily in the northern part of the Province of Agrigento, in Italy. Many of the town's inhabitants emigrated to the United States, particularly Tampa, Florida, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries....

, Bivona

Bivona

Bivona is an Italian comune in the Province of Agrigento, Sicily.-Geography:Bivona is located at the feet of the Monti Sicani, in the mainland of Agrigento, on the boundary with the province of Palermo...

, Cammarata

Cammarata

Cammarata is a comune in the Province of Agrigento in the Italian region Sicily, located about 60 km southeast of Palermo and about 35 km north of Agrigento on the eponymous mountain in a territory rich of forests....

, Casteltermini

Casteltermini

Casteltermini is a comune in the Province of Agrigento in the Italian region Sicily, located about 70 km southeast of Palermo and about 25 km north of Agrigento....

, Castronovo di Sicilia

Castronovo di Sicilia

Castronovo di Sicilia is a comune in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily, located about 50 km southeast of Palermo.-External links:*...

, San Biagio Platani

San Biagio Platani

San Biagio Platani is a comune in the Province of Agrigento in the Italian region Sicily, located about 70 km south of Palermo and about 20 km north of Agrigento...

.

History

The first nucleus of the present-day town probably dates back to the reign of Frederick II of Aragon (1296-1337), when it was a fief of Giovanni Caltagirone. Its successive lords were Ruggero Sinisi, Guiscardo de Agijas, the Lacarns and the Ventimiglias.

Notable people

• Lorenzo Panepinto
  Lorenzo Panepinto
  Lorenzo Panepinto was an Italian politician and teacher. He was the founder of the Fascio dei lavoratori in his hometown Santo Stefano Quisquina, editor of the newspaper La Plebe and member of the Comitato della Federazione Regionale Socialista...
  
   (1865 - 1911), a teacher and peasant leader killed by the Sicilian Mafia.