Siculiana
Encyclopedia
Siculiana is a town and comune
in the province of Agrigento
, Sicily
, southern Italy
, 13 km. west from the provincial capital Agrigento
.
The medieval hamlet of Siculiana was founded in 1310 by Frederick II Chiaramonte
, who constructed a Castle, parts of which still exist today, on the ruins of the Arab fortress "Kalat Sugul", which had been destroyed in 1087 during the conquest of Sicily by Roger I of Sicily
.
Siculiana’s 13 km long coast line is unspoiled and in the locality of Torre Salsa, a protected Regional Nature Reserve has been established due to its particular naturalistic and environmental interest.
Siculiana Marina is the seaside extension of Siculiana; it is a renowned summer resort on the Strait of Sicily
, once an important stop in the Mediterranean. The Port of Call (Scalo) of Siculiana Marina was historically an important commercial emporium
. The Caricatore (Loading Dock) was still active up to the end of 19th century.
A 1966 police report concluded that the town had been ruled by mafiosi for years. The Cuntrera-Caruana Mafia clan exploited every economic activity in the village and its surrounding communities. They had created an atmosphere of omertà
: through violence and intimidation they made sure that nobody dared to denounce them. The Agrigento Court decided to ban them from the village.
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 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...
, 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,...
, southern Italy
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...
, 13 km. west from the provincial capital 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...
.
History
According to some historians the name derives from the distortion of the Saracen Suq al Jani (John's market), while others believe its origin stems from the Arab Suqu 'l Yuni or Supu 'l Yunani (Market of the Greeks).The medieval hamlet of Siculiana was founded in 1310 by Frederick II Chiaramonte
Chiaramonte
The Chiaramonte are a noble family of Sicily, claiming descent from Charlemagne. They became the most powerful and wealthy family in Sicily. In the 13th century the marriage of Manfredi Chiaramonte to Isabella Mosca, united the two Sicilian counties of Modica and Ragusa...
, who constructed a Castle, parts of which still exist today, on the ruins of the Arab fortress "Kalat Sugul", which had been destroyed in 1087 during the conquest of Sicily by Roger I of Sicily
Roger I of Sicily
Roger I , called Bosso and the Great Count, was the Norman Count of Sicily from 1071 to 1101. He was the last great leader of the Norman conquest of southern Italy.-Conquest of Calabria and Sicily:...
.
Siculiana’s 13 km long coast line is unspoiled and in the locality of Torre Salsa, a protected Regional Nature Reserve has been established due to its particular naturalistic and environmental interest.
Siculiana Marina is the seaside extension of Siculiana; it is a renowned summer resort on the Strait of Sicily
Strait of Sicily
The Strait of Sicily is the strait between Sicily and Tunisia. It is about wide and divides the Tyrrhenian Sea and the western Mediterranean Sea from the eastern Mediterranean. Its maximum depth is ....
, once an important stop in the Mediterranean. The Port of Call (Scalo) of Siculiana Marina was historically an important commercial emporium
Marketplace
A marketplace is the space, actual, virtual or metaphorical, in which a market operates. The term is also used in a trademark law context to denote the actual consumer environment, ie. the 'real world' in which products and services are provided and consumed.-Marketplaces and street markets:A...
. The Caricatore (Loading Dock) was still active up to the end of 19th century.
Mafia
In June 2008, the city council was dissolved because of Mafia infiltration. Mafia tradition is old in Siculiana. On a map, made in 1900 by one of the first Mafia researchers Antonio Cutrera, a former officer of public security, Siculiana is mentioned as ‘high density’ Mafia territory.A 1966 police report concluded that the town had been ruled by mafiosi for years. The Cuntrera-Caruana Mafia clan exploited every economic activity in the village and its surrounding communities. They had created an atmosphere of omertà
Omertà
Omertà is a popular attitude and code of honour and a common definition is the "code of silence". It is common in areas of southern Italy, such as Sicily, Apulia, Calabria, and Campania, where criminal organizations defined as Mafia such as the Cosa Nostra, 'Ndrangheta, Sacra Corona Unita, and...
: through violence and intimidation they made sure that nobody dared to denounce them. The Agrigento Court decided to ban them from the village.
Main sights
- The Baroque Mother ChurchMother ChurchIn Christianity, the term mother church or Mother Church may have one of the following meanings:# The first mission church in an area, or a pioneer cathedral# A basilica or cathedral# The main chapel of a province of a religious order...
of San Leonardo Abate - The Sanctuary of the SS. Crucifix (17th century)
Notable people
- Alfonso GaglianoAlfonso GaglianoAlfonso Gagliano, PC, FCGA is a Canadian accountant and a former Liberal Party politician.Born in Siculiana, Italy, his political career began in 1977 when he ran for a seat on the Montreal school board. In the 1984 federal election, he ran for Parliament for Saint-Léonard—Anjou narrowly...
, a former Liberal PartyLiberal Party of CanadaThe Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
politician and cabinet minister in CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... - Nicola GentileNicola GentileNicola Gentile , also known as Nick Gentile, was a Sicilian mafioso and an organized crime figure in New York City during the 1920s and 1930s. He was also known for publishing his memoirs which, violating the mafiosi code known as omerta, revealed many details of the Sicilian and American underworld...
, a Sicilian mafiosoMafiaThe Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
and an organized crime figure in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and... - Frank SiveroFrank SiveroFrank Sivero is a Sicilian-American character actor, perhaps best known for playing the roles of Genco Abbandando in Mario Puzo's and Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather Part II and Frankie Carbone in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas.Sivero was born Francesco LoGiudice in Siculiana, Sicily, Italy,...
, an American character actor