The province of Catania
Vizzini |
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Vizzini (Zip Code 95049) is 153 Km. distant from Agrigento, 124 Km. from Caltanissetta, 60 Km. from Catania, which is the province it belongs to, 101 Km. from Enna, 156 Km. from Messina, 266 Km. from Palermo, 43 Km. from Ragusa, 43 Km. from Siracusa, 302 Km. from Trapani. Photo © A.p.t. Catania
The municipality counts 8.645 inhabitants, its surface measures 12.583 hectares, and its population density counts 69 inhabitants per square kilometre. It rises over a hilly area, 586 meters above the sea-level. The Town Hall is located in piazza Umberto I, tel. ++39 0933-961021 fax. ++39 0933-961260. The local production is principally agricultural, based on the cultivation of cereals, vegetables, Indian figs, as well as dairy products. The town's name goes back to Cicero, who named it Bidis, from the Greek-Byzantine Bizion, that means hill elevation. Photo © A.p.t. Catania
Of Middle Age origins, Vizzini rose in the surroundings of a castle no longer existent. The town belonged to king Filippo, who sold it in 1629, although the inhabitants redeemed it afterwards. In 1649, it was owned by duke Nicolò Schittino. The town was strongly damaged by 1693's earthquake. The events and the characters of Verga's "Cavalleria Rusticana" all refer to Vizzini. Architecturally, the most interesting monuments are the Chiesa Madre preserving two paintings by Filippo Paladino (1544-1614), the Chiesa dei Cappuccini preserving a Deposizione, also by F. Paladino, and the Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista. The Palazzo Comunale (Town Hall Building), the Palazzo Cafici, and the Palazzo of the Verga family are very interesting as well. |
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