Castelmola
is a comune (municipality) in the
Province of Messina
in the Italian region
Sicily,
located about 170 km east of
Palermo
and
about 40 km southwest of Messina.
As of 31 December 2004, it had a
population of 1,107 and an area
of 16.4 km2. Castelmola
borders the following
municipalities: Gaggi, Letojanni,
Mongiuffi Melia and
Taormina.
The
Name Myle was the name of the
ancient city. Castelmola
derives from the Norman castle
dominating over the center of
town and from the shape of the
rock on which it stands, which
vaguely resembles a millstone
("mola"). History: 396 BC: the
Siculans
replace their old dry-wall stone
defence walls with stronger
bastions, in anticipation of an
attack by Dionysius, the tyrant
of Syracuse, who conquers the
city in 392.
263 BC: Rome grants Gerone of Syracuse
right to govern. Upon his death in 214,
Myle remains loyal to Rome.
902: The
ferocious Ibrahim, prince of
Cairouàn, breaches the
fortifications, devastates the city,
slaughters the inhabitants and then leaves
Myle by the city gate that since then has
been called the "Saracens'
Gate."
1078:
Roger the Norman defeats the Arabs and
drives them out of the Val Demone,
building a new town around the castle and
fortifying it. During this time the
village begins to call itself Mola. When
the Suevians take the place of the
Normans, Mola supports them against the
Angevins. In 1282 the Angevins are
expelled and the people take sides with
the Aragonese. The following centuries are
difficult for the villagers, who are
oppressed by the Spanish rule, which
subjects them to very heavy taxes,
sacrifices, and every kind of hardship.
1738: Castelmola
becomes part of the Kingdom of Two
Sicily's.
1860: The
Bourbon army is in retreat and the people
vote for annexation to the Kingdom of
Italy.
Castelmola
(Zip Code 98030) is 126 Km. distant from
Agrigento,
185 Km. from Caltanissetta, 59 Km. from
Catania,
156 Km. from Enna, 47 Km. from Messina,
that is the province it belongs to, 287
Km. from Palermo,
163 Km. from Ragusa, 117 Km. from
Siracusa,
386 Km. from Trapani.
The
municipality surface measures 1.640
hectares and its population density counts
68 inhabitants for square kilometre. It
rises on the coast, on a hill 529 metres
above the sea-level. The Town Hall is
located in piazza Cappuccini, tel. ++39
0942-28185 fax. ++39 0942-28195. The main
economical activities are agriculture,
cattle-breeding and handicraft. The main
cultivations are citrus fruits, olives,
prickly pears, grapes
and wheat and people Farm sheep and cows.
Characteristic of the town are wooden
handicrafts and embroideries.
The
original name of the town was Mola,
meaning the millstone. This name was kept
until 1862, when it was change with
current denomination. The town was founded
by the Siculians
in the 8th century BC and destroyed by
Dionisio I of Siracusa in 392 BC. In 350
BC it was rebuilt by Andromaco, the
historian Timeo's father. It was conquered
by the Romans, in 902 AD by the Arabs and
in 1078 by the Normans.
It was
owned by many different lords: Tommaso
Marullo, Marquis of Condagosta, Placido
Castello, Prince of Parco, Alvaro
Villadicane, who in 1756 entitled
Castelmola
as a principality. In 1860 its citizens
voted for the annexation to Italy. From
1928 to 1947 it was part of Taormina and
later it became an autonomous
municipality. Among the most important
monuments we mention the ruins of the
castle (16th century), the church of S.
Giorgio built in the 17th century and the
parochial church built in the 16th century
and rebuilt in 1935. Read
about the rulers of Sicily
Cefalu!
A town of Medieval origins, going
back to the V century B.C., which
was built on a headland dominated
by an overhanging cliff.
Cefalu
is characterized by beaches of
fine sand, by the old houses
which look onto the sea, and by
its Cathedral of Norman origins,
built by Ruggero II in fulfilment
of a vow which he made when,
overcome by a terrible tempest
when at sea with his fleet, he
managed to land in this town.
The
name of Cefalu
is linked to the shape of the
promontory which hangs over it,
known as La Rocca. Cefalù,
small port on the northern coast
of Sicily, in the province of
Palermo,
on the railway to Messina.
Located on a narrow coastal plain
at the foot of a peak rising
about 300 m (nearly 1000 ft) out
of the sea, Cefalù is the
center of a fertile agricultural
region.
