Piazza Armerina

Piazza Armerina
Comune
Città di Piazza Armerina
Location of Piazza Armerina
Country	Italy
Region	Sicily
Province	Enna (EN)
Frazioni	Azzolina, Farrugio, Floristella, Grottacalda, Ileano, Polleri, Santa Croce, Serrafina
Government
• Mayor	Carmelo Fausto Nigrelli
Area
• Total	302 km2 (117 sq mi)
Elevation	697 m (2,287 ft)
Population  (May 2007)
• Total	20,766
• Density	69/km2 (180/sq mi)
Demonym	Piazzesi
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	94015
Dialing code	0935
Patron saint	Santa Maria della Vittoria
Saint day	August 15
Website	Official website

Piazza Armerina (Gallo-Italic of Sicily: Ciazza; Sicilian: Piazza) is an Italian comune in the province of Enna of the autonomous island region of Sicily.

History

The city of Piazza (as it was called before 1862) originated during the Norman domination in Sicily (11th century), when Lombards settled the central and eastern part of Sicily about 900 years ago, but the area was inhabited since prehistoric times. The city was flourishing also during Roman times, as showed by the notable mosaics at the patrician Villa Romana del Casale.

Cathedral of Piazza Armerina.

Main sights

The town is famous chiefly for its Roman mosaics in the Villa Romana del Casale, about 3 km to the southwest. It has a range of significant architecture dating from medieval through the 18th century. The discovery and excavation of the well-preserved, highly refined mosaics has helped attract tourists.

The medieval history of the city is manifest in some of its houses, which show Norman or Gothic architecture. The main landmarks include a range of architectural styles:

• The massive Baroque Cathedral (17th-18th century), built on the 15th-century foundations of a former church, from which the bell tower was taken and reused. Also original to the 15th c. church are the Catalan-Gothic style windows on the left side. The dome dates from 1768. The façade has a notable portal with spiral columns by Leonardo De Luca. The interior, with a single large nave, houses the Madonna della Vittoria (Madonna of the Victory). The Byzantine icon is traditionally associated with the banner donated by the Pope to Roger I of Sicily during the Council of Melfi. The cathedral has an unusual two-sided crucifix by an unknown artist. The Diocesan Museum holds reliquiaries, articles of silverware, monstrances and other religious art works.
• The nearby Palazzo Trigona, house of the wealthy family who commissioned the church.
• The Church of Fundrò, known also as St. Roch, with a carved tufa portal.
• The nearby Palazzo di Città (1613), characterized by a fresco ceiling by Salvatore Martorana.
• The massive Aragonese Castle (1392–96). It is square in shape, with square towers.
• The church of San Giovanni Evangelista (14th century), with an interior covered with frescos by Guglielmo Borremans and assistants.
• The baroque church of Sant'Anna (18th century), with its original sinuos façade inspired by the buildings of Borromini.
• The church of St. Martin of Tours (1163).
• The church of Santa Maria di Gesù (16th century), now abandoned.
• The Garibaldi Theatre.

Outside the city is the ancient church of the Priorato di Sant'Andrea (1096), founded by Count Simon of Butera, a nephew of Roger I of Sicily. It has important medieval frescoes.

Culture

Piazza Armerina holds an annual Palio dei Normanni, a re-enactment in costume of the entrance of the Norman Count Roger I to the city. It takes place on 12–14 August.

Language

See also: Lombards of Sicily and Gallo-Italic of Sicily

Piazza Armerina is one of the so-called "Lombardic" communes of Sicily, as its dialect differs notably from that of the neighbouring region. This is due to the destruction of the old Piazza by king William I of Sicily, and the subsequent repopulation by William II (according to other scholars, during the slightly later age of Frederick II) with colonists coming from "Lombard" regions of northern Italy, especially from Monferrato and Piacenza.

Sources

• Sicily and Its Islands, Ugo La Rosa, Ed., 1993.

External links

• Official website
• Villa Romana del Casale Website Template:It icon
• Piazza Armerina, city of Mosaics

References

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)