Cassaro

Cassaro
Comune
Comune di Cassaro
Cassaro

Location of Cassaro in Italy

Coordinates: 37°6′N 14°57′E / 37.100°N 14.950°E / 37.100; 14.950Coordinates: 37°6′N 14°57′E / 37.100°N 14.950°E / 37.100; 14.950
Country Italy
Region Sicily
Province Syracuse (SR)
Government
  Mayor website =
Area
  Total 19.4 km2 (7.5 sq mi)
Elevation 560 m (1,840 ft)
Population
  Total 859
  Density 44/km2 (110/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)

Cassaro (Sicilian: Càssaru, in the local dialect: Càssuru) is a town and comune (municipality) in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily (Italy). The name is originally from the Arabic word القصر (al-Qasru) meaning "the castle." Cassaro is 52 kilometres (32 mi) from Ragusa and 35 kilometres (22 mi) west of the city of Siracusa. Cassaro has 859 inhabitants.[1]

History

According to the Capibreve of Silvestri, in the Middle Ages the town belonged to the Spadafora family. Margherita Moleti Spadafora married the Baron Pietro Siracusa, who belonged to one of the oldest families in the town of Noto and was also Baron of Monastero and Xiridia. The Siracusa dynasty (formerly known as "Zaragoza") is of Spanish origin, documented in Sicily since 1283. Members of this Family has been also the lords of [Collesano], counts of Villalta and duque of Casteldimirto. Records are in the State Archiv of Palermo (Fondo Protonotaro). Beatrice Siracusa, the only daughter of the above mentioned Pietro and Margherita Siracusa (who are also ancestor of the Queen Paola of Belgium) married Pietro Gaetani Baron of Sortino. Beatrice died with her son Guido during the earthquake of 1452. Their possessions passed to her son Cesare, ancestor of the actual Princes of Cassaro.[2]

Amongst the primary monuments in Cassaro is the Mother Church dedicated to Saint Peter (started in the 17th century and ended in 1730) and the Church of Saint Anthony the Abbot (17th-18th century).

People from Cassaro are mocked by the people from the nearby Ferla with the Italian saying: I pà, ghi vini a Costa 'i Tavà, a cogghiri i fia e fiapà, which means: "Father, come to the Tavà Coast and pick the fruits of the prickly pears".

Notes

  1. http://demo.istat.it
  2. More information can be found at the State Archive of Siracusa (Fondo Gaetani Specchi)
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, June 26, 2014. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.