Canneto ( scn, Cannìtu ri Carunìa) is a village and civil parish (''

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

'') of the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

municipality of

Caronia Caronia ( Sicilian: ''Carunìa'', Greek: ( Ptol.) or ( Diod. et al.), Latin: ''Calacte'' or ''Cale Acte'') is a town and ''comune'' on the north coast of Sicily, in the province of Messina, about half way between Tyndaris (modern Tindari) and ...

, in the

Province of Messina Messina (, ) was a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy. Its capital was the city of Messina. It was replaced by the Metropolitan City of Messina. Geography Territory It had an area of , which amounts to 12.6 percent o ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. In

Italian language Italian (''italiano'' or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. Together with Sardinian, Italian is the least divergent language from Latin. Spoken by about 8 ...

its name means

reed bed A reedbed or reed bed is a natural habitat found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions and estuaries. Reedbeds are part of a succession from young reeds colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground. As ...

Geography

The village, also known as ''Canneto di Caronia'', is located by the Tyrrhenian coast, on the state highway 113

Messina Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the capital city, capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of more than 219,000 in ...

Palermo Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The city is noted for it ...

Trapani Trapani ( , ; scn, Tràpani ; lat, Drepanum; grc, Δρέπανον) is a city and municipality (''comune'') on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an impor ...

, between Marina di Caronia and

Santo Stefano di Camastra Santo Stefano di Camastra ( Sicilian: ''Santu Stèfanu di Camastra'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, located about 100 km east of Palermo and about 135 km west of Messina ...

. It is 10 km from Caronia, 105 from Palermo and 125 from Messina. It is crossed by the Messina-Palermo railway but lacks its own station (nearest are

and Santo Stefano di Camastra-Mistretta). The nearest motorway's exit is "

Reitano Reitano ( Sicilian: ''Ritanu'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina in the Italian region of Sicily, about east of Palermo and about west of Messina. Reitano borders the following municipalities: Mistretta, ...

-Santo Stefano di Camastra", on the A20 Messina-Palermo

History

Canneto di Caronia fires

In 2004–2005 and 2014, there were two series of unusual fires in Canneto. While popular speculation ascribed the fires to various causes, including an unknown natural phenomenon, paranormal events or secret military technology, official investigations suggested that all of these fires were cases of

arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...

and arrests were made in 2015. Starting from 14 January 2004, Canneto was the central location in a series of spontaneous fires (mainly along the railway line), and other

electromagnetic In physics, electromagnetism is an interaction that occurs between particles with electric charge. It is the second-strongest of the four fundamental interactions, after the strong force, and it is the dominant force in the interactions of a ...

phenomena. Appliances, starting with a television and evidently including a cooker and vacuum cleaner, were reported to catch fire spontaneously. Fires also struck wedding presents and a piece of furniture. At least one person was said to have observed an unplugged electrical cable ignite while he was directly observing it.

ENEL Enel S.p.A. is an Italian multinational manufacturer and distributor of electricity and gas. Enel, which originally stood for Ente nazionale per l'energia elettrica (National Electricity Board), was first established as a public body at the ...

, the Italian power utility, temporarily cut off the town's power supply, although the outbreaks continued. The fires stopped in August. The fires were linked to

poltergeist In ghostlore, a poltergeist ( or ; German for "rumbling ghost" or "noisy spirit") is a type of ghost or spirit that is responsible for physical disturbances, such as loud noises and objects being moved or destroyed. Most claims or fictional desc ...

s. Suggestions that the cause was an unknown natural phenomenon prompted an investigation by scientists from the National Research Institute (CNR), with the support of

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedi ...

physicists. In 2007 it was proposed that the phenomena were caused by intermittent

emissions. A state of emergency was imposed and part of the village was evacuated. On 24 June 2008, following further investigation by the appointed experts, the case was dismissed by the prosecutor of

Mistretta Mistretta ( Sicilian: ''Mistritta'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, located about east of Palermo and about west of Messina Messina (, also , ) is a harbour city and the cap ...

. The conclusion of the consultants was that the fires were arson cases. Mysterious fires returned again in mid-2014. On March 5, 2015, police arrested and charged Giuseppe Pezzino, 26, with arson, conspiracy to commit fraud, and sounding a false alarm in association with the mysterious fires. His father, Antonino Pezzino, has also been implicated. The Italian military police had installed hidden cameras in the streets after the fires started again in July 2014. Video captured about 40 incidents implicating Giuseppe (and occasionally, Antonino). Further evidence was gathered by phone taps.

References

External links

Caronia municipal website
{{authority control Frazioni of the Metropolitan City of Messina Reportedly haunted locations in Italy

Geography

History

Canneto di Caronia fires

See also

Crime

Purported causes of the Canneto fires

References

External links