Ciminna is a Sicilian city in the

Metropolitan City of Palermo The Metropolitan City of Palermo ( it, Città metropolitana di Palermo; scn, Cità metrupulitana di Palermu) is a metropolitan city in Sicily, Italy. Its capital is the city of Palermo. It replaced the Province of Palermo and comprises the city o ...

, located approximately southeast of its capital,

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 ...

. The city's economy is derived mainly from

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peop ...

and traditional crafts. The artist and Franciscan priest Pasquale Sarullo was born in Ciminna.

History

Its ancient history shows evidence of

Punic The Punic people, or western Phoenicians, were a Semitic people in the Western Mediterranean who migrated from Tyre, Phoenicia to North Africa during the Early Iron Age. In modern scholarship, the term ''Punic'' – the Latin equivalent of the ...

and

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

settlements as well as

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...

and Norman rule. There are Greek ruins overlooking the town which may be a temple to Demeter (Mother Earth), dating back to the time before Jesus. The family of MLB player Anthony Rizzo was originally from Ciminna, the maternal grandparents of American director

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, incl ...

was from Ciminna as well.

Culture

The mountaintop city's vibrant culture is centered on its annual festivals and religious processions. These include the ancient La Festa del SS. Crocifisso (Feast of the Holy Crucifix), for one week culminating on the Sunday and Monday of the first weekend of May (held every year since 1651); and the Feast of San Vito, patron saint of the city, held in early September. Other processions and festivals include the Feast of San Sebastian (January 20); Il Carnevale di Ciminna (Carnival similar to Mardi Gras); The Feast of San Giuseppe (St. Joseph, March 16–19); Riti della Passione: La Settimana Santa a Ciminna (The Rites of the Passion & Holy Week before Easter); U Prucettu d'ì Malati (April 19); the Feast of San Francesco di Paola (April 22–26) 2009; The Solemn Feast of the Body of God (Solennità del Corpus Domini (third week of May); The Feast of Mary of the Rosary (Maria SS. del Rosario, last Sunday of September); The Feast of the Immaculate Conception and the "Triumph" procession (Maria SS. Immacolata e "U Triunfu", Dec. 8 and the Saturday night following). In 1963,

Luchino Visconti Luchino Visconti di Modrone, Count of Lonate Pozzolo (; 2 November 1906 – 17 March 1976) was an Italian filmmaker, stage director, and screenwriter. A major figure of Italian art and culture in the mid-20th century, Visconti was one of the fat ...

chose Ciminna as the backdrop to the film ''

The Leopard ''The Leopard'' ( it, Il Gattopardo ) is a novel by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa that chronicles the changes in Sicily, Sicilian life and society during the ''Risorgimento''. Published posthumously in 1958 by Feltrinelli (publisher), Feltrinell ...

'' (Il Gattopardo, by

Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, 11th Prince of Lampedusa, 12th Duke of Palma, GE (; 23 December 1896 – 23 July 1957) was an Italian writer and the last Prince of Lampedusa. He is most famous for his only novel, '' Il Gattopardo'' (first publishe ...

) which starred

Burt Lancaster Burton Stephen Lancaster (November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994) was an American actor and producer. Initially known for playing tough guys with a tender heart, he went on to achieve success with more complex and challenging roles over a 45-yea ...

Terence Hill Terence Hill (born Mario Girotti; 29 March 1939) is an Italian actor, film director, screenwriter and producer. He began his career as a child actor and gained international fame for starring roles in action and comedy films, many with longtim ...

, Alain Delon and

Claudia Cardinale Claude Joséphine Rose "Claudia" Cardinale (; born 15 April 1938) is an Italian actress. She has starred in some of the most iconic European films of the 1960s and 1970s, acting in Italian, French, and English. Born and raised in La Goulette, a ...

References

Municipalities of the Metropolitan City of Palermo {{Sicily-geo-stub