Melilli ( Sicilian: ''Miliddi'') is a ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces ('' province''). The can ...

'' (municipality) in the

Province of Syracuse The Province of Syracuse ( it, provincia di Siracusa; scn, pruvincia di Sarausa) was a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy. Its capital was the city of Syracuse, a town established by Greek colonists arriving from Corinth ...

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

(southern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

), located about southeast of

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 ...

and about northwestern of

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States * Syracuse, New York ** East Syracuse, New York ** North Syracuse, New York * Syracuse, Indiana *Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, M ...

Geography

Melilli stands at about above sea level close to the

Monti Climiti Monti may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Monti (given name) * Monti (surname) Places *Monti, Lazio, the first rione (historic district) of Rome, Italy *Monti, Sardinia, Italy, a ''comune'' and town *Monti, Iowa, United States, a town See also *Monte ...

chain, overlooking the Megara bay and the industrial district of

Augusta-Priolo The petrochemical complex of Augusta-Priolo (called ''Polo petrolchimico siracusano'' in Italian) is a vast industrialized coastal area in eastern Sicily including the territory of the municipalities of Augusta, Priolo Gargallo and Melilli. Ma ...

. Melilli borders the following municipalities: Augusta,

Carlentini Carlentini ( Sicilian: ''Carruntini'') is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily (Italy). It lies 45 km (28 mi) outside the provincial capital of Syracuse. The city's name has its origins in the neighboring town of ...

, Priolo Gargallo,

Sortino Sortino ( Sicilian: ''Sciurtinu'') is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily (Italy). It is located in the Anapo river valley. The Necropolis of Pantalica, part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of "Syracuse and the Rocky Ne ...

History

The human presence in the area is attested since the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

. Its strategic situation between the major cities of Augusta and Syracuse has played a critical role in its growth. In the feudal age, it became a dominion of the Augusta County. It managed to revive after two devastating quakes in 1542 and 1693. Since 1842 it has been an autonomous city.

Main sights

The Chiesa Madre San Nicolò Vescovo (Mother Church of St Nicolas, Bishop of Myra), dedicated to Saint Nicholas, has a ceiling painted with the ''Triumph of the Faith'' by

Olivo Sozzi Olivo is both a Spanish, Italian, and French surname and a masculine given name, and it referred to someone who grew olives. Notable people with the name include: Surname: *America Olivo (born 1978), American actress and singer *Brock Olivo (bor ...

. The church of San Sebastiano, dating from the 18th century, houses various paintings by Sozzi, among which are a ''Coronation of Saint Sebastian'' and ''The Triumph of the Faith'', and a marble altarpiece representing the ''Deposition of St. Bartholomew''. The church of

Sant'Antonio Abate Sant'Antonio Abate ( nap, Sant'Antuono) is a '' commune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about 30 km southeast of Naples. Sant'Antonio Abate borders the following municipalities: ...

has bronze bas-reliefs on the portal by

Domenico Girbino Domenico is an Italian given name for males and may refer to: People * Domenico Alfani, Italian painter * Domenico Allegri, Italian composer * Domenico Alvaro, Italian mobster * Domenico Ambrogi, Italian painter * Domenico Auria, Italian archit ...

Nature

The River Marcellino, flowing nearby, offers naturalistic spots and an old

necropolis A necropolis (plural necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'', literally meaning "city of the dead". The term usually im ...

. The neighboring salt-mines of Augusta were an important economic resource as far as the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Economy

Culture

Feasts in the town include: * Carnival * Christ's nativity representation (during Christmas) * Holy week * Feast of Saint Sebastian - 4 May (Patron Saint of the town)

Twin towns

* Middletown,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, USA

References

External links

Official website

www.hicmelis.it/
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2020 Cities and towns in Sicily