|
Leonforte
Leonforte () is an Italian ''comune'' with a population of 14,046 in the Province of Enna, Sicily. The town is situated 22 km from Enna, in the centre of the Erean Mountains at 600 metres a.s.l. History The ancient settlement of Tabas or Tavaca stood in the approximate location of Leonforte. During the Byzantine period of Sicily, and later under the Muslim Emirate of Sicily, a castle was built with a farmhouse in its vicinity. Irrigation systems were introduced and many mills took advantage of the abundance of water. In 1610 Nicolò Placido Branciforti founded a city, naming it ''Leonforte'' in tribute to his family's coat of arms; a lion holding a banner with the motto ''in fortitudine bracchii tui''. Main sights *Chiesa Madre (mother church) * Capuchin church and convent (mausoleum that houses the sarcophagus of Princess Caterina Branciforte, who died in 1634, and a painting by Pietro Novelli Pietro Novelli (March 2, 1603 – August 27, 1647) was an Italian pain ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Granfonte
The Granfonte is a monumental public fountain built in Renaissance-Baroque style, located at the homonymous street in the municipality of Leonforte, in the region of Sicily, Italy. The elongated fountain extends for 24 meters, consists of 24 bronze spouts where it still gushes fresh spring water. History It was completed in 1651 by Prince Nicolò Placido Branciforti, founder of the town of Leonforte. It was sited at the usual meeting-place for the town, and with its twenty-four spouts, provided ample and easy access. The work refers to various embodiments of the Flemish artists, at the time very widespread in Sicily, and is attributable to style and morphology to the Mariano Smiriglio architect’s artistic school from Palermo. It is said that the Prince wanted to build it on the ruins of an old Moorish fountain, with a design similar to that of an existing fountain at that time in Amsterdam. This monumental fountain was built with bearing walls of sandstone Sandstone is a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Province Of Enna
The province of Enna (; Sicilian: ''pruvincia di Enna''; officially ''libero consorzio comunale di Enna'') is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily, Italy. It was created in 1927, out of parts of the provinces of Caltanisetta and Catania. The capital was designated as Enna (then called Castrogiovanni), instead of Piazza Armerina, due to the influence of politician Napoleone Colajanni. Following the suppression of the Sicilian provinces, it was replaced in 2015 by the free municipal consortium of Enna (Italian: ''libero consorzio comunale di Enna''). Its capital is the city of Enna, located on a mountain and the highest provincial capital in Sicily. Located in the center of the island, it is the only landlocked province in Sicily. The province of Enna has an area of , and a total population of 152,387 as of 2025. Communes There are 20 '' communes'' in the provincThe top 10 most populous communes are: Demographics Main sights * Villa Romana del Casal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sicily
Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4.7 million inhabitants, including 1.2 million in and around the capital city of Palermo, it is both the largest and most populous island in the Mediterranean Sea. Sicily is named after the Sicels, who inhabited the eastern part of the island during the Iron Age. Sicily has a rich and unique culture in #Art and architecture, arts, Music of Sicily, music, #Literature, literature, Sicilian cuisine, cuisine, and Sicilian Baroque, architecture. Its most prominent landmark is Mount Etna, the tallest active volcano in Europe, and one of the most active in the world, currently high. The island has a typical Mediterranean climate. It is separated from Calabria by the Strait of Messina. It is one of the five Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Comune
A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, title of (). Formed according to the principles consolidated in Medieval commune, medieval municipalities, the is provided for by article 114 of the Constitution of Italy. It can be divided into , which in turn may have limited power due to special elective assemblies. In the autonomous region of the Aosta Valley, a is officially called a in French. Overview The provides essential public services: Civil registry, registry of births and deaths, registry of deeds, and maintenance of local roads and public works. Many have a (), which is responsible for public order duties. The also deal with the definition and compliance with the (), a document that regulates the building activity within the communal area. All communal structures ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Enna
Enna ( or ; ; , less frequently ), known from the Middle Ages until 1926 as Castrogiovanni ( ), is a city and located roughly at the center of Sicily, southern Italy, in the province of Enna, towering above the surrounding countryside. It has earned the nicknames (panoramic viewpoint) and ("navel") of Sicily. It has about 25,000 inhabitants. At above sea level, Enna is the highest Italian provincial capital. History Enna is situated near the center of the island; whence the Roman writer Cicero called it ''Mediterranea maxime'', reporting that it was within a day's journey of the nearest point on all the three coasts. The peculiar situation of Enna is described by several ancient authors, and is one of the most remarkable in Sicily. The ancient city was placed on the level summit of a gigantic hill, surrounded on all sides with precipitous cliffs almost wholly inaccessible. The few paths were easily defended, and the city was abundantly supplied with water which gushes from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Erean Mountains
The Erean Mountains (also called the Heraean Mountains) (; ; ) are a mountain chain in central Sicily, southern Italy, mostly located in the central and northern areas of the province of Enna. The highest peak is the Monte Altesina, at 1,192 m above sea level. Description The Heraean Mountains are of limestone origin, and do not reach high altitudes. Their area was once one of the most important in the world for the production of sulphur, as testified today by numerous mineral quarries, the largest being that of Floristella-Grottacalda. There are several lakes in the mountain group, such as Pergusa Lake, whose rich bird life has given it the status of being the first special Natural Reserve in Sicily, and Pozzillo Lake, the largest artificial basin on the island. Due to the rugged landscape, the population totals less than 200,000 and thus the area's population density is lower. The chain is home to the largest Italian city above 900 m altitude (and the largest pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sea Level
Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised geodetic datumthat is used, for example, as a chart datum in cartography and Navigation, marine navigation, or, in aviation, as the standard sea level at which atmospheric pressure is measured to Calibration, calibrate altitude and, consequently, aircraft flight levels. A common and relatively straightforward mean sea-level standard is instead a long-term average of tide gauge readings at a particular reference location. The term ''above sea level'' generally refers to the height above mean sea level (AMSL). The term APSL means above present sea level, comparing sea levels in the past with the level today. Earth's radius at sea level is 6,378.137 km (3,963.191 mi) at the equator. It is 6,356.752 km (3,94 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th centuryAD, it endured until the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453. The term 'Byzantine Empire' was coined only after its demise; its citizens used the term 'Roman Empire' and called themselves 'Romans'. During the early centuries of the Roman Empire, the western provinces were Romanization (cultural), Latinised, but the eastern parts kept their Hellenistic culture. Constantine the Great, Constantine I () legalised Christianity and moved the capital to Constantinople. Theodosius I, Theodosius I () made Christianity the state religion and Greek gradually replaced Latin for official use. The empire adopted a defensive strategy and, throughout its remaining history, expe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Emirate Of Sicily
The island of SicilyIn Arabic, the island was known as (). was under Islam, Islamic rule from the late ninth to the late eleventh centuries. It became a prosperous and influential commercial power in the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean, with its capital of Palermo serving as a major cultural and political center of the Muslim world. Sicily was a peripheral part of the Byzantine Empire when Muslim forces from Ifriqiya (roughly present-day Tunisia) began launching raids in 652. During the reign of the Aghlabid dynasty of Ifriqiya, a Muslim conquest of Sicily, prolonged series of conflicts from 827 to 902 resulted in the gradual conquest of the entire island, with only the stronghold of Rometta, in the far northeast, Siege of Rometta, holding out until 965. The Fatimid Caliphate replaced Aghlabid rule after 909. From 948 onwards, the island was governed by the Kalbid dynasty, who ruled as autonomous emirs while formally acknowledging Fatimid authority. Under Muslim rule, Sicily ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Castle
A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private fortified house, fortified residence of a lord or noble. This is distinct from a mansion, palace, and villa, whose main purpose was exclusively for ''pleasance'' and are not primarily fortresses but may be fortified. Use of the term has varied over time and, sometimes, has also been applied to structures such as hill forts and 19th- and 20th-century homes built to resemble castles. Over the Middle Ages, when genuine castles were built, they took on a great many forms with many different features, although some, such as curtain wall (fortification), curtain walls, arrowslits, and portcullises, were commonplace. European-style castles originated in the 9th and 10th centuries after the fall of the Carolingian Empire, which resulted ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Order Of Friars Minor Capuchin
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (; postnominal abbr. OFMCap) is a religious order of Franciscan friars within the Catholic Church, one of three " First Orders" that reformed from the Franciscan Friars Minor Observant (OFMObs, now OFM), the other being the Conventuals (OFMConv). Franciscans reformed as Capuchins in 1525 with the purpose of regaining the original Habit (tunic) of St. Francis of Assisi and also for returning to a stricter observance of the rule established by Francis of Assisi in 1209. History Origins The Order arose in 1525 when Matteo da Bascio, an Observant Franciscan friar native to the Italian region of Marche, said he had been inspired by God with the idea that the manner of life led by the friars of his day was not the one which their founder, St. Francis of Assisi, had envisaged. He sought to return to the primitive way of life of solitude and penance, as practised by the founder of their Order. His religious superiors tried to suppress the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pietro Novelli
Pietro Novelli (March 2, 1603 – August 27, 1647) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Palermo. Also known as ''il Monrealese'' or ''Pietro "Malta" Novelli'' to distinguish him from his father, Pietro Antonio Novelli I. He was also nicknamed by contemporaries as the ''Raphael of Sicily''. Biography He was born in Monreale, and died in Palermo. He initially trained with his father, a painter and mosaicist. His father died in 1625 from the bubonic plague. As a young apprentice he was a fellow pupil with Gerardo Asturino. In 1618, he moved to Palermo and apprenticed with Vito Carrera (1555–1623). His first dated work is from 1626: ''St. Anthony Abbot'' for the church of Sant'Antonio Abate in Palermo. The development of his style owed much to Anthony van Dyck, who visited Sicily in 1624 and whose altarpiece, the ''Madonna of the Rosary'' in the oratory of Santa Maria del Rosario in Palermo was highly influential for local artists. He was also commission ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
