Calatabiano () is a ''

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, titl ...

'' (municipality) in the

Metropolitan City of Catania The Metropolitan City of Catania () is a metropolitan city in Sicily, Italy. Its capital is the city of Catania. It replaced the province of Catania and comprises the city of Catania and 57 other communes. It has 1,068,563 inhabitants as of 2025 ...

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. ...

, southern

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Geography

Calatabiano is located about 60 metres above the sea level. It is located about 42 kilometres northeast of

Catania Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, wh ...

. about 58 kilometres southwest of

Messina Messina ( , ; ; ; ) 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 216,918 inhabitants ...

and about 175 kilometres east of

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

. The population is about 75% in the center of the town, and about 25% is located in Pasteria Lapide. Calatabiano borders the following

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Castiglione di Sicilia Castiglione di Sicilia ( Sicilian: ''Castigghiuni di Sicilia'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Catania in Sicily, southern Italy. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). C ...

, Fiumefreddo di Sicilia, Giardini-Naxos,

Linguaglossa Linguaglossa () is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Catania in Sicily, located on the northern side of Mount Etna where there is also a ski resort with view on the Ionian Sea. It was founded on a lava stream in 1566. The name li ...

Piedimonte Etneo Piedimonte Etneo ( Sicilian: ''Piemunti'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Catania in the Italian region Sicily, located about east of Palermo and about northeast of Catania. Piedimonte Etneo borders the following m ...

Taormina Taormina ( , , also , ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina, on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Italy. Taormina has been a tourist destination since the 19th century. Its beaches on the Ionian Sea, incl ...

. The municipality of Calatabiano is a part of Parco fluviale dell'Alcantara (Alcantara River Park).

History

The history of Calatabiano is closely linked to its castle, located 160 meters above the sea level. Calatabiano Castle was founded by the

Arabs Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...

, who moved from Calatabiano to conquer

in 902. The Arab presence in Calatabiano is clearly visible from the name of the town, which is divided in ''قلعة'' ("Kalaat", meaning "castle") and to Bian'', likely name of the local lord. After the death of Frederick II, the castle was given to Giovanni Moro by Conrad IV. In 1254, the Pope gave to Giovanni Moro some possessions, including Calatabiano Castle, in exchange for guarantee military aid in the defense of the Kingdom of Sicily. The Cruyllas enlarged the castle and built the church of Santissimo Crocifisso (the Holy Cross). In 1544 the pirate

Dragut Dragut (; 1485 – 23 June 1565) was an Ottoman corsair, naval commander, governor, and noble. Under his command, the Ottoman Empire's maritime power was extended across North Africa. Recognized for his military genius, and as being among "the ...

landed on the shore of San Marco beach, stormed and ransacked the village. In 1693 due to the earthquake felt in Sicily and

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

accompanied by the eruption of

Mount Etna Mount Etna, or simply Etna ( or ; , or ; ; or ), is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy, in the Metropolitan City of Catania, between the cities of Messina, Italy, Messina and Catania. It is located above the Conve ...

, the village and castle were abandoned. In 1813 the Sicilian parliament marked the end of feudalism in the island. In the same year Calatabiano was declared an autonomous municipality, the boundaries has been maintained until this day.

Main sights

Civil architecture

Thanks to the excavations done between the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the next century, there has been found traces of a castle in the

Byzantine 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 the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

era. Because of its military importance, the

Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynast ...

first and then the Aragonese improved the Castle's defence. The Cruyllas enlarged the fortress up to its current appearance. Main features include the “Salone dei Cruyllas” (“Hall of Cruyllas”) and the entry portal. In the last few decades the castle has been renovated and became a tourist attraction. The castle could be reached by a winding road or by a cable car that was built during the restoration of the castle in 2011. Despite its name, San Marco's Castle is actually a noble residence on the San Marco's

shore A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

. The construction was being built in 1689 by the lord of the time, Ignazio Sebastiano Gravina Prince of Palagonia, and completed in two years. The actual castle looks different from the original building, this is due to the numerous changes made over the decades. In 1856 it was leased to Baron Pasquale Pennisi of Floristella. The

Baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

changed the Castle with the construction of a

winery A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the cultivation and production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feat ...

and some houses for farmers.

Religious architectures

Chiesa del Santissimo Crocifisso

The church of Santissimo Crocifisso (the Holy Cross) is the first church of Calatabiano and it was inaugurated on 4 March 1484. Its

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High Middle Ages, High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved f ...

include a massive crenellated bell tower and two

ogival An ogive ( ) is the roundly tapered end of a two- or three-dimensional object. Ogive curves and surfaces are used in engineering, architecture, woodworking, and ballistics. Etymology The French Orientalist Georges Séraphin Colin gives as ...

entrances, west and south. Inside the church there is a statue of St. Philip of Agira (

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

of Calatabiano). In the bell tower, on the west wall, is a 16th-century

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

of the Madonna and Child.

Chiesa di Madre di Maria Santissima Annunziata

The church of Madre di Maria Santissima Annunziata was built in 1740 with a single nave. It is located in the central of Vittorio Emanuele III square. Internally it houses a wooden

crucifix A crucifix (from the Latin meaning '(one) fixed to a cross') is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the (Latin for 'body'). The cru ...

from 1502 of Giovanni Salvo D'Antonio.

Chiesa di Gesù e Maria

The Church of Gesù e Maria (Jesus and Mary) dates from 1697; it has a facade in masonry and white stone.

Culture

Events

La calata di San Filippo

The traditional descent of St. Philip takes place during the feast of St. Philip Syriac, protector of the town, on the Saturday before the third Sunday of May. The tradition started back in 1766. During the descent, the statue of the saint has to be carried by the devotees from the Church of the Holy Cross to the center of the town. The procession begins at 06:30 pm, the devotees run through the bumpy roads of Calatabiano. The feast ends on the fourth Sunday of May.

Other events

* The historical Medieval parade takes place on the feast of St. Philip Syriac. The parade commemorates the customs of Cruyllas’ lords, soldiers and peasants of the fifteenth century village. * The Cannici bonfire happens on the December 13th during the feast of

Saint Lucy Lucia of Syracuse ( – 304 AD), also called Saint Lucia () and better known as Saint Lucy, was a Roman people, Roman Christian martyr who died during the Diocletianic Persecution. She is venerated as a saint in Catholic Church, Catholic, Angl ...

. * The Loquat festival is held every year on the second Sunday of May. * Muzikfest, independent music festival, takes place in the summer on the San Marco beach. * The medieval evenings of Calatabiano (in August).

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Sicily