Cammarata 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

Province of Agrigento The province of Agrigento (; ) is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily, Italy, situated on its south-western coast. Following the suppression of the Sicilian provinces, it was replaced in 2015 by the Free Municipal Consortium of Ag ...

in the

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

region

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. ...

, located about southeast 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 ...

and about north of

Agrigento Agrigento (; or ) is a city on the southern coast of Sicily, Italy and capital of the province of Agrigento. Founded around 582 BC by Greek colonists from Gela, Agrigento, then known as Akragas, was one of the leading cities during the golden ...

on the eponymous mountain Mount Cammarata, which has an elevation above sea level in a territory rich in forests. Cammarata borders the following municipalities: Acquaviva Platani,

Casteltermini Casteltermini is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Agrigento in the Italy, Italian region Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo and about north of Agrigento. Casteltermini borders the following municipalities: Acquaviva Plata ...

Castronovo di Sicilia Castronovo di Sicilia ( Sicilian: ''Castrunovu'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Palermo in the Italian Autonomous Region of Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo. Etymology Castronovo di Sicilia, alternatively ...

Mussomeli Mussomeli (''Mussumeli'' in Sicilian language, Sicilian) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Caltanissetta, Sicily, Italy. History Mussomeli is claimed to have been founded in the 14th century by Chiaramonte, Manfredo III Chiaramonte wit ...

San Giovanni Gemini San Giovanni Gemini ( Sicilian: ''San Giuvanni'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Agrigento in the Italian region Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo and about north of Agrigento. History Originally, the town was called ...

, Santo Stefano Quisquina, Vallelunga Pratameno, Villalba.

History

The name derives from the Greek ''Kàmara'', meaning "vaulted room". King Roger I laid siege to the Cammarata in 1087 and sold it to a relative Lucia d'Altavilla (or in English Lucy of Hauteville). She then assumed the title Dominae Camaratae or Lucy of Cammarata for the town she was given The town is mentioned in 1141 in a document mentioning several Arabic localities, a sign that it was settled at least from the Islamic domination of the island. The county of Cammarata followed the history of Sicily under the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

, 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 ...

and the War of the Vespers. During the 14th and 15th centuries, the town supplied

rock salt Halite ( ), commonly known as rock salt, is a type of salt, the mineral (natural) form of sodium chloride ( Na Cl). Halite forms isometric crystals. The mineral is typically colorless or white, but may also be light blue, dark blue, purple, pi ...

to nearby Palermo. In 1397 the count rebelled and the town was besieged by Bernardo Cabrera, general of king Martin II of Sicily. Later it was a fief of the Abatellis.

History

Main sights

References

External links