Castel Di Iudica
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Castel di Iudica ( Sicilian: ''Castel di Jùdica'') 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 ...
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 west 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 ...
. Castel di Judica borders the following municipalities:
Agira Agira (; ; ) is a town and municipality (''comune'') in the province of Enna in the region of Sicily in Italy. It is located in the mid-valley of the River Salso, from Enna. Until 1861 it was called San Filippo d'Argiriò, in honour of its sa ...
, Catenanuova,
Centuripe Centuripe (Latin: Centuripae; Sicilian: Centorbi) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Enna (Sicily, southern Italy). The city is from Enna in the hill country between the Rivers Dittaìno and Salso. The economy is mostly based on agric ...
,
Paternò Paternò () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Catania, in the Italy, Italian region of Sicily. With a population (2016) of 48,009, it is the third municipality of the province after Catania and Acireale. Geography Pa ...
,
Ramacca Ramacca is a ''comune'' (municipality) in a mountainous area in the Metropolitan City of Catania in the Italian region of Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo and about southwest of Catania. It lies west of the Plain of Catania. Ramacca ...
.


History

On the nearby Mount Iudica, there are traces of an ancient settlement (8th-3rd century BC), while on Mount Turcisi are found the remains of a phrourion. Under Islamic rule, it was called "Zotica" and was home to a castle, which was conquered by
Roger I of Sicily Roger I (; ; ; Norse: ''Rogeirr''; 1031 – 22 June 1101), nicknamed "Roger Bosso" and "Grand Count Roger", was a Norman nobleman who became the first Grand Count of Sicily from 1071 to 1101. As a member of the House of Hauteville, he parti ...
around 1076, according to the account of the Norman chronicler
Goffredo Malaterra Gaufredo (or Geoffrey, or Goffredo) Malaterra () was an eleventh-century Benedictine monk and historian, possibly of Norman origin. He travelled to the southern Italian peninsula, passing some time in Apulia before entering the monastery of Sant' ...
, and was given to the city of
Caltagirone Caltagirone (; or ; ) is an inland city and municipality () in the Metropolitan City of Catania, on the island (and region) of Sicily, Southern Italy, about southwest of Catania. It is the fifth most populous municipality of the Metropolita ...
. According to Arab geographer
al-Idrisi Abu Abdullah Muhammad al-Idrisi al-Qurtubi al-Hasani as-Sabti, or simply al-Idrisi (; ; 1100–1165), was an Arab Muslim geographer and cartographer who served in the court of King Roger II at Palermo, Sicily. Muhammad al-Idrisi was born in C ...
, it was a thriving agricultural village in the early 12th century. At the mountain's summit, a small church dedicated to
Michael the Archangel Michael, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second- ...
was built in the 17th century, of which only the
bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...
("Campanaro") remains today. Between 1816 and 1819, it became a hamlet of the comune of
Ramacca Ramacca is a ''comune'' (municipality) in a mountainous area in the Metropolitan City of Catania in the Italian region of Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo and about southwest of Catania. It lies west of the Plain of Catania. Ramacca ...
under the name Giardinelli. In 1934, it became an autonomous municipality and took its current name in memory of the castle that had stood on Mount Iudica. Since 2022, the city has been part of the project for the First World Park of Mediterranean Lifestyle along with 103 other cities in central Sicily.


Folklore

A part of the summit of Mount Iudica is known as "u Sautu 'â Vecchia" ("the Jump of the Old Woman"), derived from a legendary episode. During the
Norman conquest The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...
, it is said that a young woman named Emidia disguised herself as an old woman to deceive the
Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century History of Germany, German woodcut depicting Saracens ''Saracen'' ( ) was a term used both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings between the 5th and 15th centuries to ...
but was thrown into a ravine by them. However, this act allowed the Normans to conquer the castle. Since 2005, the episode has been commemorated in an event organized by the municipality and performed at the theater under the title "Angels Over the Sky of Iudica," written and directed by Fabio Cocimano.


External links


Official site

Pro loco Castel di Judica


References

Cities and towns in Sicily {{Sicily-geo-stub