Castelvetrano () is a town and ''

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 ...

'' in the

province of Trapani The province of Trapani (; ; officially ''libero consorzio comunale di Trapani'') is a Provinces of Italy, province in the autonomous island region of Sicily, Italy. Following the suppression of the Sicilian provinces, it was replaced in 2015 by ...

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 ...

. The archeological site of

Selinunte Selinunte ( , ; ; ; ) was a rich and extensive Ancient Greece, ancient Greek city of Magna Graecia on the south-western coast of Sicily in Italy. It was situated between the valleys of the Cottone and Modione rivers. It now lies in the of C ...

is located within the municipal territory. The municipality borders with Campobello di Mazara, Mazara del Vallo,

Menfi Menfi is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Agrigento in the Italian region Sicily, located about southwest of Palermo and about northwest of Agrigento. The town lies some from the south coast of Sicily, between the rivers Belic ...

, Montevago, Partanna, Salemi and Santa Ninfa.

History

The first recorded mentions of Castelvetrano in the historical record date back to the 12th and 13th centuries. By the 15th century, records exist of a federation of local cities which includes Castelvetrano. The church of St. John, outside the city walls, dates back to this period and was founded in 1412.

Economy

The economy is based predominantly on farming, with the cultivation of vines and olive trees being the main focus. Woodworking (mainly furniture) is also an important sector. Both Valle del Belìce olive oil and Nocellara del Belice DOP table olives have a protected status in the European Union.

Main sights

The center of Castelvetrano consists of three linked squares and many monuments can be found within these areas. The main square is Piazza Tagliavia, which is adorned with many fine buildings including the town's principal church, the '' Chiesa Madre'', which in its present form dates back to the sixteenth century. Inside the church are stuccoes by Ferraro and Giacomo Serpotta. Near the church is the ''Municipio'' (town hall) and also close by is the Purgatory Church, built in 1624–64, with its façade filled with statues and the church of Chiesa di San Domenico built in 1470, inside the church is the marble sepulcher of the prince

Carlo d'Aragona Tagliavia Carlo d'Aragona Tagliavia, 1st Prince of Castelvetrano (1530 – 25 September 1599) was a Sicilian-Spanish nobleman and viceroy. Early life Carlo was born in Castelvetrano, Sicily, in 1530. He was the son of a Sicilian peer, Giovanni Tagliavia, ...

. In the municipality of Castelvetrano, between the hamlets of Triscina and Marinella di Selinunte, is the archaeological park of

, an ancient Greek city.

Notable people

* Alfonso Caruana, notorious Italian Canadian

mafia boss A crime boss, also known as a crime lord, mafia don, mob boss, kingpin, or godfather is the leader of a criminal organization. Description A crime boss has absolute or nearly absolute control over the other members of the organization and is ...

and the head of the Canadian branch of Cuntrera-Caruana Mafia clan *

Giancarlo Commare Giancarlo Commare (born 29 December 1991) is an Italian actor. He is best known for his role as Edoardo Incanti in the teen drama television series '' Skam Italia'' (2018–2022). Biography Commare was born in Castelvetrano, Trapani, Sicily ...

, actor *

Giovanni Gentile Giovanni Gentile ( , ; 30 May 1875 – 15 April 1944) was an Italian pedagogue, philosopher, and politician. He, alongside Benedetto Croce, was one of the major exponents of Italian idealism in Italian philosophy, and also devised his own sys ...

, fascist philosopher and key advisor to

Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who, upon assuming office as Prime Minister of Italy, Prime Minister, became the dictator of Fascist Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 un ...

* Matteo Messina Denaro,

Sicilian Mafia The Sicilian Mafia or Cosa Nostra (, ; "our thing"), also referred to as simply Mafia, is a secret society, criminal society and criminal organization originating on the island of Sicily and dates back to the mid-19th century. Emerging as a form of ...

boss

References

External links