Melilli ( Sicilian: ''Miliḍḍi'') 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 Syracuse The province of Syracuse (; ) was a Provinces of Italy, province in the autonomous island region of Sicily, Italy. Its capital was the city of Syracuse, Sicily, Syracuse, a town established by Greeks, Greek colonists arriving from Corinth in the ...

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 ...

), 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 northwestern of

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

Geography

Melilli stands at about above sea level close to the Monti Climiti chain, overlooking the Megara bay and the industrial district of Augusta-Priolo. Melilli borders the following municipalities: Augusta,

Carlentini Carlentini () is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily (Italy). It lies 45 km (28 mi) outside the provincial capital of Syracuse. Naming history In 1551, Viceroy Juan de Vega, 1st Count of Grajal, founded a ne ...

Priolo Gargallo Priolo Gargallo ( Sicilian: ''Priolu'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily (southern Italy). It is about southeast of Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (po ...

, Sortino.

History

The human presence in the area is attested since the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

. Its strategic situation between the major cities of Augusta and Syracuse has played a critical role in its growth. In the feudal age, it became a dominion of the Augusta County. It managed to revive after two devastating quakes in 1542 and 1693. Since 1842 it has been an autonomous city.

Main sights

The Chiesa Madre San Nicolò Vescovo (Mother Church of St Nicolas, Bishop of Myra), dedicated to Saint Nicholas, has a ceiling painted with the ''Triumph of the Faith'' by Olivo Sozzi. The church of San Sebastiano, dating from the 18th century, houses various paintings by Sozzi, among which are a ''Coronation of Saint Sebastian'' and ''The Triumph of the Faith'', and a marble altarpiece representing the ''Deposition of St. Bartholomew''. The church of Sant'Antonio Abate has bronze bas-reliefs on the portal by Domenico Girbino.

Nature

The River Marcellino, flowing nearby, offers naturalistic spots and an old

necropolis A necropolis (: necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'' (). The term usually implies a separate burial site at a distan ...

. The neighboring salt-mines of Augusta were an important economic resource as far as the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Economy

Culture

Feasts in the town include: * Carnival * Christ's nativity representation (during Christmas) * Holy week * Feast of Saint Sebastian - 4 May (Patron Saint of the town)

Twin towns

* Middletown,

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, USA

References

External links

Official website

www.hicmelis.it/
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2020 Cities and towns in Sicily