Torre Archirafi () is a ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (: ''frazioni'') is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' ('municipality') in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidat ...

''of the

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) of

Riposto Riposto () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Catania area of Sicily, southern Italy. The small seafront town is located about southeast of Palermo and about north of Catania. History Riposto is historically connected to Mascali, as its com ...

in the

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 ...

area of

southern Italy Southern Italy (, , or , ; ; ), also known as () or (; ; ; ), is a macroregion of Italy consisting of its southern Regions of Italy, regions. The term "" today mostly refers to the regions that are associated with the people, lands or cultu ...

. The small fishing village is located about northeast of

and about south of

History

The name comes from Torre di Archirafi or the Archirafi Tower, a

coastal 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 ...

watchtower A watchtower or guardtower (also spelt watch tower, guard tower) is a type of military/paramilitary or policiary tower used for guarding an area. Sometimes fortified, and armed with heavy weaponry, especially historically, the structures are ...

, built to repel

Barbary corsairs The Barbary corsairs, Barbary pirates, Ottoman corsairs, or naval mujahideen (in Muslim sources) were mainly Muslim corsairs and privateers who operated from the largely independent Barbary states. This area was known in Europe as the Barba ...

in the 16th century and later destroyed by the sea sometime in the 17th century. The town itself was ceded to the Duke of Archirafi, Giovanni Natoli Ruffo, by King Charles III of Bourbon in the 17th century.

Places of interest

The inhabited area has kept the old historic public center fairly intact which includes the Palazzo Vigo (formerly known as Palazzo Natoli or Palazzo dei Principi Natoli) a

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

built in the 17th century by Giovanni Natoli Ruffo, Duke of Archirafi. Today, the palace is primarily used for

art exhibitions An art exhibition is traditionally the space in which art objects (in the most general sense) meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understood to be for some temporary period unless, as is occasionally true, it is stated to be a "permanen ...

, conferences, and lectures.Proiti, Giuseppe Stefano (2016
"Dal 31 luglio al 6 agosto Summer Art a Riposto/Torre Archirafi"
''La Voce dell'Isola''. .

References

{{reflist Frazioni of the Metropolitan City of Catania Riposto