Francavilla di Sicilia

Francavilla di Sicilia
Comune
Comune di Francavilla di Sicilia
Francavilla and the Alcantara Valley
Francavilla di Sicilia Location of Francavilla di Sicilia in Italy
Coordinates: 37°54′N 15°08′E / 37.900°N 15.133°E / 37.900; 15.133
Country	Italy
Region	Sicily
Province / Metropolitan city	Messina (ME)
Government
• Mayor	Pasquale Monea (since 2012)
Area
• Total	82 km² (32 sq mi)
Elevation	330 m (1,080 ft)
Population (31 December 2014)
• Total	3,986
• Density	49/km² (130/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Francavillesi
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	98034
Dialing code	0942
Patron saint	Santa Barbara and Sant'Euplio di Catania
Saint day	December 4 and last Sunday in August
Website	Official website

Francavilla di Sicilia (Sicilian: Francavigghia) is a town and comune in the Province of Messina on the island of Sicily, Italy.

It has a population of about 3,900 people and is situated in the southern part of the province, close to the northern slopes of Mount Etna. The distance to Messina is about 50 kilometres (31 mi), and the town is about 70 kilometres (43 mi) from Catania airport, in the valley of the River Alcantara between Taormina and Randazzo. Taormina and the Mediterranean Sea are about 15 kilometres (9 mi) to the southeast. Neighboring towns and villages include: Antillo, Castiglione di Sicilia, Fondachelli-Fantina, Malvagna, Montalbano Elicona, Motta Camastra, Novara di Sicilia and Tripi.

History

In the vicinity of the town artefacts have been found dating back to the 5th century BC.

In 1092 the Abbey of San Salvatore di Placa was built, and the town grew around it.

On June 20, 1719 a major battle was fought between Spanish and Austrians in the War of the Quadruple Alliance, leaving 8000 dead and wounded.

Gole dell'Alcantara, a canyon on the river Alcantara, which over the centuries found its way through the lava stones of Mount Etna and which flows close to the town. Between Francavilla and Motta Camastra it reaches its most remarkable point: a canyon, partly cave-like, about 50 metres (160 ft) deep and including characteristic lava rocks.
Chiesa dell'Annunziata in the centre of the town.
Convent of the Capuchins, near the cemetery.
Ruins of the medieval castle on the hill above the town.
Archaeological excavations, including ancient Greek findings from the 6th-centtuary BC onwards.

Gaetano Cipolla: American linguist, educator and author, principal of Legas Publishing

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Francavilla di Sicilia.

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 1/21/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.