Mascali

Mascali (Zip Code 95016) is 224 Km. distant from Agrigento, 158 Km. from Caltanissetta, 32 Km. from Catania, which is the province it belongs to, 129 Km. from Enna, 64 Km. from Messina, 252 Km. from Palermo, 136 Km. from Ragusa, 90 Km. from Siracusa, 351 Km. from Trapani.

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The municipality counts 10.599 inhabitants, its surface measures 3.768 hectares, and its population density counts 281 inhabitants per square kilometre.

It rises over a coastal hilly area, 18 meters above the sea-level.

The Town Hall is located in piazza Duomo, tel. ++39 095-967536 fax. ++39 095-967536. E-mail address is: admin@comune.mascali.ct.it.

A recently constructed center, Mascali boasts a rich production of wine grapes, cereals, almonds, lemons, and excellent walnuts exhibited during the annual Sagra delle Nocciole (walnuts festival) held in the month of September.

Noteworthy are also the town's fishing resources, and its deriving products can be tasted during the annual Sagra del Pesce (fish festival) held in the month of August.

The name Mascali derives from the Byzantine-Greek term Màscale, that means "ascelle" (armpits) and it refers to the numerous gorges throughout the territory, that sometimes turn into deep streams. The first suburb belonged to the Norman count Ruggero d'Altavilla, in 1134.

Copyright © A.p.t. Catania

In 1543, he established the County of Mascali, and bestowed it to the bishops of Catania, who ruled until 1757.

In 1928, the ancient suburb was destroyed by a devastating volcanic eruption of the nearby mountain Etna. The new town has a modern urban setting.

Among the town's monuments, the most outstanding is the classic Chiesa Madre,, restructured in 1935.

Among Mascali's noteworthy citizens, there was the philosopher Leonardo Grassi (1873-1961), notorious professor of Ethics' Philosophy at the University of Catania, and the musician Francesco Patanè (1907-1967), a famous conductor.