Piraino

Piraino (Zip Code 98060) is 244 km. distant from Agrigento, 198 km. from Caltanissetta, 137 km. from Catania, 157 km. from Enna, 97 km. from Messina, which province it belongs to, 172 km. from Palermo, 241 km. from Ragusa, 195 km. from Siracusa, 269 km. from Trapani.

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The municipality has 3.759 inhabitants and an area of 1.720 hectares for a population density of 219 inhabitants per square kilometre. It rises on a hilly area and is 406 metres above sea-level.

The Town Hall is placed in via Roma, tel. ++39 0941-585121 fax. ++390941-585121.

Main economic activities are agriculture and handicraft. Products mostly cultivated are citrus fruit, vegetables, olives, hazel-nuts, almonds,grapes.

Typical handicrafts are pottery articles and wood, wrought iron and copper works.

Piraino derives from Sicilian Pirainu "wild pear-tree".

Copyright © A.A.P.I.T. Messina

There are not many information about origin of Peraino but it probably was founded by Arabs in the IX century and was ruled by some feudatories such as Lancias from the XIII century to the XV one; Vincenzo Denti and Avernas who has been duke of Peraino since 1656.

The most interesting monuments are the so-called "Torrazza", a battlemented sight-tower of the XIV century; the Cathedral Church built in the XVI century and the Church of St. Caterina altered in 1694.

Peraino is a surname spread all over Sicily.

The most famous of Peraino is Antonio Peraino from Catania who in 1801 organized a conspiracy against Bourbons and for this reason he was arrested and hunged.