Santa Teresa di Riva

Santa Teresa di Riva (Zip Code 98028) is 255 km. distant from Agrigento, 189 km. from Caltanissetta, 63 km. from Catania, 160 km. from Enna, 33 km. from Messina, which province it belongs to, 292 km. from Palermo, 167 km. from Ragusa, 121 km. from Siracusa, 391 km. from Trapani.

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The municipality has 8.166 inhabitants and an area of 813 hectares for a population density of 1004 inhabitants per square kilometre. It rises along the coast on a flat area and is 6 metres above sea-level.

The Town Hall is placed in via Reg. Margherita, tel. ++39 0942-793110 fax. ++39 0942-792070.

The centre is prevalently agricultural and is based upon production of lemons, wine-grapes, olives, fruit.

"Tamarito" is the name given by Phoenician to trade colony founded in this area. Santa Teresa di Riva is mentioned in some documents of half of the XVIII century as "novello paese", (spring village), in 1854 it became an autonomous commune thanks to Federick II of Bourbon.

To pay homage to him inhabitants of the place named it with his second wife, Teresa of Austria. Only in 1861 it was added "Riva"to diffentiate it from different homonymous communes.

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The most interesting monuments are several towers present in the territory among them Saracen tower stands out; remains of tower of Catalmo (now National monument) and of tower of Bagli (rural farms) and of tower of Avarna.

Besides there are the church of Madonna del Carmelo and the church of Porto Salvo. Appreciable and very particular are murals and various sculptures situated in the squares of the village.

Native of Santa Teresa di Riva is the singer Lucia Alberti one most famous and asserted soprano of international level.