San Giuseppe Jato

San Giuseppe Jato (Zip Code 90048) is 143 km. distant from Agrigento, 161 km. from Caltanissetta, 277 km. from Catania, 180 km. from Enna, 292 km. from Messina, 31 km. from Palermo, which province it belongs to, 279 km. from Ragusa, 352 km. from Siracusa, 88 km. from Trapani.

The municipality has 9.361 inhabitants and an area of 2.946 hectares for a density of population of 318 inhabitants per square kilometre. It rises on an internal hilly area and is 463 metres above sea-level.

The Town Hall is placed in via Vittorio Emanuele n. 143, tel. +39 091-8580111 fax. ++39 091-8580228.

The agricultural production of the small town has corn, grapes and olives. These products are displaied in the Feast of grapes and wine every year in September. Cattle breeding is important. The handicraft produces various wood and iron works.

The small town has been called only San Giuseppe until 1864 when it was added Jato to differentiate it from San Giuseppe Vesuviano in Naples' province. The first inhabited centre has Punic origins and perhaps it corresponds to the old Ietas built at the foot of the Mount Jato.
It has been an Arabic dominion, and the Arabs made a stronghold of it but was distroyed in 1246 by the troops of Frederick II of Swabia. In 1779 the Prince of Camporeale founded the feudal village next to the small Church of Jesuits. In 1838 a violent landslide shooked the small town but it was later completely rebuilt in the same place.

Very interesting are the ruins of the Medieval Castle and the Mills and the Baglio Terranova (Terranova rural farm).