Giarratana

Giarratana (Zip Code 97010) is 156 Km. distant from Agrigento, 121 Km. from Caltanissetta, 78 Km. from Catania, 125 Km. from Enna, 174 Km. from Messina, 263 Km. from Palermo, 20 Km. from Ragusa, that is the province it belongs to, 60 Km. from Siracusa, 329 Km. from Trapani.

The municipality has 3.392 inhabitants, its surface measures 4.345 hectares and its population density counts 78 inhabitants per square kilometre. It rises on a hilly area, 585 metres above the sea level.

The Town Hall is in piazza Vittorio Veneto n. 2, tel. ++39 0932-976012 fax. ++39 0932-976869. E-mail address is: comgiarr@tin.it.

It is mainly an agricultural centre and grows cereals, olives, pomegranates, almonds and walnuts. There are also sheep, pig and horse farms.

The name of this little town comes from the medieval word Cerretum, which in turn means oak wood. The village was originally built in a higher position, but being destroyed in the 1693 earthquake, it was rebuilt in a flat area.

During the centuries the village was dominated by many lords: Gualtieri of Caltagirone, Nicola Lancia, Nicola Alagna, Sancio Heredia. From 1460 and for a long period it was Settimos' property.

Amongst the most important monuments: the Mother Church with its wonderful late Reinassance facade, the church of Sant'Antonio Abate (18th century) with fine gold stuccos inside, the ruins of the castle. The archaeological ruins are also very important, dated back to Neolithic and Greek-roman ages.

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