Castelvetrano ( scn, Castiḍḍuvitranu) is a town and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces ('' province''). The can ...

'' in the province of Trapani,

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

, southern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. The archeological site of

Selinunte Selinunte (; grc, Σελῑνοῦς, Selīnoûs ; la, Selīnūs , ; scn, Silinunti ) was a rich and extensive ancient Greek city on the south-western coast of Sicily in Italy. It was situated between the valleys of the Cottone and Modion ...

is located within the municipal territory. The municipality borders with Campobello di Mazara, Mazara del Vallo, Menfi, Montevago, Partanna, Salemi and Santa Ninfa.

History

The first recorded mentions of Castelvetrano in the historical record date back to the 12th and 13th centuries. By the 15th century, records exist of a federation of local cities which includes Castelvetrano. The church of St. John, outside the city walls, dates back to this period and was founded in 1412.

Economy

The economy is based predominantly on farming, with the cultivation of vines and olive trees being the main focus. Woodworking (mainly furniture) is also an important sector. Both Valle del Belìce olive oil and Nocellara del Belice DOP table olives have a protected status in the European Union.

Main sights

The center of Castelvetrano consists of three linked squares and many monuments can be found within these areas. The main square is Piazza Tagliavia, which is adorned with many fine buildings including the town's principal church, the '' Chiesa Madre'', which in its present form dates back to the sixteenth century. Inside the church are stuccoes by Ferraro and Giacomo Serpotta. Near the church is the ''Municipio'' (town hall) and also close by is the Purgatory Church, built in 1624–64, with its façade filled with statues and the church of Chiesa di San Domenico built in 1470, inside the church is the marble sepulcher of the prince Carlo d'Aragona Tagliavia. In the municipality of Castelvetrano, between the hamlets of Triscina and

Marinella di Selinunte Marinella ( el, Μαρινέλλα) (born 20 May 1938, Thessaloniki) is one of the most popular Greek singers whose career has spanned several decades. She has sung professionally since 1957. Since the beginning of her career, she has release ...

, is the archaeological park of

, an ancient Greek city.

Notable people

Philosopher Giovanni Gentile was born in Castelvetrano, and a local school is named after him. Alfonso Caruana, a notorious Italian Canadian mafia boss and the head of the Canadian branch of Cuntrera-Caruana Mafia clan was born in Castelvetrano. Castelvetrano is also the birthplace of infamous fugitive and

Sicilian Mafia The Sicilian Mafia, also simply known as the Mafia and frequently referred to as Cosa nostra (, ; "our thing") by its members, is an Italian Mafia- terrorist-type organized crime syndicate and criminal society originating in the region of Sici ...

boss Matteo Messina Denaro.

References

External links