Francavilla di Sicilia ( Sicilian: ''Francavigghia'') 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 also ...

'' in the

Metropolitan City of Messina The Metropolitan City of Messina ( it, Città metropolitana di Messina) is a Metropolitan cities of Italy, metropolitan city in Sicily, Italy. Its capital is the city of Messina. It replaced the Province of Messina and comprises the city of Messin ...

on the island of

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 ...

. It has a population of about 3,900 people and is situated in the southern part of the province, close to the northern slopes of Mount Etna. The distance to Messina is about , and the town is about from Catania airport, in the valley of the River Alcantara between

Taormina Taormina ( , , also , ; scn, Taurmina) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina, on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Italy. Taormina has been a tourist destination since the 19th century. Its beaches on ...

and

Randazzo Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta. Randazzo ( scn, Rannazzu) is a town and '' comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. It is situated at the northern foot of Mount Etna, c. northwest of Catania. It is the nearest ...

. Taormina and the Mediterranean Sea are about to the southeast. Neighboring towns and villages include:

Antillo Antillo ( Sicilian: ''Antiddu'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, located about east of Palermo and about southwest of Messina. Antillo borders the following municipalities: Cas ...

Castiglione di Sicilia Castiglione di Sicilia ( Sicilian: ''Castigghiuni di Sicilia'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Catania in Sicily, southern Italy. Castiglione di Sicilia lies about east of Palermo and about north of Catania. It ...

Fondachelli-Fantina Fondachelli-Fantina is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina, Sicily, southern Italy. Situated between Novara di Sicilia, Novara and Francavilla di Sicilia, in the southern Peloritani mountains, it is above sea level. Th ...

, Malvagna, Montalbano Elicona, Motta Camastra,

Novara di Sicilia Novara di Sicilia ( Gallo-Italic of Sicily: Nuè; Sicilian: ''Nuvara'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina in the Italian region of Sicily, located about east of Palermo and some southwest of Messina. Novara di ...

and

Tripi Tripi is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Messina, Sicily, southern Italy. It is located on the site of Abacaenum, an ancient Sicel town. Public transport Railways ''Novara-Montalbano-Furnari railway station'' is on the Paler ...

History

In the vicinity of the town artefacts have been found dating back to the 5th century BC. In 1092 the Abbey of San Salvatore di Placa was built, and the town grew around it. On June 20, 1719 a major battle was fought between Spanish and Austrians in the

War of the Quadruple Alliance The War of the Quadruple Alliance (1718–1720) was caused by Spanish attempts to recover territories in Italy ceded in the 1713 Peace of Utrecht. Largely focused on Sicily, it included minor engagements in North America and Northern Europe as we ...

, leaving 8000 dead and wounded.

Main sights

* Gole dell'Alcantara, a canyon on the river Alcantara, which over the centuries found its way through the lava stones of Mount Etna and which flows close to the town. Between Francavilla and Motta Camastra it reaches its most remarkable point: a canyon, partly cave-like, about deep and including characteristic lava rocks. *Chiesa dell'Annunziata in the centre of the town. *Convent of the Capuchins, near the cemetery. *Ruins of the medieval castle on the hill above the town. *Archaeological excavations, including

ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic p ...

findings from the 6th-century BC onwards.

Events

*Last Sunday of August: Celebration of Saint Euplio. *December 4: Celebration of the town's patron saint,

Saint Barbara Saint Barbara ( grc, Ἁγία Βαρβάρα; cop, Ϯⲁⲅⲓⲁ Ⲃⲁⲣⲃⲁⲣⲁ; ; ), known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an early Christian Lebanese and Greek saint and martyr. Accounts place her in t ...

. * Good Friday procession (every 4 years) *

Nativity Play A Nativity play or Christmas pageant is a play which recounts the story of the Nativity of Jesus. It is usually performed at Christmas, the feast of the Nativity. Liturgical The term "Nativity Drama" is used by Wellesz in his discussion of the ...

*Carnival

People

* Gaetano Cipolla: American linguist, educator and author, principal of '' Legas Publishing''

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Francavilla Di Sicilia Municipalities of the Metropolitan City of Messina Castles in Italy