Regalbuto (

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: Ameselum; Sicilian: ''Regarbutu'') is a ''

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

province of Enna Enna ( it, Provincia di Enna; Sicilian: ''Pruvincia di Enna''; officially ''Libero consorzio comunale di Enna'') is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy. It was created in 1927, out of parts of the Provinces of Caltanise ...

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 re ...

. There is an annual cattle fair held in the month of August.

History

Regalbuto may be the ancient town of Amaselos, which was named by the Greek and Sicilian historian

Diodorus Siculus Diodorus Siculus, or Diodorus of Sicily ( grc-gre, Διόδωρος ; 1st century BC), was an ancient Greek historian. He is known for writing the monumental universal history ''Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which su ...

in his ''Bibliotheca historica'' (Historical Library) writings. The name Regalbuto derives from the Arab term ''Rahal Abbud'', "Abbud's farmhouse". Discoveries at the site include the old Saracen quarter. Around 1200, the inhabitants of the nearby town of

Centuripe Centuripe (Latin: Centuripae; Sicilian: Centorbi) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Enna (Sicily, southern Italy). The city is from Enna in the hill country between the Rivers Dittaìno and Salso. The economy is mostly based on agricu ...

, who rebelled against the Swabian dynasty whom Regalbuto had been faithful to, destroyed Regalbuto. Years later, King Manfred had the town rebuilt at its present site. In 1860, a number of members of parliament met in Regalbuto with

Garibaldi Giuseppe Maria Garibaldi ( , ;In his native Ligurian language, he is known as ''Gioxeppe Gaibado''. In his particular Niçard dialect of Ligurian, he was known as ''Jousé'' or ''Josep''. 4 July 1807 – 2 June 1882) was an Italian general, patr ...

to discuss a truce during the Campaign of 1860. The town was never subject to fiscal taxes, and a free magistracy elected by the king and the archbishops of Messina governed it. The town was severely damaged during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, and on August 3, 1943 the Pionier Battalion of Hermann Göring Panzer Division, supported by tanks and self-propelled guns was forced to cede the town, after four days of bitter fighting by the 1st Infantry Brigade of 1st Canadian Infantry Division. The current inhabited center was reconstructed only recently.

Main sights

* '' Chiesa Madre San Basilio'' (Mother Church of Saint Basil) dedicated to

Saint Basil Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great ( grc, Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, ''Hágios Basíleios ho Mégas''; cop, Ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ Ⲃⲁⲥⲓⲗⲓⲟⲥ; 330 – January 1 or 2, 379), was a bishop of Ca ...

, which was built on the site of a 16th-century building and preserving a luxurious 10 meter altar dedicated to

Saint Vitus Vitus (), whose name is sometimes rendered Guy or Guido, was a Christian martyr from Sicily. His surviving hagiography is pure legend. The dates of his actual life are unknown.Basil Watkins, ''The Book of Saints: A Comprehensive Biographical D ...

. It has a

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

façade with a pyramid shaped bell tower. * '' Santa Maria della Croce'': 15th-century church with a Baroque staircase * '' San Giovanni'':18th-century church with a large bell

loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior gallery or corridor, usually on an upper level, but sometimes on the ground level of a building. The outer wall is open to the elements, usually supported by a series of columns ...

*Town hall (''Palazzo Municipale'', 18th century) *Remains of the 13th-century castle: *''Palazzo Citelli-Fascaro'' (17th century) *''Palazzo Falcone'' (17th century) *''Palazzo Campagnini'' in

Liberty Style Liberty style ( it, Stile Liberty) was the Italian variant of Art Nouveau, which flourished between about 1890 and 1914. It was also sometimes known as ''stile floreale'', ''arte nuova'', or ''stile moderno''. It took its name from Arthur Lasenby ...

*''Palazzo Carchiolo'' In the city environs are sites of naturalistic interest like the Pozzillo Lake district, one of Europe's largest man-made lakes, fed by the

Salso The Salso ( Sicilian: ''Salsu''), also known as the Imera Meridionale (Greek: ; Latin Himera), is a river of Sicily. It rises in the Madonie Mountains (Latin: Nebrodes Mons; Sicilian: Munti Madunìi) and, traversing the provinces of Enna and Ca ...

River. Mountains include the Monte Mascari (), north of the lake, and, also in the lake vicinity, the Monte Salici ().

Economy

The economy is based on agriculture, including cereals, citrus, and olives. Animal husbandry includes cattle, sheep, and goats.

References

Municipalities of the Province of Enna 13th-century disestablishments in Italy {{Sicily-geo-stub