Forza d'Agrò is a town and ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' in the

Metropolitan City of Messina The Metropolitan City of Messina () is a metropolitan city in Sicily, Italy. Its capital is the city of Messina. It replaced the province of Messina and comprises Messina and 107 other ''comuni'' (: ''comune''). It has 595,948 inhabitants as o ...

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

, southern

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Forza d'Agrò is on the lower peak of a small mountain, while on the higher peak that overlooks the town are the remains of a Norman castle.

History

It is not certain if Forza d'Agrò area was first settled by the

Sicani The Sicani or Sicanians were one of three ancient peoples of Sicily present at the time of Phoenician and Greek colonization. The Sicani dwelt east of the Elymians and west of the Sicels, having, according to Diodorus Siculus, the boundary with ...

or by the

Sicels The Sicels ( ; or ''Siculī'') were an Indo-European tribe who inhabited eastern Sicily, their namesake, during the Iron Age. They spoke the Siculian language. After the defeat of the Sicels at the Battle of Nomae in 450 BC and the death of ...

. There may have been a village or commercial port called ''Phoinix'', while further inland there was a small town named Kallipolis or Agrilla, which was eventually destroyed. The first Greek settlers arrived between 8th century and the 5th century BC, giving the town the name ''Arghennon akron'', meaning "Silver Promontory", in reference to the current Cape S. Alessio. Over time, Akron changed to Argon then to Agron and finally to Agrò. Scanty remains of a fort-like structure located at the top of the mountain indicate that Forza D'Agrò had once been a fortress. After the Roman conquest in 135 BC the Greek

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''wikt:toponym, toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for ...

of "Arghennon" was replaced by "Agrillae" or "Agrille". The village and its suburbs within the margins of the River Agrò became known by the Latin name ''Vicus Agrillae''. The zone then came under the Byzantine domain which lasted from 536 AD to 827. During this period, the community adopted the Greek-oriental cult and the Monastery of the Church of S. Peter and Paul of Agrò was erected. In order to escape from foreign invasions the population moved more inland to Casale. In the 8th century, there were more frequent Saracen incursions, and perhaps during this period the Monastery d'Agrò was destroyed. In the reign of

Roger I of Sicily Roger I (; ; ; Norse: ''Rogeirr''; 1031 – 22 June 1101), nicknamed "Roger Bosso" and "Grand Count Roger", was a Norman nobleman who became the first Grand Count of Sicily from 1071 to 1101. As a member of the House of Hauteville, he parti ...

and his successors the Castle of Forza D'Agrò was built and the reconstruction of the Monastery of S. Peter and Paul took place. The first mention of "vicum Agrillae" occurs in a decree of

Roger II Roger II or Roger the Great (, , Greek: Ρογέριος; 22 December 1095 – 26 February 1154) was King of Sicily and Africa, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, became ...

issued in 1117. When the "vicus" became too small for the expanding population, the people moved higher up the mountain to an area known as Magghia. The name given to the village was Fortilicium d'Agrò (Fortezza d'Agrò in Italian, meaning "Fortress of Agrò") later abbreviated to Forza D'Agrò. Starting from the 14th century the village slowly took shape and has been conserved to the present day. In the anti-Spanish revolution of 1674, Forza D'Agrò remained loyal to the Spanish crown and it was treated as a territorial conquest by the French. In the early 19th century British forces occupied the Castle of S. Alessio and the Castle of Forza D'Agrò to defend the area from Napoleonic attacks. In the early 20th century many Forzesi emigrated to America. In 1948, the hamlet of S. Alessio detached itself from Forza d'Agrò, becoming an autonomous ''comune''. The town, together with Savoca, was the location for the scenes set in

Corleone Corleone (; or ) is an Italian town and ''comune'' of roughly 11,158 inhabitants in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, in Sicily. Many Sicilian Mafia, Mafia bosses both in Sicily and the United States have come from the town of Corleone, inclu ...

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola ( ; born April 7, 1939) is an American filmmaker. He is considered one of the leading figures of the New Hollywood and one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. List of awards and nominations received by Francis Ford Coppo ...

's ''

The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American Epic film, epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling The Godfather (novel), 1969 novel. The film stars an ensemble cast inc ...

'' (1972); the town also features in the sequel, ''

The Godfather Part II ''The Godfather Part II'' is a 1974 American epic film, epic crime film produced and directed by Francis Ford Coppola, loosely based on the 1969 novel ''The Godfather (novel), The Godfather'' by Mario Puzo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Cop ...

'' (1974).

Citations

General and cited references

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forza D'agro Municipalities of the Metropolitan City of Messina