Gangi, Sicily
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Gangi is a municipality (''
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 Palermo The Metropolitan City of Palermo (; ) is a metropolitan city in Sicily, Italy. Its capital is the city of Palermo. It replaced the province of Palermo and comprises the city of Palermo and 82 other ''comuni'' (: ''comune''). It has 1,194,439 in ...
in the
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
region
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. ...
, located about southeast of
Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...
. It is one of
I Borghi più belli d'Italia () is a non-profit private association of small Italian towns of strong historical and artistic interest, that was founded in March 2001 on the initiative of the Tourism Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities, with the a ...
("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). It has 5,998 inhabitants. Gangi borders the following municipalities: Alimena, Blufi, Bompietro, Calascibetta,
Enna Enna ( or ; ; , less frequently ), known from the Middle Ages until 1926 as Castrogiovanni ( ), is a city and located roughly at the center of Sicily, southern Italy, in the province of Enna, towering above the surrounding countryside. It has e ...
, Geraci Siculo,
Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...
, Petralia Soprana,
Sperlinga Sperlinga is a comune in the province of Enna, in the central part of the island of Sicily, in southern Italy. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). Geography Sperlinga is at about above sea l ...
. The town straddles the Madonie mountains of central
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. ...
.


History

Gangi's origins have been connected to the ancient Greek city of '' Engyon'', or ''Herbita'', but this theory remains unconfirmed. Traces of
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
presence are instead testified by archaeological excavations under the Abbey of Gangivecchio ("Old Gangi"). (But according to Glenn Storey, Francesca Spatafora and other archeologists and a consolidated historiography, Engio was near Gangi (today c. da Alburchia or c. da Gangivecchio, in Gangi's territory). The current settlement dates to 1300, when it was rebuilt on the Monte Marone after its destruction in the course of the
Sicilian Vespers The Sicilian Vespers (; ) was a successful rebellion on the island of Sicily that broke out at Easter 1282 against the rule of the French-born king Charles I of Anjou. Since taking control of the Kingdom of Sicily in 1266, the Capetian House ...
war, as part of the county of Geraci. In 1625 it was acquired by the Graffeo family who, four years later, were made Princes of Gangi; in 1677 the title went to the Valguarnera. In the 18th century Gangi was a flourishing cultural centre, with several literary clubs and the construction of notable noble residences. Later, after the
unification of Italy The unification of Italy ( ), also known as the Risorgimento (; ), was the 19th century Political movement, political and social movement that in 1861 ended in the Proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, annexation of List of historic states of ...
, Gangi was the centre of fierce suppression of
brigands Brigandage is the life and practice of highway robbery and plunder. It is practiced by a brigand, a person who is typically part of a gang and lives by pillage and robbery.Oxford English Dictionary second edition, 1989. "Brigand.2" first record ...
who lived in the area. In 1926 it was the location of one of the hardest repression of the Mafia in Italy, carried out by the local prefect Cesare Mori. In 2014, the local administration under a dynamic mayor began disposing of abandoned houses with some being given away and others being sold for a nominal price. The recipients had to agree to spend at least 35,000 euros on restoration within five years. The giveaway is a means to stimulate tourism-related activities and diversify the local economy, which was primarily dependent on agriculture and animal husbandry. The scheme has proved a great success. Gangi and Di Gangi are also common Sicilian surnames.


Demographics


Main sights

* The castle, on the highest part of Mount Marone, built probably in the 14th century. It was the seat of the county lords. * ''Palazzo Sgadari'' and ''Palazzo Bongiorno'', two notable noble residences * Mother church of ''San Nicolò di Bari'' (14th century). Today it is connected to the large Ventimiglia tower, which has been turned into a campanile. It houses a ''Final Judgement'' by Giuseppe Salerno, several statues by the local sculptor Filippo Quattrocchi, 18th-century frescoes in the ''SS. Sacrament'' oratory and a crypt with mummies of priests. * Sanctuary of the ''Spirito Santo'' * Abbey of Gangivecchio (1366) * The notable Romanesque church of ''San Giuseppe dei Ricchi'' (also known as ''San Paolo'') * Late Baroque ''Chiesa della Badia'' * Parish church of ''Santa Maria del Gesù'', with a Romanesque campanile. It houses the precious sculptures of ''Madonna with Child'' and ''Annunciation'' by Quattrocchi. * The Museum of Death, the Crypt of the Mummies of Gangi. The Museum features the Crypt of the Priests ("A Fossa di Parrini"), located in the basement of the San Nicolo church, where on display are one hundred standing mummified bodies of clergymen with their death masks in individual niches. The Dutch artist,
M.C. Escher Maurits Cornelis Escher (; ; 17 June 1898 – 27 March 1972) was a Dutch graphic artist who made woodcuts, lithography, lithographs, and mezzotints, many of which were Mathematics and art, inspired by mathematics. Despite wide popular int ...
, who lived for many years in Italy, after visiting the crypts in 1932, drew an artwork depicting these mummies entitled "Mummified Priests in Gangi, Sicily"; lithographs of this work exist today.


Gallery

File:Torre Civica Gangi.jpg, Civic Tower of Ventimiglia Tower File:Gangi piazza popolo.JPG, ''Piazza del Popolo ''and Town Hall File:Gangi chiesa San Paolo.JPG, Church of ''San Paolo'' File:Gangi SS Salvatore.JPG, The lower town, with the church of ''SS. Salvatore''


References


External links


Official website
* http://www.gangivecchio.org/home * Mario Siragusa, "La storia di Gangi", Bompietro-Locati, 2017: ; wiew: http://www.comitatoenginomadonita.altervista.org/CREM/ {{authority control Municipalities of the Metropolitan City of Palermo Castles in Italy Populated places established in the 1300s 1300 establishments in Europe 13th-century establishments in the Kingdom of Sicily Borghi più belli d'Italia