Country Italy Elevation 129 m (423 ft) Time zone CET (UTC+1) Area 40 km² Local time Tuesday 1:42 AM Region Sicily | Province / Metropolitan city Agrigento (AG) Demonym(s) Siculianesi Dialing code 0922 Province Province of Agrigento Postal code 92010 Dialling code 0922 | |
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Weather 12°C, Wind NE at 10 km/h, 65% Humidity | ||
Siculiana is a town and comune in the province of Agrigento, Sicily, southern Italy, 13 kilometres (8 mi) west of the provincial capital Agrigento.
Contents
Map of 92010 Siculiana Province of Agrigento, Italy
History
According to some historians the name derives from the distortion of the Arabic Suq al Jani ("John's market"), while others believe its origin stems from Suqu 'l Yuni or Supu 'l Yunani ("Market of the Greeks").
The medieval hamlet of Siculiana was founded in 1310 by Frederick II Chiaramonte, who constructed a castle, parts of which still exist today, on the ruins of the Arab fortress known as "Kalat Sugul", which had been destroyed in 1087 during the conquest of Sicily by Roger I.
Siculiana’s 13-kilometre (8 mi) long coast line is unspoiled and in the locality of Torre Salsa, a protected Regional Nature Reserve has been established due to its particular naturalistic and environmental interest.
Siculiana Marina is the seaside extension of Siculiana; it is a summer resort on the Strait of Sicily, once an important stop in the Mediterranean. The Port of Call (Scalo) of Siculiana Marina was historically an important commercial emporium. The Caricatore (Loading Dock) was still active up to the end of 19th century.
Mafia
In June 2008, the city council was dissolved because of Mafia infiltration. Mafia tradition is old in Siculiana. On a map, made in 1900 by one of the first Mafia researchers Antonio Cutrera, a former officer of public security, Siculiana is mentioned as ‘high density’ Mafia territory.
A 1966 police report concluded that the town had been ruled by mafiosi for years. The Cuntrera-Caruana Mafia clan exploited every economic activity in the village and its surrounding communities. They had created an atmosphere of omertà: through violence and intimidation they made sure that nobody dared to denounce them. The Agrigento Court decided to ban them from the village.