Post at the meeting point of three areas and three different ways of communication, must in this its strategic importance and the role medieval and modern times through the centuries. Set between the rivers Alcantara and Simeto, Randazzo is known for being the center of different cultures and landscapes. On the one hand the beautiful valley of Alcantara, on the other the steep slopes of the eastern slopes of Etna, and immediately beyond it the pastures and woods Nebrodi very first nature reserve of the entire Region. The name probably derives from the ancient Randazzo Rannazzu which means "big village" because of its vast urban expansion. The first settlement dates back to the Byzantine period, during which it was built a fortress surrounded by massive walls, whose traces are still clearly visible. Around 1282 the King Peter I of Aragon turned it into a military base for the war against the Angevin. In 1305 it became a possession of Frederick II of Aragon, who made it his permanent home, was awarded the title of Duke of Randazzo in 1332. In the sixteenth century the village experienced a long period of economic decline as the main noble families of the place they moved to neighboring countries. Until 1500 the city was divided into three districts, St. Nicholas, St. Mary and St. Nicholas, in which respectively spoke three different dialects: the greek, Latin and Lombard, still, centuries later, its citizens retain the cadence and expressions typical of those distant dialects. Of these the most peculiar is the district of San Martin, dialect and customs derived from their domination in Lombardy, and even today the dialect randazzese "certainly keeps Sicilian roots, but with strong Gallo-Italic, especially in phonetics. Later it became the existing urban structure, medieval-style, built with blocks of lava stone. Architecturally interesting turn out to be the Church of S. Maria built between 1217 and 1239, of Norman-Swabian, which contains three apses with majestic form of embattled towers, the Church of St. Nicola of 1583, which houses many sculptures Gagini school and a font style and the Gothic Church of St. Martino of the thirteenth century, in a beautiful font of Gothic and outside a beautiful bell tower of the fourteenth century windows with alternating single and double windows. Characteristic are also the House Spitaleri the fourteenth century, the ruins of the medieval walls of the Porta S. Martino of 1753 and Castello Svevo, more often renovated, which today houses the Archaeological Museum "Paolo Vagliasindi. Of these buildings the church of San Nicola place in past centuries a very important function of city life, since it took place in the meetings of the national parliament, regardless of whether it was the church of one of the three districts are proud of their individuality. The square opposite the church is a statue popularly called "Old Randall". The sculpture, which dates back to 1737, should play the legendary giant Piracmone, represented as a naked male figure, standing with a lion and an eagle at the foot on his head, while a snake wrapped around him, and could mean the unity of the city in the three races that compose it. The statue is missing the right arm, which is said to indicate the door of the church like to invite citizens to participate in political life.
0 comments:
Post a Comment