Adrano

Adrano
Country	Italy
region	Sicily
Metropolitan city	Catania (CT)
Local name	Adranu
Coordinates	37 ° 40 ′ N , 14 ° 57 ′ E Coordinates: 37 ° 40 ′ 0 ″ N , 14 ° 57 ′ 0 ″ E
height	560 m slm
surface	82.51 km²
Residents	35,211 (Dec. 31, 2019)
Population density	427 inhabitants / km²
Post Code	95031
prefix	095
ISTAT number	087006
Popular name	Adraniti
Patron saint	San Nicolò Politi
Website	Adrano

Adrano is a city of Metropolitan city of Catania in the Region of Sicily in Italy with 35,211 inhabitants (December 31, 2019).

Location and dates

Adrano is 41 km northwest of Catania on the southwest slope of Mount Etna . The Simeto flows west of Adrano . The residents work mainly in agriculture and industry.

The neighboring municipalities are Belpasso , Biancavilla , Bronte , Castiglione di Sicilia , Centuripe ( EN ), Maletto , Nicolosi , Randazzo , Sant'Alfio and Zafferana Etnea . Other places in the neighborhood are Paternò , Regalbuto (EN) and Santa Maria di Licodia . The territory of Adrano is bordered by Centuripe to the west, Bronte to the north and Biancavilla to the south. Adrano shares only the summit of Mount Etna with the other municipalities, around which their territories are arranged like pieces of cake. The settlements belonging to the municipalities are located at a greater distance from Adrano. Adrano is involved in the Parco dell'Etna regional park in terms of both content and territory .

The current mayor of Adrano is the left-wing liberal Giuseppe Ferrante (* 1961).

history

Surname

The place has been given different names throughout history. The Romans called the city Hadranum, in Saracen times the settlement was called Adarnu or Adarna, the Normans called it Adernio and Adriano. Until 1929 the city was called Adernò and is sometimes still called that by the elderly.

Foundation of the city and pre-Christian times

The community was founded by Dionysius I of Syracuse around 400 BC. Founded to consolidate the Syracuse supremacy in this region. It is believed that there were small Siculian settlements in the area before . At that time Dionysius named the city Adranon after the Siculian or Phoenician war deity Adranos, who in honor of the settlement also had a statue and later a temple of his own.

In 344 BC The battle between the troops of the Corinthian Timoleon and those of the Syracusian general Hiketas took place near Adrano . The legend claims that the gates of the Temple of Adrano opened suddenly and that his statue began to sweat and waved its lance, whereupon the inhabitants joined the army of Iketas. In the following years, the city was more frequently plundered by the Mamertines , Campanian mercenaries .

The city finally became in 263 BC. Conquered by the Romans and declared a civitas stipendiaria that had to pay a tribute to Rome. The consul Valerius stormed the city, razed it to the ground and enslaved a large part of the population to pass it on to the Roman aratores in Centuripe. After a slave revolt around Eunus was brutally suppressed, the city was only considered part of Centuripe for a very long time.

Byzantines, Saracens and Normans

During the invasions by the Vandals in the 5th century, the city was sacked regularly. From the time of Theodoric (495-526 AD) she came to rest , especially under the benevolent rule of Cassiodorus . After the conquest of Sicily by Byzantine troops under Belisarius (536), however, the inhabitants again suffered from oppression.

Around the year 950 the area around Centuripe was conquered by the Emir Musa, and Adrano, which at that time only consisted of a few huts, was from now on Saracen. The Saracen occupiers, who were very active in agriculture and were comparatively tolerant, built a large number of buildings in and around Adrano and formed a stable infrastructure around Adrano. The Ponte dei Saraceni is only called that and is in fact a Norman work.

In 1075 the riders of the Normans Hugo von Yersey conquered the area against the bitter resistance of the Saracen Caid Albucazar. Hugo was received by the population like a liberator. Adrano became part of the diocese of Catania , established in 1091 and headed by the monk Ansgerius. The citizens of the city led the progress of the Saracens in handicrafts and agriculture and the following years were characterized by viticulture , leather and silk handicrafts .

In 1117 in Adrano Nicola (Nicolò) Politi was born. It is said that with the sign of the cross he once drove away a pack of wolves that threatened the settlement and healed sick sheep. At the age of 17 he decided to live as a hermit . He died on the morning of August 17, 1167 after a life that he had dedicated to prayer in isolation. His body was venerated and many miracles were associated with him even after his death . After his canonization in 1507, he became the city's patron saint.

Middle Ages and Early Modern Times

The rule of the Hohenstaufen from 1194 meant the beginning of ongoing disputes and repression for Sicily and its inhabitants. The remaining resident Saracens were systematically persecuted, which eventually forced them to entrench themselves in Troina , Entella and Centuripe under the leadership of Mirabetto and to offer organized resistance. They were defeated in 1225 and the survivors were massacred or abducted. Clement IV made Charles of Anjou king of Sicily in 1265 , which also ended the Hohenstaufen rule over the area around Adrano. Under the rule of Anjou, Adrano was again reduced to an inconspicuous town of hunters, and the population of around 1,000 declined significantly to around 300.

In 1282, the Sicilian Vespers ended French rule in Sicily, and Peter III. of Aragon became king. The Aragonese period began in Adrano, which was marked by intense disputes between the local farmers on the one hand and the nobility on the other. Adrano fell to the Catalan landowner Garzia De Linguida, and a short time later, in 1286, to Luca Pellegrino. The following period was filled with many disputes between various large landowners and aristocrats for ownership of the region until the 15th century.

It follows the period of the viceroys, when Adrano was under the care and rule of the Moncada family between 1412 and 1515 . Giovan Tommaso Moncada (1466–1501) restored the Norman castle and had a fortification built at the foot of the tower. He allowed some refugees from the north Greek Epirus to settle nearby, who then founded the village of Biancavilla nearby. Count Tommaso's relatives built numerous mansions (so-called palazzi ) in the center of Adrano , including what would later become the town hall . Around that time the piazza , today's city center, slowly emerged as the administrative center of the city. Construction of the Monastero di S. Lucia also began around that time . Around 6,000 inhabitants now lived in the up-and-coming city. The place was badly damaged in the earthquake in 1693.

18th to early 20th century

From the beginning of the 18th century until 1820 Adrano suffered from the ongoing unrest in Sicily. The consequences of the Risorgimento after the Congress of Vienna in 1815 also affected Adrano, who was the scene of various conflicts. In 1819 Adrano finally became capoluogo di circondario (Italian: capital of the area) and seat of the local court.

In 1860 Giuseppe Garibaldi landed in Sicily. The following reforms also affected Adrano and on July 1, 1860, a city council was established in Adrano under the chairmanship of don Lorenzo Ciancio. The next period was marked by numerous renovations, including the Teatro Bellini and the cityscape. A hospital was also set up. Adrano was now the wealthiest city in the area. In the 1920s, the reformist preacher don Vincenzo Bascetta appeared in Adrano, who, together with the young anti-fascist Professor Carmelo Salanitro, passionately campaigned for the rights of small farmers. On her initiative, large parts of the surrounding lava landscape were converted into olive and almond plantations . Carmelo Salanitro died in Mauthausen concentration camp in 1945 .

The city was destroyed again during World War II in 1943 when heavy fighting between German and Allied troops took place around it.

Cityscape and buildings

Castle (Castello Normanno) in the town center. It is believed that another Norman fortification had already stood in its place, which in turn was built on the remains of a Saracen complex. The Moncada used the fortress as living quarters for courtiers, but between the 16th and early 20th centuries the upper floors were empty and the lower floors were used as dungeons. Its current structure has Catalan origins and is dated to the 14th century.
Archaeological museum in the castle with finds from the area
Chiesa Madre (main church), originally from Norman times. Until it was expanded into a basilica in the 16th century, only a wooden chapel stood in its place, the history of which is unclear. The princes of the Moncada declared it the main church of the place.
Convento di Santa Lucia (Convent of Saint Lucia) in Via Roma, built in 1596 by order of the Prince of Biscari and designed by the architect Stefano Ittar , with its own church from 1775. Monks lived here until 1920, but the entire building now belongs to the Community and in some parts there is a secondary school.
Monastero Santa Chiara (Monastery of St. Clare) on the Piazza S. Chiara, a sister monastery with origins from 1602. In the 18th century the monastery was expanded to include the newer part with a view of the Piazza S. Chiara. In 1866 the monastery became municipal property and since then has contained a military barracks and various public offices.
Villa Comunale, the municipality's public park opposite the Monastero, with decades-old tropical palm trees
The "Teatro Bellini" theater reopened in December 2004 after 26 years, the first version built in 1779 by order of the Viceroy based on the model of the Parma Theater from 1618. The theater in the original house is documented until 1829. Vincenzo Costa renews this Theater so that it could reopen in the summer of 1846. In the early 20th century the theater got its present form and was named after Vincenzo Bellini . It stands on the ruins of the earlier church of San Vito.
In addition, there are numerous old churches in Adrano that reflect the traditional Catholicism of the region.

Surroundings

Ruins of the ancient Greek city are to the east of Adrano

The Eurelios open- air photovoltaic system , built in 1981

The medieval bridge Ponte dei Saraceni, about 3 km from the city

Infrastructure, means of transport

Adrano is connected to the provincial capital Catania by a bus line of Ferrovia Circumetnea , which leads to the main train station of Catania and further to the beach via Biancavilla, Santa Maria di Licodia and Paternò. There is also an express bus line ( Rapido ) on the expressway to Catania. In the summer season, there is also a daily bus from Adrano via Bronte, Randazzo and Floresta to Naso on the north coast of the island. In addition, the Littorina of Ferrovia Circumetnea runs between Catania-Borgo and Riposto , a downright nostalgic local train that also stops in Adrano, Paternò, Santa Maria di Licodia and Biancavilla. A route for the light rail from Catania to Adrano to replace the outdated Littorina is currently under construction. Adrano is not connected to the regional traffic of the Italian railway Trenitalia . Recently, Ferrovia Circumetnea buses run on two lines (A and B) crossing through Adrano.

Adrano himself does not own a hospital , but only has a Guardia Medica in the center, which is common in many Sicilian communities , an ambulance with medical staff, vehicle fleet and equipment. The nearest hospital is the Ospedale Maria SS. Addolorata in Biancavilla, a few kilometers away, which is also responsible for emergencies from Adrano.

Adrano is on the SS 121 expressway that goes from Paternò to Catania. At the height of Belpasso there is a state-of-the-art shopping and entertainment center called Etnapolis directly on this expressway.