| I absorb | ||
 | ||
| State | Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Region | Sicily | |
| Territory | Ennese | |
| Altitude | 850 m a.s.l. | |
| Surface | 112.15 km² | |
| Inhabitants | 5.010 (2019) | |
| Name inhabitants | Assorini | |
| Prefix tel | 39 0935 | |
| POSTAL CODE | 94010 | |
| Time zone | UTC 1 | |
| Patron | Saint Petronilla virgin and martyr | |
Position
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| Institutional website | ||
I absorb is a city of Sicily.
To know
Background
The area of Assoro was affected until the post-war period by the extraction of sulfur which fueled the local economy and had made it possible to have an income for many workers. Then the extraction stopped, leaving some abandoned mines and the dream of an intensive use of the Dittaino-Leonforte railway.
How to orient yourself
Assoro: full screen map.Fraction
- 1 St. George
How to get
How to get around
Marconi Square
By car
It is not easy to move through the narrow streets of the historic center, it is advisable to park your car on 2 Marconi Square and continue on foot.
What see
Valguarnera Castle
- 1 Valguarnera Castle (Summit of Monte Stella).
free use. The plan of the castle had an irregular polygonal pattern, modulated according to the shapes of the rocks located at the top of the cliff. The walls end in a full circular tower, equipped, until a few years ago, with stone corbels, almost proof of the Spanish influence of the Valguarnera family, who had to intervene on the castle with restoration works. A second wall is equipped with windows that look towards the valley. An underground passageway is equipped with a spiral staircase and other rooms, all carved into the rock with a cross vault. The other rooms seem to have served as warehouses, also judging by the presence of water drainage channels. Difficult to interpret are long series of linear petroglyphs, all the same. The castle had to develop, as a whole, beyond the current urban park, up to the inhabited center.
free use. The plan of the castle had an irregular polygonal pattern, modulated according to the shapes of the rocks located at the top of the cliff. The walls end in a full circular tower, equipped, until a few years ago, with stone corbels, almost proof of the Spanish influence of the Valguarnera family, who had to intervene on the castle with restoration works. A second wall is equipped with windows that look towards the valley. An underground passageway is equipped with a spiral staircase and other rooms, all carved into the rock with a cross vault. The other rooms seem to have served as warehouses, also judging by the presence of water drainage channels. Difficult to interpret are long series of linear petroglyphs, all the same. The castle had to develop, as a whole, beyond the current urban park, up to the inhabited center.- The historical information of the castle is rare, it must have been a Byzantine fortification conquered in 939 by the Arab gualdana of Chalil. The castle was conquered by the Normans, and passed, with a deed of sale signed by Roger II, to the bishop of Catania who acquired the feudal right. It then passed to Scaloro I degli Umberti, from whom it was confiscated in 1340 and entrusted to the Duke of Randazzo, Giovanni, loyal to the Catalan party; in 1347 Umberti was forgiven and returned to the possession of Castrum Asari, where he was killed in a battle in 1351. In 1364 Frederick IV granted the castle and the land to Matteo d'Aragona, who died the same year without heirs. In 1366 the castle came to Antonio Moncada until 1397. In Sicily it was replaced in the Assoro lordship by the Valguarnera family, until the end of feudalism.
Palace of the Princes of Valguarnera
- 2 Palace of the Princes of Valguarnera (Palazzo della Signoria), Piazza Guglielmo Marconi. 15th century building. It has a Catalan style and is connected to the Mother Church of San Leone by a round arch.
- 3 Santa Maria degli Angeli Church and Convent, Via Angeli, 73. The church, with the adjoining convent, was built in 1622 by the Reformed Fathers. In this new Marian church, the Baroque splendor and the exteriority of the Faith also triumph. The recently restored interior is of great interest, a rare example of painted Baroque. The solemn "staircase", adorned with elegant columns with stone balconies, begins with a massive cross (two interlocking crossed monoliths, obtained directly from the excavation of the cloister cistern).
Basilica San Leone
- 4 Basilica of San Leone (Mother church), Via Crisa, 294. The basilica is the mother church of Assoro. It was erected in 1186, a national monument since 1933. The earthquake of 11 January 1693 caused no victims, but considerable damage to the pronaos and the bell spire, which was later replaced by a specola with a clock until 1973. It is composed of five naves and three apses, a wooden roof painted with trusses. Inside there are valuable marble works and a large wooden crucifix by Antonello Gagini, the marble tombs of Ponzio, Vitale and Giacomo Valguarnera, some 14th and 15th century canvases, a processional cross in silver and enamels by Vincenzo Archifel.
- Church of Santa Maria Del Carmine. Initially dedicated to Santa Petronilla and dating back to the fourteenth century. It is home to the marble tomb of Francesco Valguarnera known as the paladin, from the Gagini school. It has a Romanesque façade and a bell tower with mullioned windows.
- 5 Bell tower and façade of San Biagio, via San Biagio. Remains of a church from 1603
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Abbey of S. Chiara
Church of Santa Caterina
- 6 Abbey of Santa Chiara (city Hall). Dating back to the 15th century, it was founded by Virginia Valguarnera. Today it is the municipal seat, with the historical archive, the municipal library and the picture gallery, located in the council room, with paintings by Elio Romano, a local painter, as well as about fifty paintings by contemporary painters from different Sicilian schools.
- 7 Church of the Holy Spirit, Via Spirito Santo, 71. Thirteenth century church with three naves. It has a Gothic portal and an external portico.
- Church of the Misericordia, Via Misericordia.
- Church of San Giuseppe.
- 8 Church of Santa Caterina, via Maggio. Remains of a bell tower and a church of which only the foundations are visible.
Events and parties
- The Addolorata degli Angioletti. Holy Wednesday. A procession of over fifty children carry the symbols of the Passion: the cross, the nails, the spear and the crown of thorns from the Church of the Holy Spirit to the Mother Church.
- Good Friday. Good Friday. Procession of Christ carried on the shoulder by the congregation of the "Nudes" on bare feet with the congregation of "Maria Santissima Addolorata" in tow. There are 64 Nudes. The fercolo has the name of u Munti. The ceremony lasts from 9pm to 4am. Before the procession, a ceremony of the "Crucifix" congregation is celebrated inside the mother church.
- Flight to Egypt. March 19. It is a seven-year sacred representation. The next performance will take place in 2021.
- Feast of Saint Petronilla virgin and martyr. 29, 30 and 31 May. Patronal feast
- Feast of the Most Holy Mary of the Angels. third Sunday of August. It is celebrated with a suggestive procession. The fercolo is carried on the shoulders by the barefoot congregants, dressed in a white habit.
- Celebrations of San Nicolò da Tolentino. September 10.
What to do
Shopping
- 1 Sicilia Outlet Village, ☎ 39 0935 950040. This outlet that recreates the typical Sicilian architecture attracts a large number of customers from all parts of Sicily.
- 2 San Giorgio Dairy, Via Balzo, ☎ 39 0935 669438. Typical Sicilian cheeses.
How to have fun
Where to eat
Moderate prices
- 1 D'Agostino Bar, Via Crisa, 291, ☎ 390935667392.
Where stay
Safety
How to keep in touch
Around
Former Mines
Bambinello mine
- 3 Bambinello mine.
- 4 Solfara Zimbalio and Giangagliano.
- Solfara Vodi.
Itineraries
- Former Dittaino-Leonforte railway - Breathtaking views between tunnels and viaducts that can be traveled by bicycle or on foot.
