| Bivona Bivona | ||
 | ||
| State | Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Region | Sicily | |
| Territory | From Agrigento | |
| Altitude | 503 m a.s.l. | |
| Surface | 44.47 km² | |
| Inhabitants | 3.389 (2008) | |
| Prefix tel | 39 0922 | |
| POSTAL CODE | 92010 | |
| Time zone | UTC 1 | |
Position
| ||
| Tourism site | ||
| Institutional website | ||
Bivona is a city of Sicily in the province of Agrigento.
To know
Surrounded by the Sicani mountains, it is about 60 km from the provincial capital and about 90 km from Palermo, the regional capital. During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries it was one of the major feudal centers of Sicily and the first to be elevated to a duchy (by Charles V, in 1554, the year in which the emperor himself conferred the title of city on the country). One of the most ancient cults of Santa Rosalia of which there is certain information is attested.For some decades Bivona is known above all for the cultivation of fishing and, at the local level, for the presence of various schools and colleges, attended by young people from from the surrounding countries. Since 2012 it has been the seat, together with Palazzo Adriano, of the Parco dei Monti Sicani.
Geographical notes
Bivona is located inland Agrigento, on the border with province of Palermo.
The territory of Bivona has an extension of about 89 km² and is partially included in the "Monti di Palazzo Adriano and Valle del Sosio nature reserve", in the "Parco dei Monti Sicani".
Background
The history of Bivona, an Italian town in the province of Agrigento in Sicily, begins with the appearance of the first human settlements in the municipal area dating back to the Copper Age. The inhabited center of Bivona is documented starting from 1160: at first a simple farmhouse, then a lordship, it was one of the main feudal centers of the Vallo di Mazara.In 1554 the emperor Charles V raised Bivona, first among the Sicilian cities, to the rank of duchy, giving it the title of city; until 1812, therefore, the town was administered by noble Spanish families (De Luna d'Aragona, Moncada, Alvarez de Toledo), which, however, caused a social and economic decline. Following the abolition of feudalism, Bivona became capital of the Bourbon district; in 1860, when it became part of the kingdom of the Savoy, Bivona held the role of capital of the district of the same name in the province of Girgenti.
How to orient yourself
Agrigento: full screen map.
How to get
By plane
The nearest airport is in Catania.
By car
The main road axis that crosses the municipal territory is the state road 118 Corleonese Agrigentina. The road crosses the urban center of Bivona along via Porta Palermo, piazza Guglielmo Marconi and via Roma and then continues towards the districts Scaldamosche and Santa Filomena. Bivona is also served by some provincial roads:
- provincial road 34, which connects it with the state road 386 at the "Tamburello junction" in the territory of Calamonaci;
provincial road 15 Bivona-Palazzo Adriano, which crosses the mountainous territory of Monte delle Rose and the reliefs on the border between the provinces of Palermo and Agrigento;
- provincial road towards Ribera.
On the train
The closest station to Bivona is that of Cammarata - San Giovanni Gemini along the Palermo-Agrigento-Porto Empedocle line, more than 30 km from the town. In the past, however, the municipality was served by the narrow gauge railway line Lercara- Filaga-Magazzolo, built by the State Railways in 1912 to connect the sulfur mines of Lercara Friddi and Cianciana to the Castelvetrano-Porto Empedocle railway that ran along the southern coast of Sicily. The last section to come into operation was the one between Bivona and Alessandria della Rocca, inaugurated on 1 September 1924. The railway, also used for civil transport, was closed in 1959. The Bivona station, in particular, was located in the locality Santa Filomena, in the south-west of the town. The via ferrata is in poor condition: the tracks have been torn up in many points and the toll booth to the south of the town is in ruins, while the one in the Antinoro district is privately owned.
How to get around
What see
- Chiaromontan mother church. This is the ancient mother church of the town, located in its southern part, whose construction is attributed to Giovanni Chiaramonte, who was awarded the lordship of the town in 1374. The church was dedicated to Santa Maria Mater Salvatoris.
It had restorations during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In 1781, being in poor condition, the functions of the mother church were transferred to the Jesuit church and it was closed for worship in 1824.
- Mother Church Mater Salvatoris. The mother church Mater Salvatoris is a church in Bivona, an Italian town in the province of Agrigento in Sicily.
Dating back to the 16th century, it is located in Piazza Damaso Pio De Bono, in the central part of the town.
- College of the Jesuits. The building dates back to the end of the 16th century; this is the second Jesuit college built in Bivona, replacing the first (located in the southern part of the country) established by Ignazio di Loyola on the exhortation of the Duchess Aloisia de Luna.
- The xanee. A xanèa (or hanìa, hanèia, khanèa, Arabic voice) can be defined as an arch that connects two houses, also dominated by inhabited rooms, under which a road usually passes. The initial letter is a voiceless guttural fricative and it should be pronounced like the letter χ in ancient Greek (/ ch /).
- The necropolis of Millaga. The tombs are carved out of limestone and are of various sizes: the smallest measuring 97 cm, the largest 180 cm. The burials were covered with slabs, also made from limestone. In addition to this type of burial, tombs have also been found. of different types, whose pit was dug directly into the ground: the deceased was placed in the tomb in a supine position, with the upper limbs folded up and with a vase contained in each hand. The lower limbs they were buried without any protection, while the upper part rested on three vertical rock slabs and was horizontally covered with another slab of rock.
Events and parties
- Fishing Festival.
second half of August, from Friday to Sunday. The main event in Bivona, known at the regional level, is the Peach Festival, which has been organized by the municipal administration since 1985. During the final day there are numerous stands for free tasting of local peach-based specialties, including tarts, jam, ice cream and peaches with red and white wine. Other pavilions exhibit local crafts and other typical agri-food products. Over the years, several Italian singers have performed in Bivona on the occasion of the festival. - White Night. It usually takes place during the Fishing Festival, the night between Saturday and Sunday.
- May Bivonese. Throughout the month of May. It includes cultural, sporting and musical activities.
- Summer in Bivona. The program of events organized in the summer months includes theater reviews, concerts, cabaret evenings, open-air cinema, exhibitions and amateur sports tournaments.
- 5-a-side football tournament, Piazza San Giovanni. second half of July. Born in the early eighties, it is, after the festival, the most followed event by the Bivonese population. It sees the participation of children and adults also from the surrounding municipalities.
- Youth Day. August. It includes a series of activities and events dedicated to young people that take place in August. The program is divided into several weeks and offers performances by musical bands, majorettes, disco-dance in the square, folkloristic groups, table tennis tournament, treasure hunt, tug of war competitions and the Rock Rally, in which musical groups participate of Bivona and surroundings.
- Feast of Santa Rosalia. September 4th.
- Feast of San Francesco. October 4th.
second half of August, from Friday to Sunday. The main event in Bivona, known at the regional level, is the Peach Festival, which has been organized by the municipal administration since 1985. During the final day there are numerous stands for free tasting of local peach-based specialties, including tarts, jam, ice cream and peaches with red and white wine. Other pavilions exhibit local crafts and other typical agri-food products. Over the years, several Italian singers have performed in Bivona on the occasion of the festival.What to do
Shopping
How to have fun
Where to eat
Where stay
Safety
How to keep in touch
Around
Itineraries
- Santa Rosalia itinerary - Tourist, religious and naturalistic route of over 180 km, between the provinces of Agrigento is Palermo, to be done on foot, by bicycle or on horseback, which winds through 7 former nature reserves now absorbed by the Monti Sicani Park and 15 municipalities (Santo Stefano Quisquina, Castronovo of Sicily, Prizzi, Adriano Palace, Bivona, Burgio, Closed Sclafani, Bisacquino, Contessa Entellina, Flowery field, Lionheart, Plain of the Albanians, Altofonte, Monreale, Palermo), connecting the Hermitage in the territory of Santo Stefano Quisquina to the Sanctuary of Monte Pellegrino through the places linked to the cult of Santa Rosalia.
- The path, which is part of the Vie Sacre di Sicilia project, is made up of royal roads, mule tracks, paths and disused railways. Funded by the Regional Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Mediterranean Fishing, it was officially inaugurated on 4 September 2016.
