Gangi - Gangi

Gangi it's a city Sicilian of the metropolitan city of Palermo. It is part of the most beautiful villages in Italy and has been elected Borgo dei Borghi 2014. It is also part of the "Jewels of Italy"evaluated by MiBACT.

To know

This town has become famous for the municipality's initiative to sell abandoned houses for € 1. This has attracted a great deal of attention internationally, attracting many buyers.

Geographical notes

Gangi is one of the municipalities that fall within the Madonie Park.

Background

In the territory of Gangi the most ancient finds date back to the ancient Bronze Age, in the era characterized by the culture of Castelluccio, as evidenced by the necropolis consisting of cave tombs found in the site of Serra del Vento and in the Regiovanni and Zappaiello districts, about ten kilometers from the present inhabited center. It was long identified with the legendary Cretan city of Engyon. Scholars place Engio precisely in the parts of Gangi (locality of Gangivecchio or Monte Alburchia) and some archaeological evidence seems to confirm this. Accredited historiography writes of the destruction of the town which occurred in 1299 by Frederick III during the war of Vespers. The city was then rebuilt on a nearby mountain: the Marone. The first historiographical documents attest to the existence of Gangi (then located in the original site of the Gangivecchio district) in the 12th century. It was then included in the possessions of the county of Geraci: in 1195 Henry VI of Swabia, who in the previous year had subdued Sicily and had been crowned king. From the thirteenth century the county of Geraci passed under the domination of the noble Ventimiglia.

From the end of the 15th century, Gangi, like the rest of Sicily, now part of the Spanish Empire, was subject to the Inquisition. Here the prior of the Benedictines of Gangivecchio was tortured and executed.

In the mid-sixteenth century, censuses and revelations indicate a number of about 4,000 inhabitants, a thousand homes and as many families. In about 1572 the company of the Whites was founded which welcomed the socially and economically most prominent elements of the gangitan society.

In 1625 an exponent of the Graffeo Maniaci family bought the territory of Gangi from the Ventimiglias, obtaining in 1629 the title of Prince of Gangi by concession of Philip IV of Spain. Academies were founded in the eighteenth century. The best known was that of the industrialists within the Masonic world. The Church of the Badia annexed to the Benedictine monastery was built on a project by Don Cataldo La Punzina, archpriest of the Church of San Nicolò.

On 1 January 1926 the prefect Cesare Mori carried out what was probably his most famous action, that is what is remembered as the siege of Gangi, a stronghold of numerous criminal groups. With numerous men from the Carabinieri and the Police, he raided the town house by house, arresting bandits, mafiosi and various fugitives. The methods implemented during this action were particularly harsh and Mori did not hesitate to use women and children as hostages to force the criminals to surrender.

How to orient yourself

The town develops in height. The SS 120 that runs through the town reaches the lower and therefore peripheral part. The center is in correspondence with the Matrix and the main street where we also find the municipal buildings.

How to get

By plane

The nearest airports are (in order of distance):

• 37.4706615.065971 Catania airport (Fontanarossa Airport) (120 km on the A20 follow for Catania taking the A19 at Buonfornello), ☎ 39 0957239111. national, international and hub flights low cost and charter flights 
• 38.186613.10522 Palermo-Punta Raisi Airport (Falcone and Borsellino Airport) (148 km towards Palermo along the A20, then A19 follow for Trapani A29), ☎ 39 0917020273. national and international flights, too low cost 

From Gangi there are no organized transfer services to the two airports, you have to use a private car or get to the cities and rely on local public services.

By car

Gangi is crossed by the SS120 and is distant from 30 to 40 kilometers from the highway and about 65 from . Coming from Palermo on the A19 it is better to go out at the exit Petralia Sottana and then continue for about 30 kilometers along the towards Petralia Sottana and from here to Gangi along the . From Palermo you can also proceed on the and exit a Castelbuono - Pollina and then follow the road for 65 kilometers , but this path is very tortuous and difficult especially in winter. Coming from Catania you save 23 kilometers by going out a Reel on, but it takes the same time due to the longer route on local roads, so it is indifferent to exit at Petralia even coming from Catania. However, when you exit at Mulinello, follow the towards Nicosia and then the towards Gangi.

How to get around

The movements in the country are mainly on foot in the upper part of the city as there are very narrow streets and alleys with stairs. If you have walking problems, Gangi is not for you.

By public transport

There is a city bus service with a single connection line whose timetables and stops can be consulted here.

By car

In Gangi the car must be abandoned immediately, at the first parking useful as the roads are narrow and steeply sloping. If you venture out hoping to spare yourself the climbs you risk finding yourself stuck in a dead end alley or in a difficult sharp bend. The inhabitants seem to have a special license for driving in extreme conditions.

What see

• 37.7905514.20591 Sanctuary of the Holy Spirit, Contrada Spirito Santo (at the foot of the village, from the SS120 in Piano Ospedale take the SP14, or in the village after the post office, go down via Spirito Santo), ☎ 39 0921644322. Tue-Sat 10: 00-13: 00 and 15: 00-17: 30, Sun and holidays 10: 30-13: 30 and 15: 00-18: 00. Legend has it that it was built to protect a boulder where the Eternal Father was painted, a boulder buried during the iconoclastic struggles and then found. The legend goes on to say that in the impossibility of moving the boulder (which in the meantime was dripping blood from the painted eyebrow) the sanctuary was built. The historical truth instead brings us back to an aedicule with the image of Christ Pantocrator (similar to that of the Cathedral of Cefalù), later incorporated into a church dedicated to Santa Caterina d'Alessandria. In 1576 the church was remodeled and assumed the title of Sanctuary of the Holy Spirit. Inside, the frescoes by Crispino Riggio and Tommaso Pollace are noteworthy. 

• 37.79747114.205562 Palazzo Bongiorno (Municipality of Gangi), Ascent Cammarata, 2. Tue-Sun 09: 00-13: 00 and 15: 30-19: 30. The palace was built by the will of Baron Francesco Benedetto Bongiorno, starting from the early 40s of the eighteenth century. In 1967 the Municipality of Gangi acquired the property.  

• 37.79773314.2064993 Gangi Castle, via Castello. It was built between the end of the 13th and the first decades of the 14th century by Enrico Ventimiglia and was probably completed by his nephew Francesco I Ventimiglia. During the seventeenth century, the ancient manor underwent numerous transformations, such as to make it more of a palace than a castle. The castle, or rather, the wing that remains has basically unchanged its fourteenth-century layout, but the same cannot be said of the façade which, facing south-west on Piazza Valguarnera, rises with two floors. The large front contained between two towers, apparently from different periods, is marked by two orders of openings, with a sturdy ashlar portal on the ground floor, in turn surmounted by the single balcony of the façade.  

• 37.79885714.2046394 Church of the Badia (Church of San Pietro), 4 Via Del Castello, ☎ 39 0921 644032. Tue-Sat 10: 00-13: 00 and 15: 00-17: 30, Sun and holidays 10: 30-13: 30 and 15: 00-18: 00. Built in the 14th century, it was born as an oratory of San Pietro for use by Benedictine monks and later by cloistered nuns. In the eighteenth century, by the archpriest Don Cataldo La Punzina, the building was rebuilt from the foundations. At the end of the twenties of the eighteenth century the relative works began. On the vault there are allegorical frescoes, depicting Faith, Charity and Justice, made by Joseph Crestadoro in 1796. 

• 37.79896614.2046055 Church of San Paolo, Viale delle Rimembranze. Tue-Sat 10: 00-13: 00 and 15: 00-17: 30, Sun and holidays 10: 30-13: 30 and 15: 00-18: 00. Built in the fifteenth century as the oratory of San Paolo, it was renovated in 1812, as documented by the date engraved on the altar, assuming the current structure with three naves. Noteworthy is the serliane system that supports the central nave. 

• 37.79831814.205096 Church of San Giovanni Battista, Avenue of Remembrance. 

• 37.79800314.204297 Church of SS. Savior, Via Salvatore. The church was built in the seventeenth century on a building dedicated to San Filippo, and was renovated in the following centuries. Inside there are some works including the painting Spasimo di Sicilia by Giuseppe Salerno, dated 1612, the statues of the Guardian Angel (1812) and of San Filippo Apostolo (1813) by the sculptor Filippo Quattrocchi. The frescoes on the vault are the work of Salvatore Lo Caro, executed in 1810. 
• 37.79774714.203998 Madonna del Carmelo Church, Via Ospedale, 11. Church of the fourteenth century. With works by Filippo Quattrocchi. 
• 37.79663214.2032939 Convent of the Capuchins, Via Convento Cappuccini, 32, ☎ 39 0921 644031. The Convent of the Capuchins and the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli are two adjacent structures, built between 1695 and 1710, which together form a single building. The church has a rectangular plan and contains wooden friezes and decorations, the work of the friars of the convent. 
• Cylindrical tower (Saracen tower) (near the Capuchin convent,). Of medieval origin, it has the characteristics of a tower for controlling the territory. The access arch and battlements are still visible today. 

• 

  Our Lady of Carmel

• 

  Convent of the Capuchins and cylindrical tower

• 37.80047914.20218710 Church of the Holy Trinity, Via Trinità. 

• 37.79699214.20598811 Cathedral of S. Nicola of Bari (Mother Church of Gangi), Piazza del Popolo ( 39 0921644322), @[email protected]. Tue-Sat 10: 00-13: 00 and 15: 00-17: 30, Sun and holidays 10: 30-13: 30 and 15: 00-18: 00. The mother church of the town stands on the town square and is dedicated to San Nicola di Bari. It was built in the fourteenth century, with a single nave structure which was then enlarged during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries with the creation of two other naves.

Inside there are some statues by Filippo Quattrocchi, as well as the Last Judgment by Giuseppe Salerno. The church also houses a macabre crypt (for a fee) called the 'parrini pit', where you can see the mummies of the priests who served in Gangi between 1725 and 1872.  

• 37.79616914.20759312 Madonna della Catena Church, Via Catena. Tue-Sat 10: 00-13: 00 and 15: 00-17: 30, Sun and holidays 10: 30-13: 30 and 15: 00-18: 00. Built between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, it takes its name from a miraculous event that took place in Palermo in 1392, represented in bas-relief inside, on the pedestal of the marble statue dedicated to the Madonna. In 1647 the stone portal was completed. 

• 37.79485114.20815513 Church of S. Cataldo, Corso Giuseppe Fedele Vitale. Tue-Sat 10: 00-13: 00 and 15: 00-17: 30, Sun and holidays 10: 30-13: 30 and 15: 00-18: 00. Built in the first half of the 14th century, it has a central nave and two smaller side naves. The portal shows the date of the last reconstruction, which took place in 1884. Inside there are several works including the Martyrdom of the Ten Thousand Martyrs by Giuseppe Salerno of 1618, the wooden statue of San Cataldo by Berto de Blasio, dated 1589 and the Madonna of the dying of Filippo Quattrocchi. 
• 37.79537514.20557214 Church of Santa Maria di Gesù, Via Vittorio Emanuele. Dating back to the 15th century, it consists of a single nave. Inside there are some works by Filippo Quattrocchi including the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, considered his masterpiece. At the end of the seventeenth century it was decided to build a spire on its bell tower, which no longer exists today due to structural strength problems. In the eighteenth century and in the following century Gangi and the Madonie were hit by several seismic swarms capable of threatening the stability of secular and religious buildings. 
• 37.7786414.22941215 Gangi Vecchio Abbey, Road 7, 8. It was built in 1363 as a Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria di Gangi Vecchio on a fortified settlement from the Roman era which evolved in late antiquity. In 1413 the monastery was granted the title of abbey. For at least two centuries the abbey was the most important Benedictine monastic reality in central-northern Sicily. In the 16th century the structure was renovated with a new facade and several frescoes were made by the painter Pietro de Bellio. Abandoned by the monks in the 17th century, it later became a private residence. 

• 37.79522414.20784616 Sgadari Palace (civic Museum), Corso Giuseppe Fedele Vitale, ☎ 390921689907. Palazzo Sgadari is a nineteenth-century building that belonged to the family of the same name. It houses the Civic Museum, the Gianbecchina Art Gallery and the Arms Museum. 
• 37.79725214.20587417 Ventimiglia Tower, Via Salita Municipio, 2. The so-called "Torre dei Ventimiglia" is an ancient feudal tower in late Gothic style, today the bell tower of the adjacent mother church of San Nicolò, built in the first half of the 14th century under the lordship of the Counts of Geraci. Only between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries was it incorporated into the religious building. It also belonged to the Knights of Malta between medieval and modern times. Today, due to an interpretative misunderstanding, it was defined as a "civic" tower. In reality it is a false attribution with no historical foundation. The tower rises on two floors, plus a third added in the nineteenth century. In the twentieth century, the tower underwent restorations, which were finally completed in 2005. Today it has been mistakenly identified and classified as a civic tower. 
• 37.79861214.20512418 Rationalist building, via Castello. Fascist-era building with the symbols of the beam. 
• 37.79723314.20590219 Lion fountain. Fountain with a lion sculpture. 
• 37.7972714.20578620 City Hall. 

Outside the built-up area

• 37.72771714.20048921 Regiovanni Castle. The building, now a rural building, is located a few kilometers south of the town, leaning against a rocky ridge, to which it is directly connected: some rooms are excavated in the same rock structure. The fortress was the subject of several sieges in medieval times in the context of the rebellions against the Aragonese. 
• 37.70987314.20603522 Fortified farmhouse of Bordonaro Soprano (A few kilometers from Regiovanni). The crenellated tower still exists, unlike the walls and buildings, which are now in ruins. 
• 37.75425914.17318823 Monte Alburchia (South-west of Gangi). In this mountain, the remains of a Sican settlement have been found that can be dated between the 7th and 5th centuries BC. whose living continuity lasted until the IV-V century BC. with the presence of votive shrines. 

Events and parties

• In Cravaccata. Carnival Tuesday. 
• Feast of the Holy Spirit. Monday following Pentecost. 
• Feast of the Burgisi. First Sunday of August. 
• Festival of the Ear. Second Sunday of August. 

What to do

Shopping

• 37.79646714.2067641 The Goat Sings, Corso G. F, Corso Giuseppe Fedele Vitale, 122, ☎ 39 380 310 2903. One of the very few artisans in Sicily who produce drums. Not to be missed. 

How to have fun

Where to eat

Where stay

Safety

How to keep in touch

Keep informed

• Touristic office, ☎ 39 0921501471, @[email protected]. Tue-Sun 09: 00-13: 00 and 15: 30-19: 30. 

Around

• Castelbuono
• Cefalù
• Petralia Sottana
• Petralia Soprana

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Gangi
• Commons contains images or other files on Gangi

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