Adrano

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Adrano Dirnò (Sicilian)
Comune
Comune di Adrano
Coat of arms
Location of Adrano
UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	95031
Dialing code	095
Patron saint	Nicolò Politi Vincent of Saragossa
Saint day	3 August
Website	Official website

Adrano (Italian: [aˈdraːno]; Adernò until 1929; Sicilian: Ddirnò), ancient Adranon, is a town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Catania on the east coast of Sicily.

It is situated around 41 kilometres (25 mi) northwest of

The settlement was founded by Dionysius the Elder around 400 BC, intending to strengthen

In 344 BC the troops of Timoleon fought the forces of the Syracusan commander Iketas of Leontini near Adrano. During the following years, Adrano was frequently harried by Campanian mercenaries, called the Mamertinians.

The Romans conquered the growing township in 263 BC^[3] and declared it a civitas stipendiaria, obliging it to pay a costly tribute to Rome. The consul Valerius ravaged the town, enslaved the inhabitants and sold them as workers and slaves to the aratores (farmers) residing in the near city of Centuripe. In 137 BC, Eunus led an unsuccessful slave revolt against the Roman suppressors, and from then on, Adrano was nothing more than part of Centuripe.

The Romans referred to the city as Adranum^[4] or Hadranum.^[3]

Byzantine Empire, Arabs and Normans

The township was pillaged several times by Germanic tribes during the fall of the

Around 950, the Arab Musa occupied the city of Centuripe and its vicinity, and thenceforth Adrano became part of the emirate of Sicily.

The Arabs ruled the region until in 1075 the

In 1282, the Sicilian Vespers ended the French reign in Sicily, and Peter III of Aragon became king. The following years were characterized by constant conflicts between the residing farmers and the Bourgeoisie of the region. Adrano fell to the property of the Catalan landholder Garzia de Linguida, and eventually, in 1286, to the ownership of Luca Pellegrino. The estates and soils of the region were subject to immense disputes between several landowners and noblemen in the following time until the 15th century.

From the 15th century on, Sicily was reigned by the so-called vice kings. Between 1412 and 1515, Adrano was under administration by the Moncada family. Giovan Tommaso Moncada (1466–1501) renovated the Norman castle and fortified it. He allowed a couple of refugees from the northern Greek region of Epirus to settle down in the vicinity of Adrano, which is how the town of Biancavilla was founded. The relatives of earl Moncada build many manors (so-called palazzi) in the centre of the town, among which is the latter town hall, and the centre of the city, the piazza, became popular meeting place for the residents, who meanwhile numbered around 6,000. Around the same time began the construction of the Monastero di Santa Lucia (Monastery of St Lucy). In 1693, a severe earthquake inflicted heavy damage to the town.

18th, 19th and 20th century

Since the beginning of the 18th century and until around 1820, Adrano suffered from enduring riots and changes taking place in Italy and particularly Sicily, as was the

Giuseppe Garibaldi landed in Sicily in 1860 and many reforms took place. On July 1, 1860, a town council was installed in Adrano, and don Lorenzo Ciancio was made chairman. The famous Teatro Bellini (Bellini theatre) dates from that time and testifies to the various diversifications the city underwent in that very period. A hospital was instituted as well, and meanwhile Adrano was considered the wealthiest town in the region.

In the 1920s, the reformist preacher don Vincenzo Bascetta appeared in Adrano, and, together with the young anti-fascist high school teacher Carmelo Salanitro, he passionately fought for the peasants' rights. Due to their initiative, large parts of the surrounding lava landscape were transformed into olive and almond plantations. Carmelo Salanitro was murdered in a gas chamber at

Adrano was the scene of much fighting during the latter phases of

The Romans changed the name of the township into Hadranum; during the occupation by the Arabs it was called Adarnu or sometimes Adarna, while the Normans referred to it as Adernio and Adriano. Until 1929 its official name was Adernò, until eventually it was changed into Adrano. Several elder inhabitants of the town still call it Adernò.

Main sights

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• Castle of Norman origin (Castello Normanno) in the centre of the town, built in 1070 on behalf of Roger I. Inside the castle is the archaeological museum with antique findings of the region.
• Chiesa Madre (Mother Church): houses the 16th-century Moncada Polyptych and works by Giuseppe Guzzardi and Angelo La Naia
  .
• Biscari and redesigned by the well-known Catanese architect Stefano Ittar
  . It contains a chapel dating from 1775. Until the early 1920s, the monastery was still inhabited by monks, but now is public and private property, partly used by a secondary school.
• Santa Maria del Rosario: Church adjacent to former Dominican monastery
• Giardino della Vittoria or Villa Comunale: public park in front of the St Lucy Monastery, with a promenade between mature palm trees
• Teatro Bellini: public theater was re-opened in 2004 after over 26 years. It was built on behalf of the vice king in 1779 and resembles the theatre of Parma dating from 1618. It is situated on the ruins of the antique church of St Vito.
• Ponte dei Saraceni (Bridge of the Saracens) about 3 km outside the town
• The ruins of the original Greek settlement visitable in the east of the town.

Due to the prospering Catholic tradition of the region, Adrano has numerous antique chapels and small churches hidden in the backstreets. Moreover, Adrano is famous for its colourful carnival and the passionate celebration of San Nicola, in honour of its patron Saint Nicola Politi on August 3.

Transportation

Adrano is linked to the rapidway SS 121 leading from Paternò to Catania. Near Belpasso, a large mall named Etnapolis^{[permanent dead link]} has been opened recently.

Adrano is connected to the province capital Catania by a bus route which is operated by the FCE and leads through various towns to the central station of Catania and further to the communal beach. A rapid bus skips the smaller towns and leads to Catania directly over the highway. In the summer season, a bus connects Adrano, Bronte, Randazzo, Floresta and Naso in the province of Messina. Between the station of Catania-Borgo and Riposto operates the Littorina, a nostalgic Diesel fuelled train which stops in Adrano, Paternò, Biancavilla, Santa Maria di Licodia and other towns. The extension of a route of the rapid transit railway of Catania to Paternò and Adrano has been planned and the constructions have begun. Adrano is not linked with the national train system of Trenitalia. Moreover, the FCE operates two bus routes (A and B) in Adrano.

Health

Adrano does not possess any hospital but only a so-called Guardia medica, a paramedic station with emergency personnel, vehicles and equipment. The nearest hospital is the Maria SS. Addolorata in Biancavilla, which is on stand-by as well for emergencies in Adrano.

Maria Tizziano is the youngest mother in Italy history, who have become mother in 1992 at 11 years old.

References

1. ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
2. Istat
   .
3. ^ ^{a b} Diodorus Siculus, Biblioteca Historica, 23.4
4. ^ Adrano – Britannica Online Encyclopedia
5. ^ Bitter Victory: The Battle for Sicily, 1943 by Carlo D'Este pg. 508-509

Further reading

Wikisource has the text of a 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article about Adernò.