PALAZZOLO ACREIDE
Constructed on the ruins of
the ancient Medieval Akrai,
Palazzolo developed around an Imperial Palatium (from
which its name derives) and then around the Norman
Castle (11th Century), then destroyed by an earthquake.
Well protected by defensive walls, the City then developed
outside them and took on its urban look since the 16th Century.
It was first documented in history by the Arabic geographer
Edrisi, who referred to it as Balansùl,
which is the Arabic version of its medieval name Palatiolum.
It was feuded over firstly by the Altavilla,
then the Swabians and Aragonese.
In 1623, the plague decimated
the population and in 1693, an earthquake
destroyed the City and its Castle.
After its reconstruction, the town slowly began to flourish.
In 1848, it was part of the insurrectionary
revolts and in 1860, by unanimous
vote, sanctioned its annexation to Reign of Italy.
During the Second World War, the town was bombed and partially
destroyed on 9th and 10th of July, 1943,
which led to a new reconstruction.
In the 19th Century, it was Barone Gabriele Ludica,
archaeologist and man of culture, who carried out the first
archaeological finds of ancient Akrai.
Other than the archaeological site in Palazzolo, one can visit
the churches of: the Chiesa Madre (1215,
then reconstructed after the earthquake of 1693), the Chiesa
dell’Annunziata with its beautiful marble altar
and the Chiesa di San Sebastiano, also reconstructed,
with its imposing façade.
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