Adrano
Part of The Encyclopedia of Southern Italy.
Adrano (CT): (anc. Adranon, Adranum, Adranus, Hadranum; Arab. Adornu; formerly Aderno). A commune (Area: 82.51 km². Alt. 560 m) in the province of Catania. Located 36 km NW of Catania, on the SW slope of M. Etna, it is situated in a hilly region near the junction of the rivers Simeto and Salso, on a lava hill above the Simeto valley. Population: 35,984 (2006e); 35,611(2004). The town is a market center for wine, citrus fruit (especially oranges), pistachios, and honey. The surrounding territory is given over to agricultural cultivation (citrus fruits, olives, pistachios, and vegetables) and livestock breeding (cattle and sheep). Part of Regione Agraria n. 1 – Versante Occidentale dell’Etna. Part of Parco dell’Etna.
CAP: 95031. Tel. Pref.: 095. Geographical Coordinates: Lat 37°39’46″08 N/Long 14°50’8″16 E.
Inhabitants Designation: Adraniti.
Frazioni/Localities: Calcerana Marina, Sacro Cuore.
Historic Population Figures: 13,161(1861); 25,689(1901); 40,007(1921); 27,182(1951); 33,220(1981); 34,490(2001).
History: The town’s name derives from that of the Sikel god Adranos (or Hadranos). The area around Adrano had been inhabited since Neolithic times. A number of small Stentinello culture villages from the 6th and 5th millennia BC have been excavated.
The ancient town of Adranon was founded in c400 BC by Dionysius the Elder, tyrant of Syracuse, on the probable site of an earlier Sikel community dating from the Early Bronze Age. It was located near the chief temple of the Sikelian fire/volcano deity (H)adranos, from whom its name is derived. The Greeks soon assimilated Hadranos into their own deity Hephaestus.
In Greek times, the town was a place of some importance, guarding an important crossroads between Katane (Catania) and Henna (Enna). Timoleon conquered the place from Dionysius II in 343-42 BC. In 263 BC, the town was captured by the Romans. Much of the old town was destroyed at this time and a new settlement called Hadranum arose on the site. Pliny the Elder, writing in the 1st century AD, listed it among the stipendiariae civitates (cities liable to annual taxation). Diodorus Siculus and Plutarch also mention it as an insignificant place important only for its still-active temple. In spite of its lack of political and military importance, the town thrived economically throughout the Roman era.
The town survived the fall of the Roman Empire and came under the control of the Byzantines. The Saracens captured it during the 10th century. Called Adornu, the Saracen center flourished. When the Normans occupied the place (second part of the 11th century), the town’s name was altered to Aderno. As a fief (a county) of Count Roger I, Aderno underwent a major reconstruction. During the 14th century, the Aragonese King Federico II gave Aderno to Matteo Sclafani with the title of count. In 1360, it came under the control of the Moncada-Sclafani family. In 1549, ownership passed to the Moncada, Princes of Paterno, who continued to hold it until the abolition of feudalism in 1812. It suffered terrible damage during the terrible earthquake of 1693. In 1929, the town’s name was changed to Adrano.
The modern town suffered considerable damage during fighting between German and American forces in World War II. Many of its monuments have undergone restoration since the end of the war.
Major earthquakes struck in 1693, 1818, 1894, 1905, 1908, 1975, 1978, and 1990.
Points of Interest: The town still has many ancient Greek, Sikel, and Roman remains. The earliest remains include Early Bronze Age (8th century BC) pottery (Castellucian) and bronzes from Mendolito (the “Mendolito hoard”), the site of the Sikel settlement. Among these are a necropolis (7th – 5th centuries BC), remains of walls and towers (from the Dionysian city), and some ancient buildings (Roman thermae and temples). Long stretches of the southern stretch of the ancient lava-stone fortification circuit walls still survive in the district of Mendolito, much of it having been incorporated into defensive works of later date. The walls were constructed from isodomic blocks of lava stone. They are also are especially well preserved along their E stretch (in the Cartalemi district). At the NE end a rectangular tower has been incorporated into the church of S. Francesco. These walls mark the E and W boundaries of the ancient city. A steep ravine defended the S side. Of the N defenses nothing remains, having been obliterated by modern buildings. Other ancient remains include some houses from the 4th century BC in which were discovered pottery of Italiote manufacture and some coins of the same era. None of the monuments of the city (including the famous sanctuary of Hadranos) have yet been found. Part of an archaic necropolis, located to the SE of the city in Sciare Manganelli, has been excavated. The graves discovered here are unlike those typically found in ancient Sicily. They consist of crude circular edifices built of basalt stone, similar in nature to the tholoi in Mycenaean Greece. The grave goods, including some small bronze artifacts, are now housed in the Archaeological Museum located in the Norman Castello.
Of the medieval remains, the most important is the rectangular Norman Castello founded by Count Roger I in 1070 upon the ruins of an earlier Saracen fortification. It includes a rectangular keep, modified in the 14th, 15th centuries (1640-56), and 19th centuries (1811). Rising to a height of about 36 m., the complex’s four wings are surrounded by defensive corner turrets. Housed within is the Museo Archeologico Etneo. Among the artifacts included here are pieces of pottery dating from the early Bronze Age. On the first two floors of the museum are collected prehistoric artifacts from the Stentinello and Castelluccio sites. On the 2nd floor are artifacts from Mendolito, including a hanging Ascos and a 6th century BC bronze figurine known as the “Il Banchettante.” A small Norman chapel (2nd floor) has an apse decorated with a fresco (relating the story of Countess Adelasia, granddaughter of Count Roger I [see below]) and contains a collection of coins from the ancient town. On the 3rd floor is a mediocre collection of paintings.
The Bellini Theater dates to 1846.
The most important religious monument is the Norman Chiesa Madre, or church of the Maria SS. Assunta, containing some good artworks in its Norman interior. It has three aisles divided by 16 basalt columns taken from an ancient Greek temple. In the N aisle is a 15th century painted crucifix, now in poor condition, and above the W door is a 16th century polyptych of the Messina School. The campanile, built in reinforced concrete, remained incomplete. The church underwent restoration during the 17th century. The transept is decorated by paintings of Zoppo di Ganci.
The church of S. Francesco contains a beautiful 17th century wooden crucifix created by Fra. Umile da Petralia.
The church of S. Agostino preserves a fine engraved marble altar.
Other religious monuments include the churches of SS. App. Filippo e Giacomo, Santa Lucia (founded 1156; rebuilt 1775), and Chiesa del Rosario (18th century), and the Dominican Convent (1596).
The Norman Countess Adelasia in 1157/8 founded the ex-monastery of Santa Lucia outside the town walls. The present building, dating from 1596, is now used as a school. A second restoration, which includes the façade, occurred in the 18th century. The high 3-storied twin-bell-towered façade of the church dates from 1775. The charming interior has an oval central area.
To the E of the town, in Contrada Cartalemi, are remains of a 4th century BC temple of Demeter and of the ancient Greek circuit walls.
In the district of Mendolito, to the NW of the center, are the remains of a Sikel town. Traces of its fortifications can still be seen. One of the most interesting finds here is a long, untranslated inscription in the Sikel tongue.
About 8 km. W of the center, near Cárcaci, is the 14th century Ponte dei Saraceni, a bridge over the river Simeto.
To the SW of Adrano, at the foot of a volcanic plateau on the river Simeto is Eurelios. Completed in 1982, it among the largest solar-energy complexes in Europe. It is a combined French-German-Italian enterprise consisting of 182 computer-controlled mirrors to collect solar rays.
Principal Monuments:
Cappella del Castello,
Chiesa Madre,
Chiesa S. Maria della Catena,
Chiesa di S. Francesco,
Chiesa di S. Pietro,
Chiesa del Rosario,
Convento Domenicano,
Chiesa del Salvatore,
Chiesa di S. Agostino,
Chiesa e Monastero di S. Lucia,
Chiesa S. Antonio Abate,
Chiesa S. Antonio di Padova,
Chiesa Di SS. Apostoli Filippo e Giacomo,
Chiesa di S. Chiara,
Chiesa SS. Cristo della Colonna,
Chiesa del Crocifisso,
Chiesa di Gesù e Maria,
Chiesa di S. Leonardo,
Chiesa della Madonna delle Grazie,
Chiesa di S. Maria degli Angeli,
Chiesa di Maria SS. Della Catena,
Chiesa di S. Nicola, Chiesa di S. Paolo,
Chiesa dello Spirito Santo,
Fontana dell’Immacolata.
Culture & Religion: Patron Saint(s): San Nicolò Politi (3 Aug).
Passion Play- Easter time. This is one of the most Passion Plays in Sicily.
Exhibit-Market of Artistic and Commercial Handicrafts- July.
Feast of San Nicolò Politi- Aug 3.
The author of an early 20th century guide book warned travelers that the local inhabitants of the town “had a bad name.”