Racalmuto (Agrigento Province) is 24 km. from Agrigento, alt. 445 m, on the hills between the Rivers Platani and Salso, area 68.3 sq. km., pop. over 10,600, post-code 92020, tel. 0922. Economy: agriculture (cereals, almonds, olives, grapes); rock salt mining.
The oldest settlement in the territory was a hamlet in the Castelvecchio area that was built under the Arabs (the present name of the town comes from the Arabic "Rahl al mudd", "Hamlet of the bushel"). Later the town spread round the castle built in the 14th century by the Chiaromontes, probably on the site of an existing fortification. The fief later passed to the Del Carretto family, to whom it belonged until the 18th century.
Of interest is the town hall, now housed in the old Convent of Santa Chiara, and the Regina Margherita Theater (1879). Just outside town, toward Montedoro, is a small Chiaromontine castle and a prehistoric necropolis known as the Saracen tombs.
Churches (Agrigento Diocese) include the following:
Maria SS. Annunziata (Chiesa Madre, 17th century)
Chiesa di San Giuliano (historic)
Chiesa di San Giuseppe (17th century, historic)
Chiesa Santa Maria del Monte (historic)
Madonna della Rocca
Maria SS. del Carmelo
S. Giuliano
Links to other sites about Racalmuto include:
Racalmuto
Italian Wikipedia
Italian Towns
Italian Postal Codes
Sicily Web
Sicilia
Sicilian Net
My latest book on CD is titled Sicily - A Reference for Researchers and is now available. With a file for each town (plus many other files), it relates the history of Sicily as reflected in the photos, records and festivals of its towns. It contains over 2500 text and photo files and can be ordered at CD order.
The oldest settlement in the territory was a hamlet in the Castelvecchio area that was built under the Arabs (the present name of the town comes from the Arabic "Rahl al mudd", "Hamlet of the bushel"). Later the town spread round the castle built in the 14th century by the Chiaromontes, probably on the site of an existing fortification. The fief later passed to the Del Carretto family, to whom it belonged until the 18th century.
Of interest is the town hall, now housed in the old Convent of Santa Chiara, and the Regina Margherita Theater (1879). Just outside town, toward Montedoro, is a small Chiaromontine castle and a prehistoric necropolis known as the Saracen tombs.
Churches (Agrigento Diocese) include the following:
Links to other sites about Racalmuto include:
My latest book on CD is titled Sicily - A Reference for Researchers and is now available. With a file for each town (plus many other files), it relates the history of Sicily as reflected in the photos, records and festivals of its towns. It contains over 2500 text and photo files and can be ordered at CD order.
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