Terrasini

Terrasini
Terrasini
Comune
	Comune di Terrasini
	Location of Terrasini
Country	Italy
Region	Sicily
Province	Palermo (PA)
Area
• Total	19.85 km2 (7.66 sq mi)
Elevation	32 m (105 ft)
Population (31 May 2005)
• Total	10,847
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	90049

Terrasini is a town and comune in the Province of Palermo on the island of Sicily in Italy.

Data

Terrasini is located 30 kilometres (19 mi) west of Palermo at the motorway between Palermo and Trapani, between the mountains and the Gulf of Castellammare near the Palermo International Airport.

Terrasini's population works mainly in fishing and tourism. The population triples during the summer.

Bounding communes are: Carini, Cinisi, Partinico and Trappeto.

History

The name Terrasini probably derives from Latin "terra sinus" = "land at the gulf" (the Gulf of Castellamare) or from "terra sinorum" = "land of the bays" due to the strongly curved coastline with a large number of larger and smaller bays. The name was first cited for the region in a letter from the archive of the abbey San Martino delle Scale near Monreale of November 24, 1350 as "terras vocatas li Terrasini".^[3]

The grottoes in the area of Terrasini were inhabited already in the late paleolithic times. On different sites, tracks of Roman settlers were found.

The origin of the town goes back to the late medieval times to a small settlement (called Favarotta) of agricultural workers on the large-scale landed property of the family "La Grua Talamanca" from Carini.

In the 17th century, fishermen settled at the coast. When the former feudal property was left to the agricultural workers for cultivation, a flourishing agriculture developed around the fishers' village.

Modern Terrasini was founded October 24, 1836, when King Ferdinand II issued a decree that the village Favarotta, then considered part of neighboring Cinisi, should be merged with adjoining Terrasini as a single community.^[4]

Sights

Culture

Chiesa Madre "Maria SS delle Grazie", (18th century, facade of 1901)
Chiesa "Maria SS della Provvidenza"
Chiesa "Maria SS del Rosario"
Chiesa "S Rosalia", (18th century)
Palazzo Grua, (18th century), now seat of the town administration
Palazzo Cataldi, (18th century), now seat of the town library
Palazzo Aumale, built in the 19th century as a winery by Henri d'Orléans, duc d'Aumale, the son of king Louis-Philippe of France, now comprising the three sections of the Museo Civico:
- Museo del Caretto (ethno-anthropological section)
- Antiquarium (archeological section)
- Museum of history of nature
Old watchtowers along the coast: Torre Alba (16th century), Torre di Capo Rama (15th century), Torre Toledo or Paternella (16th century)
Villa Fassini
Fishers and tourists port

Nature

Grotta Perciata, a large grotto in the cliffs
Cala Rossa (red bay, due to the red colour of the rocks)
Natural Park (Riserva Naturale) Capo Rama

Festivals

Festa di li schietti (on Easter Sunday)
Festa di San Pietro (in August)
Festa di Maria Santissima delle Grazie (beginning of September)
Estate Terrasinense (June - September): Season of theater and concert performances throughout the town