Terrasini
The town of Terrasini is a beautiful little sea-side resort community of crystalline waters, white sandy beaches and fresh-water rocky creeks. Sheltered by a towering red cliff, it lies about 35 km. from the city of Palermo and is home to 10,850 inhabitants.
Terrasini is an ancient community, tracing its origins back to the era of Muslim domination and greatly enlarged during the time of the Normans. Following this, the feudal village of Terrasini was the property the Monastery of St. Martino of Monreale, later becoming a vassal community of the La Grua-Talamanca family through the rest of the feudal period. The La Grua-Talamanca family were princes of the neighbouring city of Carini, signs of whose over-lordship of the region can still be seen in the city’s coat of arms and in the edifice of the city hall – originally an 18th-century castle whose first floor rooms retain the grandeur of the La Grua-Talamanca period.
Modern Terrasini was founded in the year 1836 with the merging of two adjacent hamlets – Terrasini and Favarotta. The name Terrasini is thought by many to come from the Latin term “Terra Sinus” or “Terra Sinorum”. The first means “Land of the Gulf”; the second means “Land of the Inlets”. Either is a perfect description of the land surrounding the town – from the beautiful Gulf of Castellammare region in the west to the jagged coastline, rich with caves, inlets and natural landings.
Terrasini is home to a thriving agricultural business, producing citrus fruit, grapes, olives and almonds. The centre-piece of this is the ancient vineyards and winery of the Duke D’aumale, whose wines and liqueurs are sought by connoisseurs around the world.
Given the town’s age-old relationship with the sea, the other major industry is fishing. If you go into any home or restaurant in the town, be assured, that you will find the largest variety and freshness of seafood to be found anywhere.
Another industry in Terrasini is handicrafts. Among the most ancient and memorable of the items produced are the quartare clay amphorae.
Architecturally and culturally, Terrasini is a treasure as well. Surrounding the Duke D’aumale winery is the D’aumale-D’Orleans Palace which today hosts a regional museum. Here you will find, among its holdings, the world’s best-preserved collection of Sicilian wheel-barrows.
During a visit to Terrasini you must also see the beautiful Cathedral Square, dominated by the 17th-century Cathedral Church, as well as other medieval churches there. Built at the close of the 17th century, by order of the Baron Gazzara and enlarged in the early 18th century by the La Grua family is Holy Mary of the Graces Church. Here you will find numerous wooden statues by Girolamo Bagnasco, as well as priceless artwork by the school of Vito D'Anna, of the Martorana.
Divided into nave and aisles, containing twelve chapels, is the Chiesa Madre cathedral. The entire structure is dedicated to the patron saint Maria Santissima delle Grazie. Ten of the twelve interior chapels are dedicated to the saintly protectors of arts and crafts. The remaining two are dedicated to the Holy Saviour and the Patron Saint. Within this magnificent structure you will find statues of St. Joseph and St. Peter.
Other examples of 17th and 18th century architecture include the Palazzo Cataldi, which now houses the town library, and the Liberty-style Villa Fassini. Along the coast, visitors will be able to see what defensive fortifications looked like back during the age of the La Grua family as well. Several watch towers from that era still dot the coastline, a reminder of the days when the shores had to be defended vigorously against invaders. Two of these towers – Torre Alba and Torre San Cataldo – are especially striking.
An archaeological and historical tour of Terrasini must start at the D’aumale-D’Orleans Palace museum. This museum is divided into three sections – natural history, archaeological history and ethno-anthropological history.
Of these, the largest is the natural history section. Among other things, it contains the Orlando Bird Collection, with specimens ranging from still-thriving species to those of near extinct or extinct variety, such as the griffon vulture, golden eagle, and capercaille.
Fragments of 3rd-century B.C.E. amphorae and items salvaged from a 1st-century C.E. Roman galleon are among the displays in the archaeological history section.
The wheel-barrow exhibit, mentioned above, can be viewed in the ethnological section of the museum. Within this display are some truly marvellous examples of carts from Palermo and Trapani.
Culturally, a ceremony/event is still held yearly in Terrasini on the Saturday before Easter. Called La Festa di li Schietti, it involves all the marriageable-aged men of Terrasini. The eligible bachelors of the town (known as “schietti”) go out of the town and harvest a bitter orange tree. They then prune it, turning its top into a round shape which they then decorate with ribbons and bells, or ciancianeddi, of all shapes and sizes. When completed, the tree – with ornamentation – must weigh no less than 50 kg. The trees are then carried to the piazza in front of the Cathedral, where they are blessed on Easter Sunday.
Following the Easter Mass, each bachelor then takes the tree which he has decorated and marches with it to the home of the woman he would like to marry, urged on by the townspeople in a veritable procession. The goal is for the men to hold up the tree on the palm of one hand for as long as possible.
This much of the ceremony is still carried on by the men of Terrasini. Originally, however, the ceremony was actually a test of virility. Those who were unable to lift the decorated tree, or failed to hold it balanced in their hand for a sufficient period of time, risked having their engagements broken off.
My families from Terrasini.
Click on the link for more information from The Pellerito Family.
~THE D'ANNA FAMILY~
WORK IN PROGRESS...
~THE ALFANO FAMILY~
I haven't started on the Alfano yet. But my great grandmother Luduvina Alfano married Isidoro Pellerito were from Terrasini, Sicily. If you have any information that might connect our family please e-mail me.
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