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The Palace of Prince of Campofiorito to
Acicatena.
Probably similar to this one of Acitrezza
Picture
Father De Maria
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The palace of the Prince
It is the
February of 1749 when Prince Don Luigi Reggio successor of Don
Stefano makes to erect in Acitrezza a majestic palace for his
residence. The palace was built in front of the sea, close to
the beach. It was huge, with eleven windows in row and on the
seaside, it was fortified with a rampart against the cannons of
the Turkish ships, that often crowded the sea of the oriental
Sicily. From the beginning of 1900, the palace of the Prince, as
commonly known, it was still visible. When son Stefano died on
13/02/1790, there were not any descendants of the Reggio’s
house. Then, the palace, after some modifications, it passed in
property to Giuseppe Castorina and to the Grasso family, two
grain traders. They left it in the complete abandonment and
inclemencies. It was subsequently divided in manufactured, new
lotteries and they built new constructions on it. Today, it does
not remain anything of the palace. It was still visible, but in
ruin at the beginning of 1900. The palace was used to celebrate
Mass, after the earthquake of the 28/10/1908 because the church
was destroyed. A room of the ground floor of the Prince’s
palace was the first Post Office of Acitrezza in 01/07/1908.
The
construction of the church of S. John
Baptist
Nearly 50 years ago there
was the destruction of the church of S. Joseph by the earthquake of the 1693. The population
increased and the small church of S. John the Baptist,situated in front of the sea, it was not
enough anymore. Left the idea to build again the church of S.
Joseph, it was made bigger and more beautiful the one of
the Baptist, in the same place where was the small one, which
would have been incorporated to the big one and, when the
construction was completed, destroyed. The population asked an
opinion to the Prince that he gave his agreement. It was Archpriest
in Acitrezza Don Francesco Spina who become priest when he was still Deacon, as we can read in the registration of his
picture situated in the modern church of S.John Baptist. For
the construction of the new church there were two experts builders, Alfio and Concetto Grasso, father and son, come
from Aci S. Antonio. The two people were famous, and they had
already constructed the church of Saint Anna. The church
was finished thanks to the economic contribution of the
Archpriest and the population. For the
construction they were used, in part, pieces of the
destroyed church of S. Joseph. A lot of material coming from that
church had been used from people, also, for the
reconstruction of their houses because of the 1693's earthquake. |
