Bronte

The city of Bronte is one of the most extensive in the province of Catania covering an area of 24,990 hectares that extends from 380 metres to 3,112 m.s.l. Although legends affirm that the Cyclops Bronte, son of Neptune was the founder and King of the town, in effect its historical origins date from the Siculans who were the first inhabitants of the area around the VII century b.C.
They were followed by numerous other rulers among whom the Arabs who introduced pistachios to the area. On the 10th October 1799, Ferdinand IV, King of Naples, presented the Maniace Abbey and its lands to the English Admiral, Horatio Nelson, appointing him ‘Duke of Bronte’, in return for the help he provided in repressing the Neapolitan Republic.

At the beginning of August, in 1860, during Garibaldi’s expedition in Sicily, social tensions exploded in the sadly famous massacre called the ‘Fatti di Bronte’, when a riot broke out which ended in the slaughter of the ‘cappelli’ – the better-off residents of the town. When the riot had been suppressed, Bixio called the war commission to intervene for a quick trial of the leaders of the revolt who were shot in front of the whole population on 9th August, 1860, in the square in front of the church of San Vito.

As a result of all the historical events that have taken place there, Bronte has a rich cultural heritage of monuments and works of art and, above all, churches, although many of them have been lost due to earthquake damage or neglect: the church of S. Blandano, the church of the Sacro Cuore, Casa Radice and Capizzi College, one of the most important cultural centres in the whole island. Nelson’s Castle, 13 kilometres from the town, became communal property in 1981. The building complex has recently been renovated, part of it is now a museum and part a study and congress centre.

Bronte is universally known as the town of the pistachio. First planted in this difficult, volcanic soil by the Arabs, the plant almost miraculously draws nourishment from the lava stone and, fertilised by the ash that the volcano continually erupts, produces the best quality pistachio.