Randazzo

Randazzo at 754 m.s.l. on the northern slope of Etna, lies between the Rivers Alcantara and Simeto. Of medieval origin, it is situated in an area where a succession of civilizations followed on from one another, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans and Aragonese, all leaving traces in the form of documents or artwork Archaeological finds from the S. Anastasia and Mischi quarters have proved that there were human settlements in this area as far back as the 6th century b.C..

Little known fact: until the 16th century Randazzo was divided into three districts which spoke three different languages, given that the town had been formed by three different ethnic groups: Greek in the S. Nicola district, Latin in the Santa Maria district and Lombard in the San Martino district.

This medieval aspect makes Randazzo a place of great charm. Visitors walking its lava stone streets and alleyways can admire monuments of considerable architectural worth. The Swabian church of S. Maria in Piazza Basilica is one of these. The facade with its cuspidate bell tower was rebuilt between 1852-1863. It has 13th century apses in the form of battlemented towers, on the right side there is an attractive Catalan-Gothic portal and it has a whole repertory of single, double and triple mullioned windows. Inside there are frescoes, paintings and carved marble from various epochs, among which a panel painting on the right side door, attributed to Girolamo Alibrandi. The church of S. Nicolò, built in the 1300s, the largest in Randazzo, was rebuilt in 1583. It has a Latin cross layout and there are a number of works by Gagini, among which a statue of St. Nicholas seated and a Gothic style baptismal font.
The Swabian church of San Martino has a splendid 14th century bell tower while inside there are works from the Gagini school and a polyptych attributed to Antonello de Saliba. Also to be seen are the 14th century Spitaleri House (Casa Spitaleri), the ruins of the medieval wall with St. Martin’s Gate (Porta S. Martino) built in 1753 and the Swabian Castle, many times reworked, which now hosts the ‘Paolo Vagliasindi’ Archaeological Museum, with exhibits that range from Neolithic times to the Siculan-Greek epoch. A short distance from the town lies the Benedictine Abbey of Maniace, founded in 1174 by Margaret of Blois, mother of William II and presented to Admiral Nelson in 1799 with the dukedom of Bronte.

Wine grapes, hazelnuts, olives, almonds and chestnuts are the main produce of the area. The tasty local ‘Ferra’ (pleurotus ferulae) mushrooms are the main ingredient of the best local dishes. Local craftsmen make beautiful objects from lava stone, copper, wood, wrought iron, terracotta and glass.