Casalvecchio Siculo
Welcome to Casalvecchio Siculo!
Hello everyone! Are you ready to discover a magical place? Today, I want to talk about Casalvecchio Siculo, a municipality in the metropolitan city of Messina, Sicily. With its population of 729, Casalvecchio is a small village located on the Ionian coast. If you love nature, history, and Sicilian culture, you cannot miss out on visiting us!
Physical Geography
Our village is situated halfway up Mount Sant'Elia at 370 meters above sea level. Because of this, in addition to having a medieval atmosphere, we enjoy a breathtaking view of a landscape that extends from the Strait of Messina to the Calabrian coast. If you're looking for some fresh air and nature, Casalvecchio is surrounded by green hills and plateaus that you can explore by foot or bike. And if you're looking for a summer beach getaway, the Ionian coast is just 5km from our village.
History
Don't think of Casalvecchio as just a lovely village: our history dates all the way back to the Byzantine era. In fact, in 1351 it was mentioned by the name "Palachorion," which in Sicilian Greek means "old village," and later translated into Latin as "Rus Vetus." During the Emirate of Sicily, it was known as "Calathabieth." In 1862, our village was given its definitive name, Casalvecchio Siculo, to distinguish it from Casalvecchio in Apulia.
Have you ever wondered what life was like in our village during the medieval era? Until 1492, Casalvecchio had its own Jewish community. Did you know that there were about 250-300 Jews living between Casalvecchio and the neighboring village of Savoca? They were skilled weavers, dyers, and metallurgical artisans who also worked with sugarcane and wine grapes. Impressive, isn't it? Unfortunately, in 1492, King Ferdinand II of Aragon issued an edict expelling Jews, but the historic streets "Strada della Judeca" in Casalvecchio and "Vico degli Ebrei" in Savoca are still here to remind us of this part of our history.
Trivia
How did Casalvecchio regain its lost autonomy? In 1603, our village managed to obtain independence from the jurisdiction of Savoca from the then-Viceroy of Sicily. Isn't that fantastic?
Are you ready to visit us? Whether you're looking for nature, culture, or history, Casalvecchio Siculo will offer you a unique and memorable experience. See you soon!
