Chiaramonte Gulfi
Chiaramonte Gulfi: a welcoming town at the foot of Mount Arcibessi
Chiaramonte Gulfi, or "Ciaramunti" in Sicilian, is an Italian municipality of about 8,000 inhabitants located 15 km from Ragusa, in Sicily. Located on a hill north of the capital, the town enjoys a privileged position at 668 meters above sea level, but the highest altitude of the municipal territory is reached on Mount Arcibessi at 906 m a.s.l.
Physical geography
The territory of the municipality of Chiaramonte Gulfi is part of the Free municipal consortium of Ragusa and extends from the Iblean mountains to the Vittoria plain. Reached by the Dirillo river which marks the border with the province of Catania, the municipality of Chiaramonte Gulfi is characterized by torrential water courses.
Etymology
The name Chiaramonte Gulfi dates back to Count Manfredi I Chiaramonte who made the town the new settlement after the destruction of Gulfi by the Angevins in 1299. Chiaramonte built the town around 1300 and the inhabitants who populate the municipality today are known as "Ciaramuntàni". The ancient center of Gulfi was destroyed and only later added to the name of the municipality as a historical memory.
History
On the territory of Chiaramonte Gulfi there are fortified settlements from the Bronze and Iron Ages, testimonies of the archaic and Hellenistic Greek era, settlements from the Roman, Byzantine and medieval periods. Akrillai, founded by the Syracusans in the 7th century BC, was destroyed by the Carthaginians and became the site of a Syracusan defeat at the hands of Marcus Claudius Marcellus in 213 BC.
A Hellenistic settlement discovered in the locality of Scornavacche, characterized by ceramic production, was also founded by the Syracusans along the Dirillo river. Destroyed by the Carthaginians in 406 BC and then rebuilt thanks to Timoleon in 280 BC, the village also became part of the history of Chiaramonte Gulfi.
Acrillae was reportedly destroyed by the Arabs of the Caliphate of al-Furat in 827 during the conquest of the eastern part of the island. The inhabitants then founded a new settlement at the foot of Mount Arcibessi, which took the name of Gulfi with the Arabic meaning of "pleasant land".
During the Sicilian Vespers, Roger of Lauria besieged and took Gulfi for the Angevins in 1299: the settlement was completely destroyed and a massacre was committed.
Conclusion
Chiaramonte Gulfi is a beautiful town where nature, history and hospitality come together to offer visitors an unforgettable experience. With its strategic position at the foot of Mount Arcibessi, the municipality presents a variety of facets, from numerous historical settlements to the beauty of the landscapes. Tourists will be welcomed with the typical warmth of southern Italy and will be able to discover the richness of culinary and artisanal traditions of a unique land.
