San Biagio Platani
Welcome to San Biagio Platani
Hello everyone! Today I will talk to you about San Biagio Platani, a small Italian town located in the Agrigento municipal consortium in Sicily. This town is inhabited by about 2831 people and is located 38 kilometers away from the capital city.
Physical geography
San Biagio Platani is a town in the inland of Agrigento, situated on the middle slope of a hill that culminates in the Garipi district and slopes towards the Platani river. The beauty of this area is due to the presence of breathtaking natural landscapes, such as the panoramic view of the surrounding countryside.
History
The origins of San Biagio Platani date back to 1635, when Giovanni Battista Gerardi obtained the "licentia populandi". Later, in 1648, Mariano Gianguercio founded the urban settlement. In fact, the "licentia populandi" suggests that the settlement began to develop a few years earlier, with a few houses around a small church.
The town, throughout its history, has gone through moments of crisis, such as the decline in demographic trends in the 18th century, caused by the productive crisis and the too old institutional political system. The monoculture production was another problem, whose lack of an annual harvest created famines.
Urbanization of the town center
The urban center of San Biagio Platani developed from the beginning around the Mother Church and the Ducal Palace, and was composed of few houses. An orthogonal layout was established, whose main axis is Corso Umberto I. This was then called Strada Piazza and represented the central point of the town's layout.
For almost the entire 19th century, the road was blocked by the small Church of Purgatorio, which was then demolished at the end of the century. The other main axis, today's Viale della Vittoria (formerly Strada Chiarenza), starts from the center of the layout: the Mother Church. Opposite the Ducal Palace, Via Veneziano starts parallel to it.
The decline of Sicilian noble families
In the 18th century, three famines occurred, and Agesilao Bonanno was called in to deal with them. He eventually became the lord of the land of San Biagio. The decline of Sicilian noble families did not spare the lord of San Biagio, who moved to La Noce villa in Palermo, and with a series of contracts drawn up at the end of the 18th century, he handed over all his possessions.
Conclusions
In conclusion, San Biagio Platani represents a small hidden gem in the inland of Agrigento, where natural beauty and urban architecture combine harmoniously. If you are traveling to Sicily, we recommend considering visiting this small town, where you can discover its history, culture, and the beauty of its landscapes.
