Belvedere
Hello friends, today I want to talk to you about Belvedere, an extraordinary Sicilian village located 7 km west of Syracuse. Locally known as "Bedduviriri", this village owes its name to the breathtaking view of the Syracuse landscape from its elevated position.
History
Belvedere is an ancient agricultural village founded in 1626 by an owner of a villa near Canalicchio and Tremilia. In the 17th century, the Royal Navy installed a signaling station with flags and lights to connect the ports of Augusta and Syracuse. This signaling station was later defined as "u semàfuru" (= the semaphore) and the road that connects it to the lower part of the village was called Via Semaforo. It is believed that the name of Eurialo, given to the Eurialo Castle located at the entrance of Epipoli, was taken from this hill where the semaphore is located. Over time, Belvedere has grown in population also due to the recent construction of shops and large warehouses that have helped form the so-called "Belvedere commercial park".
The village
Monuments and places of interest
The main monument of Belvedere is the Eurialo Castle, built by Dionisio I of Syracuse to protect a road that connected Syracuse with its fields and the interior. In addition to this, Belvedere also has a cemetery near the so-called "Monte", a living nativity scene that takes place on the Mount during the Christmas period and the Human Geography of Syracuse## Villaggio Santa Lucia in the lower part.
Population and autonomy
Currently, Belvedere has about 7,000 "belvederesi", among whom there are also Syracusans who have chosen to move from the city. Thanks to its growing population and its social importance, Belvedere has proposed administrative autonomy like Cassibile and Fontane Bianche. This request was made in the past and even ended up in the Official Gazette, but it has not yet been approved by the competent authorities.
And with that, we have finished our exploration of Belvedere, a unique village that I can't wait to visit again!
