{"id":7701,"date":"2024-08-26T11:55:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-26T09:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sicilying.com\/it\/blog\/?p=7701"},"modified":"2024-07-10T12:59:43","modified_gmt":"2024-07-10T10:59:43","slug":"3-curiosities-to-visit-adrano-and-surroundings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.sicilying.com\/it\/blog\/3-curiosities-to-visit-adrano-and-surroundings\/","title":{"rendered":"3 curiosities to visit Adrano and surroundings\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Discover the history of Adrano, the culture of Mendolito and the Saracen Bridge<\/h3>\n\n\n
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(C) wikipedia<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Ponte dei Saraceni <\/strong>is an ancient structure made of local lava stone, located in the territory of Adrano, in Sicily. <\/strong>It is one of the most evocative examples of Arab-Norman architecture<\/strong> that can be found today in the region. The bridge was presumably built during the Roman civilization <\/strong>and connected the two banks of the Simeto river<\/strong>. The bridge has a thousand-year history, in fact at the time it was one of the “grain routes” for the transport of wheat and corn<\/strong> that from the town of Centuripe <\/strong>(where the Romans settled), passed through the Bridge now called the Ponte dei Saraceni to reach Adrano <\/strong>and Catania. From here comes the expression “Sicily, granary of Rome<\/em>“.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today we can admire different eras and stratifications in architecture<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, the base<\/strong> on which the first arch from the left rests, dates back to the Roman period<\/strong>, while other parts have been rebuilt, due to various earthquakes, collapses or due to the floods of the Simeto river. The last reconstruction in fact dates back to 1948.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The banks of the river are called “Forre laviche di Adrano<\/strong><\/em>“, and are composed of high ridges of lava basalt,<\/strong> where the Simeto river flows inside, this to indicate the ancient lava flow of Etna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But why the “Saracens”?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

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Let’s discover the Mendolito of Adrano <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The roots of the town are very ancient, the testimonies collected and preserved at the Regional Museum hosted in the Medieval Castle of Adrano<\/strong><\/a>, date back to the Neolithic period<\/strong> with the Siculi people <\/strong>coming from the Ionian coast (10th century BC), who settled and founded the Sicilian <\/strong>village in the Mendolito<\/strong> area, today it’s a private land that cannot be visited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of this city, what remains today is a part of the city walls in Via Catania<\/strong> with enormous squared stones placed one on top of the other, without mortar to bind them, a typical Siceliot construction<\/strong> (Greeks of Sicily).<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Cinta<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n


There remain the mighty stones of its monumental entrance door in lava stone where a writing in Siculo<\/strong> was found, still undeciphered today and (kept at the P.Orsi Museum in Syracuse<\/strong><\/a>). Other findings were the famous bronze treasure<\/strong>, and in the Sciare Manganelli area, there is a necropolis <\/strong>with a circular tomb of perhaps Mycenaean type, which was accessed through a short dromos (corridor).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At the end of the tour, why not stop in the mountain village of Ragalna<\/strong> with a nice glass of Etna Wine<\/strong>? There is something for everyone.. Our native grapes grow on lava soil<\/strong>, which as you know is rich in mineral salts and the soil is permeable, so our red grapes have two varieties of grapes<\/strong> and taste:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Adrano bridge is called this way because of the architectural style of chiaroscuro<\/strong>, known as Arab-Norman style<\/strong>. The bridge was fascinated by several travellers of the Grand Tour<\/strong> who reported it in various watercolours and engravings, one of these was the Frenchman Jean Houel<\/strong><\/a> who, in addition to drawing and documenting the Roman aqueduct<\/strong> that went from Centuripe to Catania<\/strong>, also shows the costumes of the 18th century. These paintings and other documents are collected at the Museum of travellers in Sicily in Palazzolo Acreide (SR).<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n