Castelvetrano Among History, Alleys, and Genealogy

Castelvetrano is a small village placed in the province of Trapani on the South East coast of Sicily. Its favorable position allows you to reach other charming Sicilian towns, such as Mazara del Vallo, Campobello di Mazara,  the hamlet of Triscina and the beach of Marinella di Selinunte ( see the image). The latter is near the Greek archaeological site of Selinunte temples. Seen that Selinunte hamlet is very small, it has been included in the municipality of Castelvetrano.

History

Castelvetrano is, above all, a settlement founded in the early centuries of the Middle Age, between 1100 and 1200 AC. However, the town was entirely rebuilt in the baroque age and it is for this reason that today you can also admire many baroque churches.

What to see

In Castelvetrano, you can see three beautiful, baroque squares , which are linked to the main square. From here, you can see the municipal palace ( town all) and the main church, namely the cathedral ( Chiesa Madre). Always in the main square, there is also another baroque church with the facades filled with statues. This is the Church of the Purgatory, always built in the baroque century. The statues represent the souls of persons dead, who didn’t repent of their sins and for this reason, convicted to wander in an earthly purgatory, represented, here, by this church. Other important attractions are the Museo Civico, in the centre of town, built in 1997 and with important remains dating back to the 5th century BC (the Bronze Age), such as the “Efebo di Selinunte” and the richest building of the village namely Pignatelli Palace. Another unmissable attraction you must visit is Chiesa della Trinità ( see the image). This church was built thanks to the amazing merging between the Islamic and Norman architecture. If you firmly want to remain in Castelvetrano, during your vacation, you can see and admire the monuments and churches I listed above. However, this town is famous for its typical products, also, such as the Black bread of Castelvetrano, Belicino cheese, Extra Virgin Oil, Oliva Nocellara del Belice (see the image), La Vastedda della Valle del Belice DOP cheese and the famous wines: Nero d’Avola, Kirón (Syrah), Calviano and Grillo. Indeed, one of the principal tourist attractions is the typical food festival called La Fiera della Tagliata ( The Fair of the Cutting). This event has been organized on the third Sunday of September since 1759. That is one the most ancient fairs of the town. The name of the fair comes from the ancient Virgin Mary’s sanctuary, placed nearby the tufa quarries. The sanctuary was built in 1700, because, according to a legend, in 1600, the Virgin Mary appeared to a group of stonecutters while they were cutting the stones. During the apparition, the Virgin Mary urged them to continue cutting and said: cut the stone, cut! Today, in this fair, the best typical products of the town are shown to many tourists, including also beautiful wood furniture made by talented hand makers capable to shape and engrave wood.

How Castelvetrano is defined by its villagers

In the website of the municipality of Castelvetrano- Selinunte, written in the Italian language, Castelvetrano is defined as an exceptional source of culture, where the stones are a fantasy of nature, a landscape and a myth . The myth is the one of nearby Selinunte, where still today, fabulous Greek temples can be admired. I already talked about Selinunte temples in this post. The stones are the ones coming from the Cave di Susa, in the hamlet of Selinunte. That is a quarry from where the ancient Greeks extracted the stones to build their stunning temples and the theatre you can admire still today.

Genealogy of Castelvetrano

I know that many old families of Castelvetrano left this town in the early years of the past century. I also learn about this from my American friends on the social networks. Many of them are nieces and descendants of Sicilian migrants, who, in 1900s, moved to the United States by boat, to achieve the so called American dream, namely: a better future and a better job. To find your ancestors, you must see the records of the Municipality of Castelvetrano. Unfortunately, these records are not online and you must send an email message to the municipal officers, to receive the record you are interested in. In the message, you must quote name and surname of your ancient relatives and if you can remember, also the date of birth. If you don’t have the date of birth, try using this tools online: http://www.italianside.com/sicilia/trapani/castelvetrano/genealogy/,https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/510377?availability=Family%20History%20Libraryhttps://www.wikitree.com/indexes/person/A/index.html. This website is a free online community of genealogists that help you find information about your Sicilian ancestors. You must only add the first and the last name of your ancient relatives.

How to reach Castelvetrano

To reach Castelvetrano, you can land at Palermo airport or at Trapani airport.  There, you can take a taxi or a bus to reach the town. Instead, to book hotels and accommodations in this beautiful Sicilian village, see here.