FAVARA

Favara, about 338m a.s.l., lies in proximity to the Montangella Hill and the Favara Valley, in the Agrigento province. The city totals some 32,000 inhabitants. Historical sources maintain that the earliest settlement in the area dates from the 13^th century, grown around a castle formerly built by Fredrick II Chiaramonte. The successive Lords of the city were the Parapertusas, the De Marinis, the Aragonese Pignatellis and the Cortes. The city offers plenty of cultural and historical attractions.

The Chiaramonte castle was built in the late 1200s at the behest of Fredrick II. Externally, windows and mullioned windows bear witness to its ancient glory. A square courtyard leads to a beautiful pointed doorway that gives access to a chapel.

Other interesting buildings are the Palazzo Mendola, the seat of the Town Library, and the 1800’s Albergamo and Fanara Palaces.

The 1600’s Mother Church dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption has undergone changes throughout the centuries. After the last works it incorporated the adjacent church of the Crucifix. Inside, there is a beautiful wooden crucifix dating from the 1500s.

The Chiesa dell Madonna dell’Itria, the Chiesa del Carmine, the 1700’s Chiesa Collegio di Maria with, adjacent, a lovely baroque church dedicated to the Holy Rosary, are as also worth-visiting. Some interesting naturalistic sites stand in the city environs, namely near the San Biagio river and the Caltaraci Mount district.