BARRAFRANCA

The town of Barrafranca, grown on the ancient Convicino, founded in the 16^th century, is characterized by ochre-colored houses nestled on the gentle slopes of a hill. It developed on an orthogonal plan. The Via Vittorio Emanuele, giving access to town, is flanked by fine aristocratic buildings among which are Palazzo Satariano and Palazzo Mattina. The mother church Chiesa di San Sebastiano (18^th century) has a brick façade and a belfry crowned by a small cupola decorated with polychrome ceramics. On Piazza Messina stands the Benedictine Monastery, now reduced to a poor condition, the interesting Putieddi building (Sicilian for ‘shops’), dating from the 1700s, and the Chiesa di SS. Maria della Stella, with a belfry with maiolica spires. The main street Corso Garibaldi leads to the Piazza dell’Itria where stands a church of the same name with a fine façade and a brick belfry. Relics discovered across the area testify to settlements of Pre-Hellenistic ages. The presence of a Norman settlement around a fortification no longer existing is also documented.