CAPACI
Capaci is a town of about 9,500 inhabitants,
located in the Palermo province at some 50 m asl.
It stretches across a triangular area with its
top angle facing the western slopes of the Mount Raffo Rosso; on the opposite
side is the Thyrrenian Sea marked by the Isola delle Femmine.
The area is marked by numerous mountains, their
lower slopes rising closest to the shore.
The discovery of remains of ancient weapons
across the area attests to the presence of Paleolithic settlements, notably in
the Pizzo Muletta district. A proper town was founded in the early 1500s, when
Francesco Bologna was granted the title of Baron of the Capaci fief. It was him
who had the castle and a tower built, around which the earliest settlements
started to develop.
The town then passed to the Pilo family, who
graced the town with various monuments while developing its economy at the day
mainly relying on fishing – still important today although
farming and
a growing tourism have become the town’s main industries.
Capaci is scattered with several interesting buildings, such as the 1700’s Chiesa Madre, dedicated to Sant’Erasmo, built under the Pilo rule on the ruins of an old building. Complete with a large stairway, it has a rather austere façade with three doorways and is divided into nave and aisles. Its interior preserves various works of art such as a statue of St. Joseph and a 1800’s Immacolata’s, and vault frescoes illustrating biblical events among which are The Assumption of Mary and The Incoronation and the Gloria degli Angeli e dei Santi.
The 1700’s Chiesa di San Rocco, recently
restored, is also worth-seeing.