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 13th 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.
