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Corleone (
Sicilian: Cunigghiuni) is a small town and comune of approximately 12,
000 inhabitants in the
Province of Palermo in
Sicily, Italy.
Several
Mafia bosses have come from Corleone, including
Tommy Gagliano,
Jack Dragna,
Giuseppe Morello,
Michele Navarra,
Luciano Leggio,
Leoluca Bagarella,
Salvatore Riina and
Bernardo Provenzano. It is also the birthplace of several fictional characters in
The Godfather, most notably
Vito (Andolini) Corleone,
The local mafia clan, the Corleonesi, led the Mafia in the
1980s and
1990s, and were the most violent and ruthless Mafia clan ever to take control of the organization.
History Corleone, Italy
================
The etymology of the name is uncertain, undergoing various modifications from the
Ancient Greek Kouroullounè to the
Arabic Kurulliùn\Qurlayun of the
Emirate of Sicily, from
Latin Curilionum to the
Norman Coraigliòn, from the Aragonese Conillon, Coriglione from which the Sicilian Cunigghiuni originated. The modern name ascend from 1556.
A lookout tower built between the 11th and
12th century, known as
Saracena, still stands. The view from the tower includes the Cascata delle Due Rocche, a sheer drop following the path of the Corleone river.
At one time the town was surrounded by defensive walls that connected the
Castello Soprano and Castello Sottano. The latter is better preserved than the Soprano, but it cannot be visited since it serves as a Franciscan retreat.
Corleone was known as "
Courageous Civitas" because of its position on the front line in all wars fought in
Sicily.
Halfway between
Palermo and
Agrigento, the town controlled one of the main arteries and was therefore one of the most strategic locations on the island.
Corleone was largely repopulated by
Ghibellines from
Alessandria (modern
Piedmont),
Brescia and elsewhere - "
Lombards" led by one Oddone de
Camerana - when it became obvious that emperor
Frederick II of Sicily could not prevail over the Guelph-leaning
Lombard communes in the middle of the
13th century.
Corleone became a royal property around the end of the
14th century, and later passed into the feudal holdings of Federico
Ventimiglia.
Remarkable demographic growth was reported in the 15th and
16th centuries, following the arrival of several religious orders.
In 1943, the
Duke of Aosta created the title of
Count of Corleone, awarded to
Arturo Faini for his merits in the
Italian occupation of Ethiopia.
Main sights
The Chiesa Madre ("
Mother Church"), dedicated to the
4th Century French Bishop St. Martin of Tours, was started in the late 14th century. Its appearance today has been influenced by numerous changes and renovations. Its interior has a nave and aisles divided into various chapels containing precious artwork, including a wooden statue representing
San Filippo d'
Agira from the
17th century, a statue representing
San Biagio (
Saint Blaise) (
16th century), and a fine marble panel depicting the
Baptism of Christ from this same period.
The Chiesa dell'Addolorata is a church of the
18th century, dedicated to the Basilian abbot and patron saint
San Leoluca, the Chiesa di
Santa Rosalia, and the small
Sant'Andrea (the latter two from the 17th century), all with important frescoes and paintings, are notable landmarks. The
Santuario della
Madonna del Rosario di Tagliavia, a religious building from the
19th century, is now a destination for pilgrims on
Ascension Day.
The
C.I.D.
M.A. was inaugurated on
December 12th 2000, in the presence of the highest authorities of the state, including the
President of the Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi and the
Deputy Secretary-General of the
United Nations Pino Arlacchi, on behalf of Secretary-General
Kofi Annan.
Culture,
Progress and Legality are the objectives that the CIDMA intends to pursue
. In the C.I.D.M.A. you can have a walk through the
Room of the folders of the MAXI-PROCESS, the "Room of the messages", "Room of pain" and the final room dedicate to
Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa. The first one contains Maxi-Trial documents, which marked a milestone in the fight against
Cosa Nostra. The documents, given to Corleone by the
Criminal Chamber of the
Court of Palermo, are testimony to the work of magistrates like
Giovanni Falcone and
Paolo Borsellino, who paid with their lives for their commitment to the fight against the Mafia. Among the folders there are the confessions of the famous "pentito"
Tommaso Buscetta to
Judge Falcone.
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- published: 04 Apr 2014
- views: 3047