POLLINA
Pollina
is a town of about 3,200 located in the province of Palermo. It
stands at 730m a.s.l. splendidly placed atop a rocky spur between
the Madonie and Nebrodi Mountains.
The
road leading to Pollina is highly panoramic with diverse views of
the Tyrrenian Sea, the Madonie ranges and the Rocca di Cefalù.
The
medieval town centre is particularly charming with a maze of narrow
streets lined with fine monuments and buildings.
The
town is especially renowned for the Classical theatre shows held
during the summer months in the Teatro di Pietrarossa, so-called
because of the red rock on which it was built. This is flanked by
a Ethno-anthropological Museum surmounted above by a tower, that
represents the last and sole remnant from the ancient Ventimiglia
Castle.
The
earliest documented records about Pollina go back to the remote
1082, at a time when the Hamlet of Polla was part of the Troina
diocese. Later, it passed under the Patti and, then, the Cefalù
dioceses. In the early-1300s it was a property of the Count of Geraci
Francesco Ventimiglia.
The
town’s Chiesa Madre (dating from the 16th century) is dedicated
to St. John and St. Paul. Among the pieces that ornament the interior
are a fine Nativity and a Madonna delle Grazie, both by Antonello
Gagini. The exterior features some shallow-reliefs representing
the Resurrection of Christ between two Apostles. The Chiesa di San
Giuliano, dedicated to Pollina’s patron saint, is a fine specimen
of Romanesque architecture. Inside, there is a 1600’s statue
of the titular saint.
San
Giuliano is celebrated with the Processione Campestre, an annual
festival that takes place in July, the saint’s statue borne
through the streets up to Piano San Francesco where it takes place
a Blessing of the Fields. This is a more profane rite, since it
takes place without ecclesiastic members and the statue of the saint,
and has lost much of its past charm.
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