Castiglione di Sicilia is a comune

Comune

In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...

(municipality) in the Province of Catania

Province of Catania

Catania is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy. Its capital is the city of Catania.It has an area of 3,552 km², and a total population of 1,073,881 . There are 58 comunes in the province, see Comunes of the Province of Catania...

 in Sicily

Sicily

Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...

.

Geography

Castiglione di Sicilia lies about 160 km east of Palermo

Palermo

Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...

 and about 40 km north of Catania

Catania

Catania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the homonymous province, and with 298,957 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy.Catania is known to have a seismic history and...

. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,574 and an area of 120.5 km². It borders the following municipalities: Adrano

Adrano

Adrano is a town and comune in the province of Catania on the east coast of Sicily.It is situated around 41 km northwest of Catania, which is also the capital of the province to which Adrano belongs. It lies near the foot of Mount Etna, at the confluence of the Simeto and Salso rivers. It is...

, Belpasso

Belpasso

Belpasso is a comune in the Province of Catania in the Italian region Sicily, located about 150 km southeast of Palermo and about 10 km northwest of Catania...

, Biancavilla

Biancavilla

Biancavilla is a town and comune in the Province of Catania, Sicily, southern Italy. It is located between the towns of Adrano and S. Maria di Licodia, 32 kilometers northwest of Catania.The town was founded on 8 January 1488 by Albanian refugees...

, Bronte

Bronte (CT)

Bronte is a town and comune of Sicily , near Mount Etna.-Geography:Bronte is located slightly northwest of Mount Etna, on the side of the valley of the Simeto river. It is about 30 kilometers west of the coast....

, Calatabiano

Calatabiano

Calatabiano is a comune in the Province of Catania in the Italian region Sicily, located about 170 km east of Palermo and about 35 km northeast of Catania...

, Francavilla di Sicilia

Francavilla di Sicilia

Francavilla di Sicilia is a town and comune in the Province of Messina on the island of Sicily, Italy.It has a population of about 4,000 people and is situated in the southern part of the province, close to the northern slopes of Mount Etna. The distance to Messina is about 50 km, and the...

, Gaggi

Gaggi

Gaggi is a comune in the Province of Messina in the Italian region of Sicily, located about 160 km east of Palermo and about 45 km southwest of Messina...

, Graniti

Graniti

Graniti is a comune in the Province of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, located about 160 km east of Palermo and about 45 km southwest of Messina. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,550 and an area of 10.0 km².Graniti borders the following municipalities: Antillo,...

, Linguaglossa

Linguaglossa

Linguaglossa is a town and comune in the Province of Catania in Italy, located on the northern side of Mount Etna. It was founded on a lava stream in 1566 which is reflected in the Sicilian name "tongue red"....

, Maletto

Maletto

Maletto is a comune in the Province of Catania in the Italian region Sicily, located about 140 km east of Palermo and about 40 km northwest of Catania...

, Malvagna

Malvagna

Malvagna is a comune in the Province of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, located about 150 km east of Palermo and about 50 km southwest of Messina...

, Mojo Alcantara

Mojo Alcantara

Mojo Alcantara is a comune in the Province of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, located about 150 km east of Palermo and about 50 km southwest of Messina...

, Motta Camastra

Motta Camastra

Motta Camastra is a comune in the Province of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, located about 160 km east of Palermo and about 45 km southwest of Messina...

, Nicolosi

Nicolosi

Nicolosi is a comune in the Province of Catania in the Italian region Sicily, located about 160 km southeast of Palermo and about 12 km northwest of Catania....

, Piedimonte Etneo

Piedimonte Etneo

Piedimonte Etneo is a comune in the Province of Catania in the Italian region Sicily, located about 160 km east of Palermo and about 35 km northeast of Catania...

, Randazzo

Randazzo

Randazzo is a town and comune of Sicily, Italy, in the province of Catania. It is situated at the northern foot of Mount Etna, 70 km NW of Catania by rail. It is the nearest town to the summit of Etna, and is one of the points from which the ascent may be made.-History:In the 13th century the...

, Roccella Valdemone

Roccella Valdemone

Roccella Valdemone is a comune in the Province of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, located about 150 km east of Palermo and about 50 km southwest of Messina...

, Sant'Alfio

Sant'Alfio

Sant'Alfio is a comune in the Province of Catania in the Italian region Sicily, located about 160 km east of Palermo and about 25 km north of Catania...

, Taormina

Taormina

Taormina is a comune and small town on the east coast of the island of Sicily, Italy, in the Province of Messina, about midway between Messina and Catania. Taormina has been a very popular tourist destination since the 19th century...

, Zafferana Etnea

Zafferana Etnea

Zafferana Etnea is a comune in the Province of Catania in the Italian region Sicily, located about 160 km southeast of Palermo and about 20 km north of Catania....

.

Frazioni

The municipality of Castiglione di Sicilia contains the frazioni

Frazione

A frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...

(subdivisions, mainly villages and hamlets) Gravà, Mitogio, Passopisciaro, Rovittello, Solicchiata, Verzella and Castrorai.

Passopisciaro

Passopisciaro is situated 12 km from Castiglione di Sicilia, at 645m above sea level on the northern slopes of Mt. Etna. Nowadays Passopisciaro has a population of about 500 but in years gone by the population was as high as 1500 people. The village can be reached by taking the SS120 Roman

Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....

 road from Fiumefreddo di Sicilia

Fiumefreddo di Sicilia

Fiumefreddo di Sicilia is a comune on the coast of the Ionian Sea on the island of Sicily. It shares its borders with the municipalities of Calatabiano to the north, Mascali to the south and Piedimonte Etneo to the west....

, or by the Circumetnea Railway. Passopisciaro's main industry is wine

Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...

 making, vineyards can be found scattered throughout the entire region.