Riesi
Encyclopedia
Riesi is a comune
(municipality) in the Province of Caltanissetta
in the Italian
region Sicily
, located about 110 kilometres southeast of Palermo
and about 20 kilometres south of Caltanissetta
. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 11,678 and an area of 66.6 square kilometres.
Riesi borders the following municipalities: Barrafranca
, Butera
, Mazzarino
, Pietraperzia
, Ravanusa
, Sommatino
.
In 1961, the Waldensian
minister Tullio Vinay founded the "Servizio Cristiano" (Christian service) to fight poverty. In the beginning, the key aims were to promote literacy among children and teenagers and later initiatives to promote agriculture and vocational training. Today, the Waldensian church operates a kindergarten, an elementary school, a guest house, a family health centre and a small farm.
Until the 1980s, many of the city's inhabitants worked in the nearby sulphur mines Trabbia and Tallarita. The owners of the mine greatly exploited the impoverished population. Many families had to let their children work in the mines as indentured servants in order to survive. As you enter the city today, there is a large memorial commemorating the sufferings of the miners.
. It is the hometown of the notorious Mafia boss Giuseppe Di Cristina
. Every year, conflicts within the Mafia
lead to casualties. In the spring of 2006, President
Giorgio Napolitano
dismissed the mayor and the city council from their offices because of evidence for links to organized crime. Since then and also in past periods, the city has been governed provisionally by the regional government in Palermo.
High poverty before the close of World War II and the difficult social situation until today have forced many Riesini to emigrate. Popular destinations, apart from the large cities in Italy, have been Belgium and Sweden. Many Riesini still leave their homes after graduating from high school in order to find a job or training in one of Italy's large cities. Therefore, Riesi's actual population lies far below the official number.
. Olivess, almond
s, wheat
, fruit
, artichoke
s and other vegetables are cultivated. There is a cooperative and two private oil mills. The wine cooperative of the region is located in Riesi, where it operates a wine press. There is also a small goldsmith
manufacture and a few small mechanical engineering
companies.
to send the Salesians of Don Bosco
to the island in order to reconvert the turncoats. Today, only a tiny Waldensian community of about 60 parishioners with their families has remained. Returning emigrants brought foreign confessions to the city. This is why there are also two Pentecostalist
churches and a kingdom hall of Jehovah's Witnesses
.
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 Caltanissetta
Province of Caltanissetta
The Province of Caltanissetta is a province in the southern part of Sicily, Italy...
in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
region 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,...
, located about 110 kilometres southeast 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 20 kilometres south of Caltanissetta
Caltanissetta
Caltanissetta is a city and comune located on the western interior of Sicily, capital of the province of Caltanissetta...
. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 11,678 and an area of 66.6 square kilometres.
Riesi borders the following municipalities: Barrafranca
Barrafranca
Barrafranca is a comune and city in Sicily, Italy in the Province of Enna....
, Butera
Butera
Butera is an Italian town and comune in the province of Caltanissetta, in the southwestern part of the island of Sicily. It is bounded by the comuni of Gela, Licata, Mazzarino, Ravanusa and Riesi. It has population of 5,063 and is far from Caltanissetta, the province's capital....
, Mazzarino
Mazzarino
Mazzarino is a city and comune in the province of Caltanissetta in the region of Sicily, Italy.The city emerged in the second half of the 13th century. In 1507, the lords of the manor received the title Count of Mazzarini.It is home to two castles.In the 50s, the local friary was theater for the...
, Pietraperzia
Pietraperzia
Pietraperzia is a comune in the province of Enna, in region of Sicily in southern Italy....
, Ravanusa
Ravanusa
Ravanusa is a comune in the Province of Agrigento in the Italian region Sicily, located about 110 km southeast of Palermo and about 35 km east of Agrigento....
, Sommatino
Sommatino
Sommatino is a town in the Province of Caltanissetta in the Italian region Sicily, located about 100 km southeast of Palermo and about 20 km southwest of Caltanissetta.-Economy:...
.
History
Riesi was founded in the 13th century. In the period of Arab rule over the island, the area was called "abandoned place" or "fallow".In 1961, the Waldensian
Waldensians
Waldensians, Waldenses or Vaudois are names for a Christian movement of the later Middle Ages, descendants of which still exist in various regions, primarily in North-Western Italy. There is considerable uncertainty about the earlier history of the Waldenses because of a lack of extant source...
minister Tullio Vinay founded the "Servizio Cristiano" (Christian service) to fight poverty. In the beginning, the key aims were to promote literacy among children and teenagers and later initiatives to promote agriculture and vocational training. Today, the Waldensian church operates a kindergarten, an elementary school, a guest house, a family health centre and a small farm.
Until the 1980s, many of the city's inhabitants worked in the nearby sulphur mines Trabbia and Tallarita. The owners of the mine greatly exploited the impoverished population. Many families had to let their children work in the mines as indentured servants in order to survive. As you enter the city today, there is a large memorial commemorating the sufferings of the miners.
Politics and social situation
Riesi suffers from strong organized crimeOrganized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
. It is the hometown of the notorious Mafia boss Giuseppe Di Cristina
Giuseppe Di Cristina
Giuseppe Di Cristina was a powerful mafioso from Riesi in the province of Caltanissetta, Sicily, southern Italy...
. Every year, conflicts within the Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
lead to casualties. In the spring of 2006, President
President of the Italian Republic
The President of the Italian Republic is the head of state of Italy and, as such, is intended to represent national unity and guarantee that Italian politics comply with the Constitution. The president's term of office lasts for seven years....
Giorgio Napolitano
Giorgio Napolitano
Giorgio Napolitano is an Italian politician who has been the 11th President of Italy since 2006. A long-time member of the Italian Communist Party and later the Democrats of the Left, he served as President of the Chamber of Deputies from 1992 to 1994 and as Minister of the Interior from 1996 to...
dismissed the mayor and the city council from their offices because of evidence for links to organized crime. Since then and also in past periods, the city has been governed provisionally by the regional government in Palermo.
High poverty before the close of World War II and the difficult social situation until today have forced many Riesini to emigrate. Popular destinations, apart from the large cities in Italy, have been Belgium and Sweden. Many Riesini still leave their homes after graduating from high school in order to find a job or training in one of Italy's large cities. Therefore, Riesi's actual population lies far below the official number.
Economy
Since after the decline of the sulphur industry, the city lives from agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. Olivess, almond
Almond
The almond , is a species of tree native to the Middle East and South Asia. Almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree...
s, wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
, artichoke
Artichoke
-Plants:* Globe artichoke, a partially edible perennial thistle originating in southern Europe around the Mediterranean* Jerusalem artichoke, a species of sunflower with an edible tuber...
s and other vegetables are cultivated. There is a cooperative and two private oil mills. The wine cooperative of the region is located in Riesi, where it operates a wine press. There is also a small goldsmith
Goldsmith
A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Since ancient times the techniques of a goldsmith have evolved very little in order to produce items of jewelry of quality standards. In modern times actual goldsmiths are rare...
manufacture and a few small mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
companies.
Religion
Traditionally, the population has been Catholic. In the 19th century, the Waldensians, an old Protestant church from Northern Italy, gained influence through missionary activity in many parts of Sicily. For a short period, more than half the population called itself "Waldensians", although they still attended Catholic masses on Sundays. This caused the CuriaRoman Curia
The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...
to send the Salesians of Don Bosco
Salesians of Don Bosco
The Salesians of Don Bosco is a Roman Catholic religious order founded in the late nineteenth century by Saint John Bosco in an attempt, through works of charity, to care for the young and poor children of the industrial revolution...
to the island in order to reconvert the turncoats. Today, only a tiny Waldensian community of about 60 parishioners with their families has remained. Returning emigrants brought foreign confessions to the city. This is why there are also two Pentecostalist
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism is a diverse and complex movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, has an eschatological focus, and is an experiential religion. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, the Greek...
churches and a kingdom hall of Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
.
Sights
- Church of Madonna SS.ma della Catena, built in the first half of the 17th century
- Church of San Giuseppe, built in the 19th century
- Architectural ensemble "Monte degli Ulivi" for the institutions of the Servizio Cristiano belonging to the Waldensian churchWaldensiansWaldensians, Waldenses or Vaudois are names for a Christian movement of the later Middle Ages, descendants of which still exist in various regions, primarily in North-Western Italy. There is considerable uncertainty about the earlier history of the Waldenses because of a lack of extant source...
, built in 1963-1966, architect Leonardo Ricci, one of the most notable examples of Italian architecture in the 20th century.
Celebrations
- Easter festivities, especially on Good FridayGood FridayGood Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
including passion playPassion playA Passion play is a dramatic presentation depicting the Passion of Jesus Christ: his trial, suffering and death. It is a traditional part of Lent in several Christian denominations, particularly in Catholic tradition....
s, processionProcessionA procession is an organized body of people advancing in a formal or ceremonial manner.-Procession elements:...
s and a folk festival - Church anniversary of SS.ma Madonna della Catena on the second Sunday in September with processions and a folk festival
- Church anniversary of St. John BoscoJohn BoscoJohn Bosco , was an Italian Catholic priest, educator and writer of the 19th century, who put into practice the convictions of his religion, dedicating his life to the betterment and education of street children, juvenile delinquents, and other disadvantaged youth and employing teaching methods...
with processions in January