Santa Domenica Vittoria
Encyclopedia
Santa Domenica Vittoria is a town and comune
in the Province of Messina
, Sicily
, southern Italy
.
It is situated 7 kilometres north of Randazzo
in the Nebrodi Mountain Range. It is 1080 metres above sea level and has views over all of the northern Etna Valley.
Although the town is in the Province of Messina it takes the telephone prefix for the Province of Catania
as it is on the border between the Provinces of Catania and Messina.
The administrative area of the comune covers 19 square kilometres, but the town itself has an area of approximately 2 square kilometres. The comune borders the following municipalities: Floresta
, Montalbano Elicona
, Randazzo
, and Roccella Valdemone
.
Santa Domenica Vittoria is named after a Calabrian
Saint
, who was a victim of the Roman
persecution of Christians under Diocletian
.
Many families in the town have a family nickname
which has been carried on for generations. Quite often the children of townspeople who emigrated from the town many years earlier are recognised by their nickname, rather than their surname
which is generally not known by the townspeople.
Before the day of celebrations there are seven days of prayer in the local church. On the day of the feast many of the men of the town dress in white and carry a statue of St Anthony in a procession through every street of town and the townspeople traditionally pin money to the statue as it passes by their balconies. The day ends with a fantastic fireworks
display and a party in the town's main piazza
.
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:...
in the Province of Messina
Province of Messina
Messina is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy. Its capital is the city of Messina.-Geography and demography :...
, 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,...
, southern Italy
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...
.
It is situated 7 kilometres north of 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...
in the Nebrodi Mountain Range. It is 1080 metres above sea level and has views over all of the northern Etna Valley.
Although the town is in the Province of Messina it takes the telephone prefix for 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...
as it is on the border between the Provinces of Catania and Messina.
The administrative area of the comune covers 19 square kilometres, but the town itself has an area of approximately 2 square kilometres. The comune borders the following municipalities: Floresta
Floresta
Floresta refers to several locations:*Floresta, Pernambuco is a city in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil*Floresta, Boyacá is a municipality in Boyacá Department, Colombia*Floresta, Buenos Aires is a neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina...
, Montalbano Elicona
Montalbano Elicona
Montalbano Elicona 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...
, 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...
, and 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...
.
Santa Domenica Vittoria is named after a Calabrian
Calabrian
Calabrian may refer to:* Calabrian languages, the languages and dialects spoken in Calabria* Calabrians, the people of Calabria, southern Italy...
Saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
, who was a victim of the Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
persecution of Christians under Diocletian
Diocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
.
Many families in the town have a family nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
which has been carried on for generations. Quite often the children of townspeople who emigrated from the town many years earlier are recognised by their nickname, rather than their surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
which is generally not known by the townspeople.
The Town Festival
One of the biggest events of the year in the town is the Feast of St. Anthony, the town's patron. The actual feast day is 17 January, but given the cold winters that are usually accompanied by heavy snow and below freezing conditions, it is celebrated on the first Sunday of September.Before the day of celebrations there are seven days of prayer in the local church. On the day of the feast many of the men of the town dress in white and carry a statue of St Anthony in a procession through every street of town and the townspeople traditionally pin money to the statue as it passes by their balconies. The day ends with a fantastic fireworks
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...
display and a party in the town's main piazza
Piazza
A piazza is a city square in Italy, Malta, along the Dalmatian coast and in surrounding regions. The term is roughly equivalent to the Spanish plaza...
.