{"id":1312,"date":"2022-02-03T00:51:06","date_gmt":"2022-02-02T23:51:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/history-of-piazza-armerina\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T21:15:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T19:15:48","slug":"history-of-piazza-armerina","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/en\/history-of-piazza-armerina\/","title":{"rendered":"History of Piazza Armerina"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-1312\" data-postid=\"1312\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-1312 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n                    <div  data-css_id=\"ovwg135\" data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_row themify_builder_row fullwidth tb_ovwg135 tb_first tf_w\">\n            <span  class=\"builder_row_cover tf_abs\" data-lazy=\"1\"><\/span>            <div class=\"row_inner col_align_top tb_col_count_1 tf_box tf_rel\">\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col-full tb_8815139 first\">\n                    <!-- module video -->\n<div  class=\"module module-video tb_z50q6 video-top  video-autoplay\" data-lazy=\"1\">\n                    <div class=\"video-wrap-outer\" style=\"max-width:100%\">\n            <div class=\"video-wrap tf_rel tf_overflow tf_local_video\">\n                \n                    \n                    <div style=\"width: 640px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-1312-1\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" autoplay preload=\"metadata\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/mp4\" src=\"https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/video\/piazza_amerina_storia.mp4?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/video\/piazza_amerina_storia.mp4\">https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/video\/piazza_amerina_storia.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n                    \n                                <\/div>\n            <!-- \/video-wrap -->\n        <\/div>\n        <!-- \/video-wrap-outer -->\n            <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n                        <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_row themify_builder_row tb_jrce135 tf_w\">\n                        <div class=\"row_inner col_align_middle tb_col_count_2 tf_box tf_rel\">\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col4-2 tb_yfu8150 first\">\n                    <!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_pw1q151   \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n        <p style=\"text-align: justify\">Little is known about the city of Piazza before its destruction by the Norman king William I of Hauteville in 1161. However, the city&#8217;s history is enriched by information from recent archaeological excavations in the Casale district, which helps us understand how it is truly based not only on historical and literary sources, but also on the evidence emerging from underground.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">We know of descriptions from this period (1140), when Roger II of Hauteville was king of Sicily, by the Arab geographer and botanist Al Idrisi, who narrated that Iblat\u00e2sah was a well-fortified fortress, on which a vast county with blessed sowing lands depended. Its market was famous, with abundant foodstuffs, trees and fruit. <\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->        <\/div>\n                    <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col4-2 tb_46mg151 last\">\n                    <!-- module image -->\n<div  class=\"module module-image tb_7kw1411 image-top   tf_mw\" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div class=\"image-wrap tf_rel tf_mw\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2400\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/piazza-armerina.jpg\" class=\"wp-post-image wp-image-892\" title=\"piazza armerina\" alt=\"piazza armerina\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/piazza-armerina.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/piazza-armerina-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/piazza-armerina-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/piazza-armerina-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/piazza-armerina-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/piazza-armerina-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px\" \/>    \n        <\/div>\n    <!-- \/image-wrap -->\n    \n        <\/div>\n<!-- \/module image -->        <\/div>\n                        <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_row themify_builder_row tb_tcgv135 tf_w\">\n                        <div class=\"row_inner col_align_top tb_col_count_1 tf_box tf_rel\">\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col-full tb_1ptt141 first\">\n                    <!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_9u8i142   \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n        <p style=\"text-align: justify\">According to this description, Piazza was not yet a city, but a fortress that controlled a vast territory, inhabited by a warlike and proud people who were part of the great Aleramic fiefdom, along with Butera and Patern\u00f2. This partly explains the anti-Saracen policy that would align Piazza with Ruggero Sclavo&#8217;s baronial rebellion against William I, leading to its ruin. <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The history of Piazza after its reconstruction continues to be linked to the history of the Norman kingdom. Upon the death of William I, his son Roger should have succeeded him, but he died under unclear circumstances during an uprising in 1160, and his younger son William, just 13 years old, was unable to do so independently. Queen Margaret, a Navarrese princess of Norman origin, assumed the regency for five years. She governed during a period marked by constant disputes within the aristocracy, which was kept distant from central power.  <\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">The Swabian period began in 1194 with Henry VI, continued with Frederick II from 1198 to 1250, and concluded in 1266 with Manfred. At that time, Piazza was, after Palermo and Messina, one of the three most important cities in the kingdom. The church of the priory of Sant&#8217;Andrea, the church of the Patrisanto on the fa\u00e7ade overlooking the square, the Commenda of the Knights of San Giovanni, and the church of San Martino on the side portals belong to this period. Frederick II confirmed Piazza as a &#8220;state city&#8221; and, in 1234, made it the seat of the &#8220;General Curia of Sicily,&#8221; to which the island&#8217;s citizens could appeal against state officials. Furthermore, in 1240, the sovereign invited Piazza to the Parliament of Foggia, among the eleven state cities of Sicily.   <\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->        <\/div>\n                        <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content--><p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Little is known about the city of Piazza before its destruction by the Norman king William I of Hauteville in 1161. However, the city&#8217;s history is enriched by information from recent archaeological excavations in the Casale district, which helps us understand how it is truly based not only on historical and literary sources, but also [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1312","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","has-post-title","has-post-date","has-post-category","has-post-tag","has-post-comment","has-post-author",""],"builder_content":"[embed]https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/video\/piazza_amerina_storia.mp4[\/embed]\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">Little is known about the city of Piazza before its destruction by the Norman king William I of Hauteville in 1161. However, the city's history is enriched by information from recent archaeological excavations in the Casale district, which helps us understand how it is truly based not only on historical and literary sources, but also on the evidence emerging from underground.<\/p> <p style=\"text-align: justify\">We know of descriptions from this period (1140), when Roger II of Hauteville was king of Sicily, by the Arab geographer and botanist Al Idrisi, who narrated that Iblat\u00e2sah was a well-fortified fortress, on which a vast county with blessed sowing lands depended. Its market was famous, with abundant foodstuffs, trees and fruit. <\/p>\n<img src=\"https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/piazza-armerina.jpg\" title=\"piazza armerina\" alt=\"piazza armerina\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/piazza-armerina.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/piazza-armerina-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/piazza-armerina-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/piazza-armerina-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/piazza-armerina-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/piazza-armerina-2048x1152.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2400px) 100vw, 2400px\" \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify\">According to this description, Piazza was not yet a city, but a fortress that controlled a vast territory, inhabited by a warlike and proud people who were part of the great Aleramic fiefdom, along with Butera and Patern\u00f2. This partly explains the anti-Saracen policy that would align Piazza with Ruggero Sclavo's baronial rebellion against William I, leading to its ruin. <\/p> <p style=\"text-align: justify\">The history of Piazza after its reconstruction continues to be linked to the history of the Norman kingdom. Upon the death of William I, his son Roger should have succeeded him, but he died under unclear circumstances during an uprising in 1160, and his younger son William, just 13 years old, was unable to do so independently. Queen Margaret, a Navarrese princess of Norman origin, assumed the regency for five years. She governed during a period marked by constant disputes within the aristocracy, which was kept distant from central power. <\/p> <p style=\"text-align: justify\">The Swabian period began in 1194 with Henry VI, continued with Frederick II from 1198 to 1250, and concluded in 1266 with Manfred. At that time, Piazza was, after Palermo and Messina, one of the three most important cities in the kingdom. The church of the priory of Sant'Andrea, the church of the Patrisanto on the fa\u00e7ade overlooking the square, the Commenda of the Knights of San Giovanni, and the church of San Martino on the side portals belong to this period. Frederick II confirmed Piazza as a \"state city\" and, in 1234, made it the seat of the \"General Curia of Sicily,\" to which the island's citizens could appeal against state officials. Furthermore, in 1240, the sovereign invited Piazza to the Parliament of Foggia, among the eleven state cities of Sicily. <\/p>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1312"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1314,"href":"https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1312\/revisions\/1314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turismoaidone.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}