Giarratana

{{Infobox Italian comune

| name = Giarratana

| official_name = Comune di Giarratana

| native_name =

| image_skyline = Giarratana Panorama.JPG

| imagesize =

| image_alt =

| image_caption =

| image_shield = Giarratana-Stemma.svg

| shield_alt =

| image_map =

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| coordinates = {{coord|37|3|N|14|48|E|region:IT|display=inline}}

| coordinates_footnotes =

| region = {{RegioneIT|sigla=SIC}}

| province = {{ProvinciaIT (short form)|sigla=RG}} (RG)

| frazioni = Giarratana

| mayor_party =

| mayor = Bartolo Giaquinta

| area_footnotes =

| area_total_km2 = 43.47

| population_footnotes = All demographics and other statistics from the Italian statistical institute (Istat)

| population_total = 2970

| population_as_of = 30 November 2017Data from Istat

| pop_density_footnotes =

| population_demonym = Giarratanesi

| elevation_footnotes =

| elevation_min_m =

| elevation_max_m =

| elevation_m = 520

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| saint = St. Bartholomew the Apostle,

| day = 24 August

| postal_code = 97010

| area_code = 0932

| website = {{official website|http://www.comune.giarratana.rg.it/}}

| footnotes =

}}

Giarratana is a town and comune in the province of Ragusa, Sicily, southern Italy. Its name is likely derived from Arabic.{{cite book|author1=Paul Theroux|title=The Pillars of Hercules: A Grand Tour of the Mediterranean|date=15 Dec 2011|publisher=Penguin UK|location=Le Grand Sud to Nice|isbn=9780241958810|quote=...Later I checked with my Arabic-speaking brother Peter and discovered that Giarrat was probably a cognate of Djarad, meaning locust.}}

History

An elaborate late-imperial Roman villa with floor mosaics was found in 1989 near Giarratana in the Orto Mosaico district along the "regia trazzera" road.

Several mosaics not only on the floors but also on walls and various decorations were found. The mosaics have floral references and geometric figures that often intertwine with each other.

It covered an area of about 2000 m², with at least three building wings arranged around a central garden. The excavation campaigns brought to light the north-eastern sector of the villa consisting of seven rooms, a corridor or peristyle, and the east and west wings, added later and probably never completed.{{cite web | url=https://www.lasiciliainrete.it/directory-tangibili/listing/orto-mosaico-di-giarratana/ | title=Orto Mosaico di Giarratana }}

Artifacts found during the excavations include a marble relief depicting the goddess Aphrodite.

Another villa was discovered a few km further south along the SS 194.

Main sights

Church of San Bartolomeo, known from 1308 but rebuilt in the late 17th century.
Remains of Castle of Settimo
Archaeological site of Casmenae, on the road leading to Palazzolo Acreide.

References

External links

{{Commons category-inline}}

Category:Municipalities of the Province of Ragusa