San Giuseppe Jato
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Comune di San Giuseppe Jato | |
|---|---|
| Image:SanGiuseppeJato-Stemma.png Municipal coat of arms |
|
| Country |  Italy |
| Region | Sicily |
| Province | Palermo (PA) |
| Mayor | |
| Elevation | 463 m |
| Area | km² |
| Population | |
| - Total (as of 2004) | 9,500 |
| - Density | /km² |
| Time zone | CET, UTC+1 |
| Coordinates | |
| Gentilic | |
| Dialing code | |
| Postal code | |
San Giuseppe Jato is a village in the Province of Palermo in Sicily, (Sicilia in Italian) - an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.
The village sits in a hilly region of Palermo's hinterland , 31km from the Sicilian capital.
[edit] Economy
Like many villages and towns in the north of Sicily, its inhabitants rely on the production of corn, olives and grapes for their livelihood. Each September the village holds a Festival of Grapes and Wine where these commodities and other agricultural produce is displayed. The area around San Giuseppe Jato is also known for its beef cattle breeding and as a centre for woodturning and iron works.
[edit] History
The first inhabited centre in the area of the modern village dates back to Punic times where a small settlement is recorded to have existed at the foot of Mount Jato.
The village had, arguably, the most illustrious period in its history during the Muslim rule under the Kalbid dynasty (948-1053), when it was an important military stronghold. It's believed that the last remnants of the original Arab stronghold were demolished in 1246 by the troops of Frederick II of Swabia.
The village was known simply as San Giuseppe, until 1864 when the suffix Jato (after the adjacent mountain) was added to differentiate it from San Giuseppe Vesuviano near Naples.
San Giuseppe Jato is the birthplace of Giovanni Brusca, a notorious mafioso who, in 1996, was arrested for the assassination of Judge Giovanni Falcone, a prominent Sicilian anti-mafia campaigner.
