| Prizzi | |
|---|---|
| — Comune — | |
| Comune di Prizzi | |
|
Prizzi
|
|
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Sicily |
| Province | Palermo (PA) |
| Frazioni | Filaga |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Antonino Garofalo (since 15 May 2007) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 95 km2 (36.7 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,045 m (3,428 ft) |
| Population (31 December 2010) | |
| • Total | 5,152 |
| • Density | 54.2/km2 (140.5/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Prizzesi |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 90038 |
| Dialing code | 091 |
| Patron saint | St. George |
| Saint day | 23 April |
| Website | Official website |
Prizzi is a town and comune of 5,711 inhabitants in the Italian province of Palermo, on the island of Sicily. It is located 84 km (52 mi) south of the city of Palermo at an altitude of 696 m (2,283 ft) above sea level on a hill in the upper valley of the River Sosio. Prizzi is surrounded by the comuni of Campofelice di Fitalia, Castronovo di Sicilia, Corleone, Lercara Friddi, Palazzo Adriano, and Vicari.
Traces have been found of a small Elymian settlement, called Hippana or Hyppana, dating from the 8th-6th centuries BC on the nearby Montagna dei Cavalli. This settlement was later rebuilt in the 4th century BC and inhabited by Carthaginians, Greeks, Arabs, and Romans. The name Prizzi derives from the Greek Pyrizo, meaning "incendiary"[1] as in the context of sending smoke signals, referring to its origin as an important point for fighting off enemy invaders in Sicily. The present town, of Norman origin, was a fief of Guglielmo Bonello. In 1150, it passed to the Cistercian Monastery of Sant’Angelo. Between the 13th and 15th centuries, control of the town was disputed by various lords until it finally fell to the Bonanno family, whose fief it was until 1812.