Cunziria
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cunziria is situated in an open valley adjacent to hills covered with prickly pears. The buildings' structure and architectural details make them an example of the rural agricultural style of 18th-century Sicily. The ruins of the church of Saint 'Egidio, which may date from Roman times, are located in the village.
Due to Cunziria's proximity to a spring, tanning was once a successful local industry, using tannins extracted from sumac. The village huts were created from an iron-colored local stone and were strategically positioned on the surrounding hills to increase sun exposure and hasten the drying of animal skins. Skins were cleaned in large tanks dug into rocks, some of which were later dug into the ground. Several have been uncovered in recent excavations.
The tanning industry began to decline around the end of the 1920s, although it continued until the 1960s.

