Torre Archirafi
Frazione in Sicily, Italy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Torre Archirafi (Sicilian: A Turri) is a frazione of the comune (municipality) of Riposto in the Catania area of southern Italy. The small fishing village is located about 32 kilometres (20 mi) northeast of Catania and about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of Riposto.
History
The name comes from Torre di Archirafi or the Archirafi Tower, a coastal watchtower, built to repel Barbary corsairs in the 16th century and later destroyed by the sea sometime in the 17th century.[1][2] The town itself was ceded to the Duke of Archirafi, Giovanni Natoli Ruffo, by King Charles III of Bourbon in the 17th century.[3]
Places of interest
The inhabited area has kept the old historic public center fairly intact which includes the Palazzo Vigo, a large townhome built in the 18th century by Giovanni Natoli Ruffo, Duke of Archirafi.[4] Today, the building is primarily used for art exhibitions, conferences, and lectures.[5]