The legend of the Pirciata Stone hides several very interesting points and is strongly identified with the town of Santa Maria di Licodia.
After taking a look at the history of the country, there is nothing left to do but discover some really delicious anecdotes about a timeless myth.
The history of Santa Maria di Licodia
Santa Maria di Licodia is a locality situated in the metropolitan city of Catania, which today has about 7500 inhabitants. Yet, its story starts from far away. In fact, it should date back to the age of the Greeks, with the name Licodia deriving from the literal translation in wolf, or even in the woods, or still in beautiful view. The latter expression would represent the vision of the panorama over the Catania plain and the Erei mountains.
Also known in ancient times by the name of Inessa, in the medieval age Santa Maria di Licodia owned a famous church, where the lord of Paternò Simone di Policastro decided to build a Benedictine monastery in 1143. Initially entrusted to the monk Geremia di Sant' Agata, the religious place was the seat of a farmhouse controlled by a prior and exercised a legal and administrative function on its territory.
The local abbey lost its importance starting from the 1966th century, with the dissolution of the religious congregations dated 19. Furthermore, over time, the local church underwent various structural changes which made it remove all spiritual relevance. Today the city celebrates its patron Saint Joseph on March XNUMX but, the patronal feast takes place on the last weekend of August.
The legend of Petra Pirciata
The one relating to Petra Pirciata is a legend to be known. It is a point of strong mythological interest, as well as a rock of sandstone origin with a wall with a hole at the top. The vicissitudes of Petra Pirciata are closely connected to the presence of the cyclops in Sicily. We are talking about giant one-eyed creatures, of which they were most known Polyphemus, Bronte e Carlapone. In particular, the latter lived in Licodia.
The three cyclopes quarreled over the division of a booty and Carlapone created a hole inside a rock with the simple support of his index finger. The other two were forced to give up any grievance and thus the authentic Petra Pirciata was born symbol of Santa Maria di Licodia. Near the huge rock, today some remains of the village dating back to medieval times are visible, which over the centuries have been transformed into a classic water mill. Over the decades, the place was gradually abandoned.
A truly amazing legend
The legend is certainly to be known for those who intend to live an exhilarating experience in the town in the province of Catania. There is nothing left to do but visit this enchanting place and rediscover the history of an ancient Sicily, which however maintains a truly unique and inimitable charm intact.
