A village that has so much to offer its visitors in terms of history, culture and religious monuments.
Lascari is a small but characteristic Sicilian center located in province of Palermo at an altitude of approximately 76 meters above sea level. Let's find out together.
Lascari, the story of an intriguing territory
Lascari in Palermo it is a town of around 3500 inhabitants which develops at an altitude of 76 meters above sea level a few steps from the Tyrrhenian coast. The community was formed over themedieval era while the institution of the municipality as we know it today dates back to the XNUMXth century thanks to Baron Gaetano Ventimiglia who gave his name to the town due to his descendants.
The tangible evidence of how there were the first settlements during the medieval period comes from finds found in Contrada Sant'Eufemia which refer to an Arab domination in Sicily which occurred between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries.
Another confirmation comes from church of Sant'Iconio whose construction dates back to 1148 and is dedicated to the figure of San Cono di Naso. Today the church is only partially visible because only a few remains remain but there are other buildings that refer to the medieval era and specifically the Church of Santa Eufemia and the wonderful Fortified Farmhouse. Two structures of considerable importance as confirmed by the fact that during this historical period the Casale was the scene of one legend about what happened on February 28 of the year 1359 when the princess of the kingdom of Trinacria Euphemia of Aragon left the earthly world.
The development of the Lascari community
The community of Lascari in Palermo began to develop significantly after February 1793 around the already existing church of Sant'Eufemia and the farmhouse fortified by many houses that were created practically from nothing. A few years later the Borgata was given its name thanks to Baron Gaetano Ventimiglia and the village was built in 1700. church initially dedicated to San Francesco d'Assisi and then to San Michele Arcangelo. The bell tower subsequently built in 1721 was not included in the original construction, which allowed it to obtain the title of parish, taking this honor away from the church of Santa Eufemia.
The history of this community is rich in many investments which have allowed the creation of multiple religious constructions, in particular during the nineteenth century towards the second half it was decided to create the church of the Santissimo Crocifisso before and at Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Then. An interesting and in some ways also disturbing aspect is that today there are practically no traces of these churches. In particular, it is a question of a political nature because the two churches were donated to the municipality due to a state of decay and abandonment. The municipality decided to remove the structures, transforming the church of the Santissimo Crocifisso into the current municipal house with a series of works that were carried out in the early 900s. The other church should have become one of the projects of the municipal administration of the time a school, only to then never do anything with it again. An important step in history of Lascari it happened inyear of production 1840 when he was nominated autonomous municipality with the administration detached from that of Gratteri.
What to see in Lascari
There are many locations of historical and cultural interest in the Lascari area in Palermo. First of all, a visit to the Mother Church of San Michele Arcangelo inside which there are several works of interest including the altarpiece created during the eighteenth century and the wooden sculpture of the Crucified Christ. Don't miss the Casale who literally made the history of this territory and the Arab necropolis. A few kilometers from the city center there are well 12 watchtowers built in the Renaissance era to allow the community of the time to protect themselves from possible incursions by hostile peoples. These towers were used to build farms which became very important for the development of the rural centre, giving farmers the opportunity to work the land adequately, developing a very important activity from an economic point of view. Many of these towers are still visible today inside farms like that Torretonda or Masseria La Romana.
How to get to Lascari
To reach Lascari coming from Palermo it is necessary to travel approximately 63 km in 60 minutes on the E90, exiting in the final part onto the SS113.
