Villa Musso in Villafranca Sicula

In the Agrigento area there is the small village of Villafranca Sicula very nice to visit and characterized by the presence of Villa Musso, which was owned by Baron Musso whose son Giuseppe did his utmost to help the inhabitants of this tiny town.

History of Villa Musso in Villafranca Sicula

Villa Musso in Villafranca Sicula was built at the behest of Baron Musso and his wife Angelica Cardara. She wasn't very lucky since she died at just twenty-eight years old from an unspecified illness. As happens in contexts of this kind, this sudden disappearance caused stories to flourish and one of these tells that Angelica was a beautiful woman for whom the baron, her husband, in addition to having lost his head for love, was eaten up by the worms of an unmotivated jealousy.

In a small village where everyone knows each other and gossip spreads easily, malicious rumors spread about Angelica, a kindly woman who was deliberately misunderstood by some.

The rumors reached the ears of the baron who began to spy on his wife and force her to remain locked in the house, even forbidding her from going to Sunday mass. Her jealousy was so powerful that one evening, during one of her outbursts, he killed her. He immediately regretted what had happened and tried to save Angelica but without success and she died in his arms leaving him with the look of a woman in love.

Since the people of the village were used to no longer seeing the baroness around the town, everyone took the explanation that Angelica had died due to an illness and her remains found peace in the church of San Giovanni Battista, where 'is still buried today. The legend continues by saying that the inconsolable Baron Musso went every day to find his wife's tomb where he stopped to talk about her asking for forgiveness and this continued until the baron died.

It is said that this beautiful married couple can be seen dancing a romantic waltz on the roof of Villa Musso in Villafranca Sicula on certain autumn nights.

Architecture and works of art present at Villa Musso in Villafranca Sicula

Villa Musso of Villafranca Sicula is a classic rural building that stands on a regular, paved area. A part of the ground floor was intended to be a stable and warehouse while the other part and the upper floor which covered the internal extension of the building were intended for housing.

The entrances were characterized by precious wooden doors where it is still possible to see the noble coat of arms and, between the two symmetrical doors, the entire manor house develops internally, starting with a majestic main entrance. Unfortunately, many objects belonging to that period and furnishing accessories were prey to thieves and nothing remains to bear witness to the ancient splendor.

In the vicinity of Villa Musso in Villafranca di Sicilia there is one noble chapel where the remains of the baron and his son are located.

What is possible to do in the surroundings of Villa Musso in Villafranca Sicula

We recommend visiting the village after exploring Villa Musso in Villafranca Sicula. The seventeenth-century building is very beautiful Mother Church of Our Lady of Mirto, modified in the following century and unfortunately damaged by the 68 earthquake.

Also on Corso Vittorio Emanuele, the sixteenth-century building is also worth a visit Church of Carmine And that of St. John Baptist where is the Angelica's tomb.

Also interesting are i murals which decorate many walls of the historic center which recall the traditions of the village.

A Carta bellotta, easily reachable from Villafranca, we recommend exploring the ruins of the Castle, dating back to the end of the year XNUMX and built by the Normans. Inhabited until the mid-eighteenth century, the manor was then abandoned and today only a small part of it remains.

Weather permitting we recommend reaching the ruins of the Sambuca Castle, built by an Arab emir in the ninth century AD. The stone structure was also used as a prison but little information and few ruins have survived.

How can you get to Villa Musso in Villafranca Sicula

By car:, from Palermo take the SS118 Corleonese Agrigentina until crossing the SS188dir/C Centro Occidentale Sicula until the crossroads for the SS386 for Ribera following the signs for Villafranca Sicula. From Messina take the A20 Messina-Palermo until taking the A19 Palermo-Catania and then the SP16 until it crosses the SP125 and the SS121 to merge onto the SS118 Corleonese Agrigentina until it crosses the SS188dir/C Centro Occidentale Sicula until the crossroads for the SS386 for Ribera following the signs for Villafranca Sicula.