BELPASSO : What a lovely place!

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In the aerial pictures Belpasso look like a chessboard characterized by straight lines and crossroads making it a unique scenery among the nearest towns.
From top it is delightful to see the houses‘s red roofs arranged like fringed petals and bordered by the dark green of fields.
The majestic presence of the Etna volcano ( in Greek “Monte ardente” or “gettante fuoco” named monte Gibel by Saracens and now Mongibello) sometimes quiet and others threatening, it is always connected to Belpasso’s history.
AT THE BEGINNING IT WAS CALLED “MALPASSO” .

There are many versions why this town was been called “ Malpasso”, we prefere what Patrick Brydone tells us: in his “ Ascesa sull’Etna 1770” in Nicolosi our landlord spoke with us about the strange destiny of the magnificent lands close to hybla, not too far from here. These lands were so famous thanks to their fertility, and were called Mel Passo in particular for the honey. All of a sudden the Etna’s lava invaded these lands which became completely barren and this is why the name changed into “Mal Passo” . 

The origins of the town are certainly ancient as testified by zones belonging to Prehistoric and Neolithic era, by the beginning of bronze era, byremains of aqueducts, and bridges of Roman and Medieval era (Valcorrente - Sciarone Castello, Farm Pezzagrande) with remains of lava stones colonnades of a castle, and a small acute arc of the Church S. Maria Climbs in the homonym monastery (built in the region Diaconia place in Norman period). The history of Fred II Of Aragon and Eleonora Di Angiò given him in bride from her father Charles II in exchange of his freedom, belong to the period between the XII and XIII century. 
Fred, became king of Sicily in 1296, he used to travel between Paternò and Malpasso, and to stay in this last territory. When Fred died,, Eleonora Di Angiò together with some her friends moved definitely to a house in Malpasso (whose remains until now) situated in the Guardia district, few hundred meters from the monastery of the Benedictines of S. Nicolò l’Arena, where she died in 1343. Eleonora loved Malpasso for its peaceful, healthy weather, for the pleasant woods that favoured the prayer and the contemplation. Most of the news of this period, speaks about popular tells soaked some times with suggestions and popular beliefs, since the volcano’s strong activity during the centuries has not certainly contributed to help the history of local people’s reconstruction. 
Without doubt, Belpasso together with Paternò, since ancient times, constituted a solid reality. In the 1456 William Raymond Moncada, count of Adorno’, bought Paternò and Malpasso towns from Alfonso, king of Aragon. The relationship between the two States, was very problematic and marked by continuous disputes among the vassals of the Feudo of Paternò. 
After some independence requests from Malpasso’s inhabitants, the Duke of Montalto and Prince of Paternò Don Luigi William Moncada with a public action of July 5 1636 decided to divide the territory giving a part of the territory to the University of Malpasso for an autonomous jurisdiction. 

FENICE MONCADA: BETWEEN THE ERUPTION AND THE EARTHQUAKE.

After nearly thirty years from the autonomy, the “Malpasso” inhabitants (from malipassus, “passo del melo”) were overwhelmed by a terrible calamity: the Etna’s eruption. On March 7 th 1669 the volcano’s fire frightened the inhabitants whose were forced to reconstruct somewhere. In the same year the reconstruction was made in the region Carmena, near to Valcorrente, six kilometers far from the place destroyed by the lava. The new place was called Fenice Moncada. 
Some families living in the destroyed Malpasso moved to La Guardia district creating the site of Stella Aragona. In 1693 a violent earthquake destroyed Fenice Moncada.

BELPASSO’S BIRTH
The reconstruction was made near to the site of Stella Aragona in the zone of St. Nicola north to piano Garofalo. The new site was called “Belpasso”, place of pertinence of the Duke of Montalto. 
The new urban order was projected by Michele Cazzetta. 
The works began in 1693. Cazzetta decided to maintain the chessboard form to a certain height of the territory, connecting it , through the actual Vittorio Emanuele street, with Stella Aragona district. 
The regular plan to network of roads that are crossed to straight angles, is the heart of the actual centre of Belpasso with its roads called straight lines and crossroads. Except for the principal Rome street and Umberto and Duomo squares.

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