Things to see in Fiumefreddo di Sicilia

Fiumefreddo di Sicilia is a city in the province of Catania on the north eastern slopes of Etna on the Ionian coast.

The territory is almost entirely flat, especially in the part that extends towards the sea and the beach of Marina di Cottone.

It has a Mediterranean climate. Winter ensures generally mild temperatures during the day, but the difference in temperatures compared to the night-time hours can also be quite pronounced. The long-lasting summer is very hot, sometimes with high levels of humidity. Precipitation reaches a very marked summer minimum and a moderate peak in the autumn season.

Church of Maria SS. Immaculate, Via Umberto. Church of Maria Santissima del Rosario. Erected in the 18th century. Castle of the slaves (Castello degli schiavi). The name of the castle comes from a legend. It is said that, about two centuries ago, a skilled Palermo doctor named Gaetano Palmieri healed the son of the prince of Palagonia, Gravina-Cruyllas, who, out of gratitude, gave him a plot of land near the Fiumefreddo river. Palmieri built a fortified villa there and often lived there, as it was greatly appreciated by his wife Rosalia, who however flirted with a certain Nello Corvaja, from Taormina. One day Turkish pirates landed, looted the villa, and kidnapped the two owners. When they were about to flee they were joined by a group of armed young men who had arrived from Taormina led by Corvaja, who defeated the Turks. To thank God, they erected a small church dedicated to Our Lady of the Sacred Letter and a loggia was built in which the two statues of Turks were placed. The Turks seem to look towards the sea, anxious to be freed from their companions, hence the name of the Slaves. Nowadays the castle is privately owned by the Platania family, barons of Santa Lucia.