History of Comiso

Where was the ancient Comiso? In its successful penetration in Sicily, Syracuse founded a few years later some of its colonies, including Acre (Greek "Akrai") and Casmene [the Greek "Kasméne" or "Kasmenai" (644-43 BC) [Herodotus (484-425 BC) 7.155.2, and Thucydides (460-395 BC), 6.5. 2], a military colony founded for the control of the Siciles, who lived between the rivers  Anapo and Tellaro. "[...] 70 years after the founding of their city, the Syracusans founded Acre, in a position that allowed them to subdue Pantalica and to control the whole valley of the river Anapo. Twenty years later, Syracuse founded its second colonial base, or  Casmene  (perhaps the present (Comiso), and in 599 or 598 near the south coast (...) a third base, Camarina [...]" (See M.A. Levi, "L’Italia nell’evo antico", Piccin, 1998: 112).

From the seventeenth century  a fierce "battle" began  between scholars to determine where  was the old colony; some scholars were inclined to place it in  Comiso,  others in Scicli. To get an idea of the tone that took on that old "battle" just read what A. Busacca wrote: [...] That Comiso  had been the ancient  ‘Casmene’ attest to our Maurolico, and Claudio Arezzi, of historical veneration (...) However, some people wanted to usurp its glorious title, and they give it to Scicli, but Pietro Carrara di Militello,  citizenof Catania, assumed the commitment to sustain the defense of Comiso, and armed with the shield of the most healthy criticism and erudition landed the claims of Cluverio and Perelli, so that the court of reason judged in favor of  Comiso, which therefore remains in full possession of his rights and honor of being the  old Casmene [...]" (See Antonino Busacca, “Dizionario statistico e biografico della Sicilia”,   Messina, Nobolo, 1858:  35).

In reality it seems not that Comiso can boast ancient origins,  since the contemporary studies have now shown that the old "Casmene" coincides with "Monte Casale", located across the road that "[...] starting from Syracuse, after Acrille (Chiaramonte) goes south to get to Camarina, on the southern coast of Sicily. Along this road were built three of the four sub-colonies of Syracuse, Acre (Palazzolo), Casmene (Monte Casale) and Camarina "[...]" (See G. Salmeri," Roman Sicily ", 1992: 14) . Therefore Comiso has more recent origins, namely Arabic, although, as we shall see, it was a village in the ancient world  very popular and rather well known.

Therefore, the presence of the thermal building near the  Diana Source, dating back to the second century BC, proves the presence of a household, albeit anonymous,  around the Diana Source since Roman times. It is thought that this place was populated by inhabitants who escaped the destruction of "Kasméne"  by  consul Marcellus (died in 208 BC)  in 212 BC. In medieval times the area is remembered as a set of "fundi" ("farms") and "Villae" called "Fundus Comas", belonging to the Roman noble Rustica. In fact, in the Age of Gregory the Great (540-604),  in 599, Pope Gregory wrote to the Chancellor of Syracuse to respect the will of Rustica, who  expressed the desire to build a monastery “in fundo Comas” ( “in the farm called "Comas") (See R. Rizzo, "Pope Gregory the Great and the nobility of Sicily", 2008: 43 and 72). The advent of the Byzantines, after the barbarian incursions, gave a new building impulse  to the village, where the walls and several houses were built, which formed the nucleus of the  so-called "Hamlet  of 'Comicio', then said  “Jhomiso”.

The evolution of the small town in the Byzantine era was slow but steady, and continued even after the Arab conquest. The history of the city continued with the Aragonese, who assigned Comiso in feud to Federico Speciarius of Messina, in 1296. He built a palace in the urban core-castle and other fortifications, which was formed around the village. Comiso later became a fief of the Riggio,  Chiaromonte, and Cabrera,  and from 1453 to 1700, of the Naselli family. They  gave a powerful impetus to economic growth of the town, which dwelled upon  the medieval walls.

However, the earthquake of 1693  heavily damaged Comiso, which was rebuilt soon after, according to the baroque town planning criteria. Thanks also to the will and the generosity of the Naselli born in Comiso first industrial factories such as paper mill, built in the 18th century. In the eighteenth century the Naselli, to cope with debt, were forced to sell a good portion of their property.

Then the  town was ruled by the Bourbons of Naples (19th century) and after  the Unification it entered the Kingdom of Italy (1861).

Comiso etymology

Comiso derives its name from the Arabic term "[...] 'hums', meaning ‘ fifth part’; or ''certaine partie d'une tribu' o anche 'les terres, dans les pays conquis, qui sont devenues la propriété de l'Etat' (or ‘part of a tribe’ or even a ‘territory of a conquered nation, which became State-owned’)[...]" (See  “Bollettino n. 18”. Centro di studi filologici e linguistici siciliani” , 1995: 289). More specifically, some studies of the “Ecole française de Rome” stress that "[...] Moving northwest toward the source of the ‘Ippari’ river is placed the hamlet ‘Yomiso’ or ‘Comiso’,  a village  named ‘Ar hums’ which  seems to refer to the ‘fifth part that the peasants had to pay to the State.’ It could be a hamlet born on a state-owned land. Its existence in the Islamic period seems to be confirmed by the remains of a Islamic ‘cuba’ (or Islamic mosque with strong symbolic elements, such as the circle and square) and a necropolis [...]" (See “Ecole français de Rome” ," La Sicile à L'époque islamique ", 2004 : 99). Comiso in late antiquity was a place known for a thermal building, and then “it rised to the historical memory only in the fourteenth century as a simple  Arab name  'hums', which alludes to the practice to confiscate  the fifth part of the wheat harvest. The Norman conquest in the late eleventh century caused the abandonment of the site, which appeared in the feudal census in 1336  of Frederick III of Aragon (1272-1337) as a simple ‘Gomisi’ feud, belonging to Frederick Spicianus of Messina "(See“Ente Provinciale per il turismo di Trapani”, 1991: 45). However, in the territory of Comiso have come to light  some remains showing  “ the existence of a village dating back to Greek times (Greek-Archaic cemetery of St. Elijah Margi), which rose to some importance in Roman times (water lily mosaic under the current City Hall,  close to the famous ‘Diana Spring’) and persisted in the late Roman Empire”(See O. Garana, B. Pace, “The Sicilian catacombs and their martyrs”, "Flaccovio, 1961: 114).