History and etymology of Palazzolo Acreide

See also history of Akrai for the ancient town that stood on the same location.

Palazzolo Acreide was the town that stood after the dissolution of the former Akrai, due to the destruction of the Arabs. The name "Palazzolo" refers to the Latin term "Palatium" and its diminutive “Palatiolum” or “Pala-c-iolum” [small palace] in some medieval documents, where we record also significant variations, due to the incessant vernacularization of the Latin; so, for example, the modern name of Palazzolo is first  recorded  [more than as "Balansùl" by Al Idrisi ("The Book of Roger", 1883, p. 55), and “el Akrat” by the Arabs] as  “Placeolum” in a bull of Pope Alexander III (1105-1181) in 1169 and as “Palatiolum” in the grant of land made by King William (1153-1181) to the hermit Stefano in 1170. (See Bernabò Brea, in “Siculorum Gymnasium”, 1950: 41). "Palatium", "Palatiolum", "Palaciulum", "Placeulum" and "Palazzolo"  are some toponyms  widely used in Italy, which gave rise to the name of many cities.

It's a bit difficult to determine  certainly to which shade of meaning Akrai can be linked to the term "Palatiolum". In fact, "Palatiolum"  could refer to a mansion, but also to a simple stone house, to distinguish it from the wooden houses, or to an ecclesiastical possession, exempt from tax. Finally, "Palatium" - "Palatiolum" could of course refer to a building of  royal power. It seems, however,  according to the  most accredited opinions (Bernabò Brea et alii), that the words "Palatium" and "Palatiolum" designate the castle built by the Normans, which was the palace of royal power, the so-called  “Curtis Regia."

We add, among the “curiosa” about the name "Palatiolum" that, according to some sources, the Norman castle "inherited" in some way the name "Palatiolum", because here there were the ruins of an ancient building dating back even to Hiero II: "The medieval town was destroyed by an earthquake in 1693,  and it was named Palazzolo, according to some opinions, by the ‘Palatiolum’ word, with which were shown the ruins of a magnificent building attributed to Hiero II." (See “Collezione di monografie illustrate”, Enrico Mauceri, “Siracusa e la valle dell’Anapo”, edited by C. Ricci, 1909: 132 ff.).

About  the medieval and modern history of Palazzolo come to us again honorably the studies by V. Amico, who analytically gave an overview of many feudal families that followed each other in the domain of the feud: “[...] I do not know whom ruled Palazzolo under the Normans, but  as Buscemi was subject with other surrounding lands to the heirs of Godfrey Count of Itagusa, son of Roger, it is easy to conjecture that it belonged to him . Under the Emperor Frederick II of Swabia (1194-1250)  Alberto Pallavicini, and Pellegrino de Italo were lords of Palazzolo. In the early days of the reign of the Aragonese, the town was ruled by Alaimo di Lentini with Buccheri and Odegrillo … It passed from Guillaume de Castellar  to the Alagona, and Matteo Alagona under the reign of Martin was Lord of Palazzolo ... But Martin in 1313  conceded that country and the estates to  Ponzio da  Iscensa ...

In the year 1405 it belonged to Albaro of Heredia, who was called the Baron of Palazzolo  [...]" (See V. Amico, “Topographical Dictionary of Sicily”, 1856: 247 ff.). The sequence of the Lords of Palazzolo, as we have seen, was quite impressive. From the seventeenth century to the abolition of  feudalism (1812), finally it  belonged to the Princes Ruffo, and it became a State city. The current configuration of the town is characterized by a road network  that connects the main places of  Palazzolo,  pointing to the three main phases of the urban expansiveness, namely that before the earthquake of 1693, the later  and  present.