History and etymology of Roccella
E. Mazzarese Fardella was undoubtedly right when he observes that it is very difficult to reconstruct the outlines of the ancient site of Roccella, as “ the legal situation of Roccella is very confused for the coexistence of domains of the Count of Collesano and the Bishop of Cefalù” (See E. Mazzarese Fardella, “I Feudi comitali di Sicilia Dai normanni agli aragonesi”, Milan, Giuffrè, 1974: 28 note 38).
Without entering into details, it should be said that about a "castrum" proper the documents speak since 1385, when Count Ventimiglia effectively built a "castrum":“in qua Roccella constructum est castrum per dictum dominum comitem” [ in the site of Roccella a castle was built by above-said Count Ventimiglia ] (See A. Mazzarese Faldella, "Il tabulario Belmonte”, Palermo, 1983, doc. 33: 115).
Previously, the medieval documents relating to Roccella speak about it with terms such as "locum", "grange" and "tenimentum”. For example, in some documents relating to the confirmation of Roccella to the Monastery of Montevergine in the time of Frederick II of Swabia (1194-1250), we read about a “locum de Roccella in quo sita est grangia” [a place called Roccella in which is located the grange] and "tenimentum Roccella" [an estate called Roccella].
These terms, even if having no reference to a "castrum" in the strict sense, conceptually they refer to a fortified place. In particular, this is true for "tenimentum" which, according to careful studies by A. Settia, indicates the presence of an terreplein and a defensive fence rather high, and that it can not be easily "jumped" by a man of normal height (See A. Settia, “L’apparato delle cinte fortificate medievali. Riconoscimento, salvaguardia, valorizzazione”, in “Oltre le mura”. Atti del convegno di studi (Montagnana, 18 novembre 2006), Montagnana, Centro di studi sui castelli, 2008 (Quaderno n. 16), pp. 13-29).
In conclusion, with regard to the most ancient times of Roccella, we can speak at most of a "fortified site". However, with regard to the earliest times of Roccella the events and identification of this place are not entirely certain. In the time of the Arabs, Al Idrisi wrote about a "fortress" that some critics identified with Roccella: “ twelve miles from the above-said fortress [understood of ‘Brucato’ ] there is ‘Sahrat al Hadid’, a small hamlet with a fortress on top of the cliff, which extends with an abrupte slope on all sides, towards the beach of the sea "(See Al Idrisi," The Book of Roger ", edited by M. Amari, Salviucci, 1883: 28 - 29).
Michele Amari, however, was really unpersuaded that the suggestion of Al Idrisi was referring to Roccella: "[...] I must warn, however, that Edrisi places 'Sakhral el Herir' on the coast between Termini and Cefalù, or, according to the Manuscript of Oxford, 'El-Hedid', which means the 'Rock of Silk', or 'Rock of Iron'; a valid fortress in his day, which is the 'Castrum Roccella' of the Sicilian diplomas of the Middle Ages; and of it remains today some tracks and the name of Rocella.
This name is also given to a small inland village, also known as 'Campofelice'. But although it is close to Cefalu, which was taken in the same year, and although some manuscripts are in agreement on the name, I do not think that this fortress had been able to contain the large population that they wanted rensom with 15.000 dinar [...]” (See M. Amari, "History of the Muslims of Sicily”, Florence, Le Monnier, 1854, Vol. I: 327 note 1). Despite the doubts of M. Amari, however it seems that in fact 'Sakhral el Herir' can be identified with Roccella near Cefalù, and the fortified place was of Arab origin.
In the present state of our knowledge does not seem possible to propose other more reliable identifications (For the issue of doubts of M. Amari, See F. Maurici, "Medieval Castles in Sicily ...", Sellerio, 1992: 208-209). In this sense is also the proposal of G.B. Pellegrini, who derives the name of Roccella from ‘saharàt’ [='rock’]; 'sahrat al-Hadid', 'rock of iron' = Roccella (until the eighteenth century, then ‘Campofelice di Roccella’) [See G.B. Pellegrini, “Gli arabismi nelle lingue neolatine”, 1972: 328]. The "Roccella" name would seem, therefore, the "romanization" of the Arabic name: "[...]
The Arabic name obviously refers to the fort that was on top of the 'Rock of Iron', from which even the little hamlet was named, because, in the ruins of those houses, among which a circular room covered by a semi-destroyed hemispherical dome, spared from erosion of the sea and other elements (...) we can see some building structures that confirm their pre-Norman age [...] "(See, Giuseppe Spatrisano, “Lo Steri di Palermo e l’architettura siciliana del Trecento”, Flaccovio, 1972: 168). In this sense the comments by Joseph Guerin Fucilla may be of use, who clarifies the meaning of Italian terms such as "roccia", "Roccella" and "rocca", explaining that “perhaps ‘Rocca’ and 'roccia' can mean fortress" (See Joseph Guerin Fucilla, "Topographical Names", in "Our Italian Surnames", 1949: 99 and note 24).
At the beginning of the thirteenth century Roccella was donated to the church of Cefalù by the Count of Collesano, "who belonged to a family of Southern Italy and (…) he sided with Henry VI (1165-1197), then getting by him the title of Count of Alife "( See E. Mazzarese Fardella, “I Feudi comitali …”: 27): ): “Concedimus, offerimus et donamus eidem (…) sacrosancte (…) nostre cephaludenssi basilice in perpetuum de tenimento nostro Golisani Rocellam et totum tenimentum quod habemus in demanio nostro” [We give to our Basilica of Cefalù in perpetuity our estate of Collesano with Roccella and all estates under our jurisdiction] (See C. Mirto, “Rollus Rubeus: Privilegia ecclesie Cephaleditane, a diversis regibus et imperatoribus concessa, recollecta et in hoc volumine scripta”, 1972: 107).
Roccella is mentioned later in relation to the assets of Bishop Arduino II, who alienated it to the Monastery of Montevergine, and for this reason he was tried: “[...] “Fuerat Harduinus Friderici II imperatoria opera ab ecclesia ejectus et exilio multatus, castello Cephalehensi atque bonis omnibus spoliatus, quod bona ecclesiae dilapidaret (...) tenimentum Roccellae dedisset fratribus Montis Virginis. Contra vero episcopus partes suas tuebatur quod domos episcopales reparavit, ecclesiam cathedralem ceperat reparare (…) fecit molendina, reparavitque molendinum Roccellae, acquisivit ecclesiam Sanctae Mariae Roccellae (...) Cujus tenimenti donatio jam facta fuerat monasterio Montis Virginis a Paulo de Cicala Dei et regia gratia comite Golisani (…) apud Panormum, junio 1216, quarta indictione [ Bishop Arduino by Frederick II was expelled from the church, exiled and stripped of all possessions, as he had given Roccella to the Friars of Montevergine.
The Bishop defended himself saying that he had rebuilt the houses belonging to the Bishopric, the Cathedral and he had built several mills, that he had sheltered the mills of Roccella and that he had built the church of Santa Maria di Roccella (...) A donation of this estate had been made to the Monastery of Montevergine by Paolo Cicala, by the will of God Count of Collesano] (See Jean-Louis Alphonse Huillard Bréholles, “Frederici secundi historia diplomatica”, 1852, Vol. II: 920 and footnote 1).
Roccella was later confirmed to the monastery of Montevergine by Frederick II: "[...] (Ineditum in archivo Montis Virginis ex originali in Regest. VIII, No 71 [Unpublished work from the Archives of Montevergine, from the original content in the Register VIII, n. 71] “ […] Federicus Dei gratia Romanorum imperator, semper augustus et rex Sicilie. Per hoc presens scriptum notum fieri volumus universis (…) quod locum ipsum de Rocchella in quo prefata sita est grangia et universos fratres ejusdem monasterii sub nostra protectione et defensione recipimus et (…) Montis Virginis pro remedio animarum fidelium augustorum parentum nostrorum recolende memorie et pro salute nostra perpetua concedimus et in perpetuum confirmamus […]” [Frederick by the will of God Emperor of the Romans and King of Sicily.
With this paper we want to be known to all that the place called Roccella, in which is located the above mentioned grange and all the friars of the monastery are under our protection (...) We give and we confirm these estates in perpetuity to the Monastery of Montevergine, for the sake of our soul and that of our predecessors of happy memory] (See Jean-Louis Alphonse Huillard Bréholles, “Friderici Secundi Romanorum Imperatoris, Jerusalem et Siciliae Rex Historia Diplomatica”, Edidit Huillard-Bréholles, Parisiis, 1852, Tomus II, Pars I, pp. 204-205).
These documents often refer also to the economic activities in the "tenimentum" of Roccella and they supply some data on the presence of mills . In fact by the “Tabulario” of the Church of Cefalù of 1205, we can deduce some proofs of the existence of mills at Roccella in medieval times, and that the Bishop of Cefalù, Arduino II defended himself by claiming to have repaired the mills of Roccella and to have founded the church of Santa Maria. C. A. Garufi (“I documenti inediti dell'epoca normanna in Sicilia”["The unpublished documents of the Norman period in Sicily”], Palermo, 1899, Document No. 75: 186) quoted this paper about the mills: “Domum et vineam (...) quae sunt vicina molendinis esiusdem ecclesiae 'Rochellam'” [the house and the vineyard (...) located near to the mills of the church of Roccella]. In 1385 Roccella passed to the Ventimiglia, who held it until 1418, making it a duty-free port station of great moment. The port station of Roccella, called “Caricatore” [Shipper] was one of the most important of Sicily, and it remained in full operation at least until the eighteenth century.
We may have an idea of the economic importance of the "Caricatore" of Roccella, just thinking that all export sales were made directly by Count Antonio Ventimiglia (1350-1415), and under the protection of the castle were piled in Roccella the grain of the Ventimiglia family feuds and of all the neighboring estates, with a turnover that attracted the Royal Treasury.
In fact, way back in 1392 Martin I (1356-1410) started a clear policy of repression against the Sicilian nobility, in an attempt to restore the rights of the Royal Authority. At the beginning of the fifteenth century, the "Castrum Roccellae" suffered a heavy bombardment “by a siege in 1418 by Viceroies Domenec Ram (died 1445) and Antoni Cordona (Viceroy of Sicily from 1416 to 1419), who administered Sicily for Alfonso V of Aragon (1416-1458), to take away from the Ventimiglia the control of the coast and demonstrate the military capabilities of the monarchy. Following the events of 1418, the feudal fortress was included in the State property and it had been relegated to a watch tower to defend the fertile agricultural land "( See A. Fiorini, “Il castello di Roccella. Analisi archeologica di un sito fortificato medievale”, in “Archeologia dell’Architettura”, 2004: 86).
Then, for the sixteenth and seventeenth century, the estate of Roccella belonged to many Lords; King Ferdinand II (1479-1516) gave it to Gaspare de Spes (Viceroy of Sicily from 1479 to 1489), “who returned it in 1507 to Ferdinand; then the feud was under the control of thae Alliata until 1516 (...) Then it passed to the Ventimiglia, Antonio Spatafora (died 1613), to the family of the Castrone and to Gaspare Grotta [also known as La Grotta Guccio (died 1728)], 'primus Roccellae Princeps' [first Prince of Roccella], in 1696 and to Antonio Marzian (17th century)i, that passed the title to his son Lorenzo "(See Raffaele Noto, “ Roccella and its territory ...” in “Archivio storico Siciliano”, 1980: 82-83 ). This with regard to the Lords of the castle.
Instead, with regard to the small town of Roccella, it was a "New Town" and it was founded by Prince Gaspare La Grutta, belonging to a family of Gela origin, who in 1699 obtained a "Licentia populandi" by King Charles II of Spain (1661-1700), or permission to build the village of Roccella in the feud, to reclaim the land. Therefore, in 1699 Don Gaspare founded the new settlement (the actual town of “Campofelice”) near to the "castrum". The reasons for the new foundation were also linked to the need to change the poor conditions of the site determined by the presence of areas of malaria.
According to the documents, he attended to the colonization by building 10 homes, 14 shops and the church (See “Archivio storico siciliano”, 1948). Around 1708 the town changed its name with "Campofelice” [Happy Field].” This name obviously wanted to remember that the malarial areas were drained and the land gave good results; that is it became a "Terra Felix" ("felix" = fertile and productive). "Campofelice" is certainly the translation of the Virgilian verse "felicia Arva"[=fields] (“Vertunt felicia Bacchus Massica [ie 'arva'] qui rastris ...” [Virgil (70-21 BC), Aeneid, VII, 725-726]. Bent Parodi di Belsito explained very well that "'felix', before taking a figurative value [happy] had a sense closely related to the vitalistic cycle: fruitful and fertile. Thus, for example, were called ' felices arbores' (Livy [59 BC-17 AD]), the trees which gave many fruits (See Bent Parodi di Belsito, “La cultura della felicità”["The culture of happiness"], in “Il diritto alla felicità…”, 2004: 99) . In 1812, with the abolition of the feudalism, the town freed itself from the baronial jurisdiction.
Because of its proximity to the sea and a very long beach, every summer it has many amenities for tourists, although it has a very active agriculture.