History and etymology of Vizzini

Once again we owe to Paolo Orsi (1859-1935) the first pioneering studies on the territory of Vizzini; the eminent archaeologist,  laid the foundations of knowledge about the city, the site of which was mistakenly overlooked, from an archaeological and topographic point of view.

P. Orsi, in his memorable speech at the Academy of the “Lincei”, 1902, touched all points of the Vizzini history, from the ancient name, "Bidis" to its location in Sicily, regretting that the historians of the city wasted time on slip-slops, rather than to devote themselves to archaeological studies. He wrote like this: "[...] However, Vizzini is too far away from Syracuse and for this reason it can not be ‘Bidis’.  Father [Ignatius] Noto, instead of cluttering his dense volume of slip-slops, would have done  better work to gather and hand down us some data on the many discoveries, but to overlook the archaeological discoveries was the fashion of the time, with rare exceptions. However,  there is no doubt that Vizzini is very ancient; in fact, its surroundings  have given and continually give  amounts of small material that no one takes into account. The stone and Sikan age  are represented by many axes, several of which  are in the Museum of Syracuse.

The ancient local writers daydreamed about the origins of the city; a couple of centuries ago a Jesuit [that is Ignazio Noto] wrote ten books to show that Vizzini was “Bidis oppidum tenue sane non longe a Syracusis” [Bidis is a poor village not far from Syracuse].  Today, however, that ‘oppidum’ is sought elsewhere, and  E. Pais places it in Biggieni near Syracuse,  a place, in my opinion, that is not satisfying, because it gave only Christian and Byzantine necropolis (See P. Orsi, "Vizzini”, in “Memorie della Classe di scienze morali, storiche e filologiche”, 1902, pp. 213- 214).

In fact, E. Pais wrote that because there was "a farm called 'Serra del Biggino', I suspected that there was located Bidis on which Cicero (106-43 BC) spoken (Verrine, II, 53), who called it ''oppidum sane, non longe a Syracusis’”' (See "Studi storici", 1893, p. 404). During the long debate among scholars, virtually the uncertainty  is still between Vizzini and “Serra del Biggino.” According to G. De Sanctis (1969, p. 289) and B. Pace ("Archivio storico siciliano", 1909, pp. 148 ff.) Ettore Pais was "probably wrong". However, new researches carried out in recent years would be likely to identify  Bidis with the current Vizzini, on the Dirillo river  with "Acrillae" and "Scornavacche" (See "Kokalos", 2001, p. 157; for the topography of Bidis, See p. 164). So also believes A. De Vita (“Da Siracusa a Mozia: scritti di archeologia siciliana”, 1998, pp. 23 ff.), according to whom along the river Dirillo there were some "large and small agrarian villages sited along the lowlands to the east of Dirillo, from Acrille to Bidis. "

An interesting notation was that of Francesco Tardia, who translating in the eighteenth century the "Roger's book" by Al Idrisi (1099-1166), wrote: "[...] Maurolico Ferrario, Mugnos and especially Father Ignatius Noto claim that [Vizzini] was the  ancient Bidi, and after them  Father G.. A. Massa (Volume 2, pp. 338-339) and Father V. M. Amico (...) Cluverius believes that it is the ancient 'Callipoli', mentioned by Herodotus (5th century BC), Strabo (58-21 BC), Stephen of Byzantium (,6th century AD) and Marciano from Eraclea (4th-5th century AD). However, for the strong reasons of  Father Ignatius Noto, it is necessary that we must recognize the ancient Bidi with Vizzini.

I Add that the Saracens could easily form in their own language  "Bizini" ... starting in their own language from ‘Bidi’, since the Latin letters D and Z in Arabic were written in the same way ... so the Arabs from 'Bidi' formed 'Bizini', which I interpret from the etymological point of view as "vetust", "abandoned", from the Arabic word "Badhson", perhaps because the Arabs could still see the ruins of the abandoned city [.. .] "(See Francesco Tardia, “Descrizione della Sicilia cavata da un libro Arabico di Scherif Elidris”, a cura di P. Bencivenga, in “Opuscoli di autori siciliani”, Palermo, 1762, Tomo 7, pp. 338-339). However, with regard to the etymology of Bidis are much more interesting some observations of G. A. Massa: "The etymology of Bidis derives from two Greek words, "Bè dis”. “Bè” is the aorist tense of the indicative without augment from the verb ‘Beme’, meaning ‘went’; ‘dis’ is an adverb, and it means 'twice', for which  ‘Bidis’ means “went twice” (...)  alluding to the Dirillo river, which in the opinion of Cluverius, is the much celebrated 'Aebates' of the Ancients, which, having its origin near the city, with its two arms encircles it, going "twice" around it ( See G.A. Massa, “La Sicilia in prospettiva”, 1709, Vol. II, p. 339). That this etymology has to do with the arm of a river or a canal that is divided into two parts is also attested by  the contemporary linguistic studies,  for which " ‘Bedesis’ dates back to Celtic Bedo / Bede / Bidi, (Du Cange) = canal. Probably the source was 'Vitis', which was popularized in 'Bedes', from which 'bidentem' (from ‘bidens’) which means 'with two teeth') "[See A. C. Garancini, “La romanizzazione nel bacino idrografico padano attraverso l'odierna idronimia”, 1975, p. 144). In the case of Bidis-Vizzini = with two arms that surround the city.

Going back to the antiquity of Bidis, among the discoveries of P. Orsi in the area of Vizzini, we quote especially an example of "aes grave" [= heavy money in bronze]: "Among the coins is worth a special mention a piece of ‘aes grave’ ... It was purchased by me at the same farmer who discovered it ... The piece arrived in Sicily in the fourth century BC through trade and ... it was introduced by Roman legions during the Second Punic War "(See P. Orsi, p. 217 and 219). This piece is considered "the first specimen of Roman 'aes grave' found in Sicily. They have been brought by Roman soldiers in the Second Punic War (see "American Journal of Archaeology: the Journal of the Archaeological Institute of America", 1903, p. 128).

We also quote a mirror with the base relief [preserved in the Archaeological Museum of Syracuse], depicting a seated afflicted woman. The mirror found in Vizzini was put in relation with other similar artefacts: "The analogy is more stringent with the fragment of an Attic stele from  Menidi and it is now located at the Lowther Museum  in England and with the metopes with a Doric frieze of a small  monument of the Stoa of Hadrian in Athens; but we can add a Boeotian pottery at the Museum of Athens, representing a woman seated at the foot of the afflicted funeral stele with his right hand supporting his head. However, the artefact of Vizzini is of undeniable inferiority compared to the Greek standards” (See E. Galli, “Nota su di un gruppo di specchi di bronzo del sec. IV BC”, in “Archivio storico per la Sicilia orientale”, 1919-1920, pp. 106-107).

With regard to the Middle Ages in Vizzini, is still very important  the study by L. La Rocca, who was able to analyze massive amounts of manuscripts: "[...] The City on which we will begin to talk  is Vizzini, which was part of the Noto Valley, when Sicily was divided, according to the civil parish of the Saracens , in three parts (...) Our choice was determined by the consideration that we find in the events of Vizzini from the documents a few features that make the city a prime example of the municipal history of Sicily, because it was six times a feudal city  and so many times it was assigned to the royal demesne.

The manuscripts are preserved in two volumes, bound in red leather,  in the archive of the town. The oldest document, which is located in the municipal archives, is a perpetual privilege of state property, signed in the battlefield of Mileto. We feel that, besides not being original, it is a copy of an act of 1458, in which for the will of the master, judges and advisers was made, in the presence of many  nobles, a copy of the same privilege, for fear that it was lost. Although it was published in 1730 by Father Ignatius Noto ["L’antichità di Bizini", Palermo, 1730, pp. 127-129] and recently by Vito La Mantia, who reproduced it from the book of I. Noto, we do not find this document in any of the Swabian diplomatic collections, that is it is absent in the collections edited by  Huillard et Bréholles, Wikkelmann and Capasso. This raises doubts about its authenticity, because are more frequent in Sicily apocryphal documents, some of which served, rightly or wrongly, to some cities to prove  their public origins. So we raised our suspicions, if we had not found in the first chapter of King Martin (1356-1410) that Vizzini was recognized of the royal heritage (…)

Thus, established  the validity of the document, we expose the contents of it: 'The Emperor Conrad IV  (1228-1254), as a reward for loyalty and services that the inhabitants of Vizzini, both individually and collectively, had first made his father Frederick II of Swabia (1094-1250) and then to him, ordered from the battlefield of Mileto that the city was returned to the Royal demesne in perpetuity and it enjoyed the privilege (…)  We observe that Vizzini is called in this privilege with the name of “terra”, while it is mentioned by Al Idrisi between the cities. This term lasted for a long time, until Charles V (1500-1558) in 1538, giving the pure and mixed empire, raised it back to the status of a city.

Before the War of the Vespers Alexander IV (1199-1261) gave it to Ruggiero Fimetta and after the Sicilian Vespers to Francesco Ruffino,  appointed by Alexander IV as Vicar of Sicily, who became the real master of it. It was then that the pope, to reward again  Ruggiero Fimetta, well-known enemy of the Swabian House (...) invested him with Vizzini Ragusa, Modica, Palazzolo, giving orders from Anagni, 21 August 1255 (…) The pope's supremacy in the island  was short. The new viceroy Federico Lancia (born 1230) revived the partisans of the Swabian House, that imprisoned in Palermo  Ruffino and won Ruggero Fimetta in Lentini. In short, all the cities returned to obedience to Manfredi (1232-1266) in 1258 (…)

In the privilege of July 5, 1396 we read that Martin, king of Aragon, with his son and daughter ... considering that the inhabitants of Vizzini supported with devotion and loyalty  the crown in the wars (…) conceded them, both collectively as individually, did not pay the customs due to the Royal Curia for all commodities and goods, which should send in the cities, state-owned lands and places, or retire and buy from these. In 1398 Lentini, Mineo, Paterno, Syracuse was immediately recognized of Royal demesne, but Vizzini was left in dispute, perhaps because of the doubts that arose from the fact that it was so long in feudal subjugation. But the inhabitants … obtained the help of Raimondo Xatmar. For the realization of their desires, perhaps contributed  the death of Ughetto Santapau. Finally, with the publication of the first chapter of Martin, Vizzini was returned to the Royal demesne [...] (See L. La Rocca, “Vicende di un comune della Sicilia”, in “Archivio storico per la Sicilia orientale”, Catania, 1906, pp. 169-215).

In the following centuries, although it was a town belonging to the royal demesne, Vizzini experienced difficult times (such as the earthquake of 1693) and social conflicts, even among the many monasteries in its territory (for the presence of monasteries and churches see below). An effective framework of Vizzini from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century was traced by Francesca Gallo: "[...] Vizzini was a highly structured city since from the 16th century, with a specific socio-political identity (…).

An important date was 1693: “The 1693 earthquake destroyed most part of the city and involved the reconstruction of it (...) The city in the seventeenth century had a considerable population growth, increasing from 8,574 residents mentioned in the census of 1606 to 11,455 in 1616 and it was maintained, albeit with some decline, over 10,000 souls throughout the century. Since 1714 it dropped below this threshold and the decrease will be constant until 1798, when it began to register a recovery. The growth will be continuous throughout the first half of the nineteenth century and in 1861 the city will come to count a population of 13,363 souls. In the early nineteenth century and especially during the so-called ' English years', the city also had some economic development, supported by the growth and maintenance of new and old industries (tanneries, pasta, honey production and processing) and trade.

This not allowed, however, to consolidate the country's economy and to tackle the difficult '20s, when the economy came back negative, especially after repeated crop failures. At the same time, the questionable management of the municipality, by the local ruling class and the assault by local notables against the public lands will aggravate the deficit of the municipal finance, with serious socio-political implications, and it constituted one of reasons for the active participation of the town of Vizzini in the revolutionary movements of the '20-'21 [...] "(See F. Gallo, “Guerra di santi, guerra di uomini. Conflitti socio-politici e religiosi a Vizzini (Sicilia) (1693-1820)”, in: “Mélanges de l'Ecole française de Rome. Italie et Méditerranée”, T. 111, N°2. 1999. pp. 883-932 ).  Today, in addition to traditional economic activities related to agriculture and livestock, Vizzini open to new sources of revenue related to tourism. In fact, there are possibilities of the territory for a viable farm use with the renovation and development of rural buildings in the area, and some cultural factors of major importance (Vizzini was the birthplace of Giovanni Verga (1840-1922), the great realist writer, whose  home is a place of attraction and enhancement of the entire territory).