Grammichele

Grammichele
Comune
Comune di Grammichele
Coat of arms
Grammichele Location of Grammichele in Italy Show map of Italy Grammichele Grammichele (Sicily) Show map of Sicily
Coordinates: 37°12′53″N 14°38′11″E / 37.21472°N 14.63639°E / 37.21472; 14.63639
Country	Italy
Region	Sicily
Metropolitan city	Catania (CT)
Government
• Mayor	Giuseppe Maria Purpora
Area [1]
• Total	31.02 km^2 (11.98 sq mi)
Elevation	520 m (1,710 ft)
Population  (2025)[2]
• Total	12,292
• Density	396.3/km^2 (1,026/sq mi)
Demonym	Grammichelesi
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	95042
Dialing code	0933
Patron saint	St. Michael Archangel
Saint day	May 8
Website	Official website

Grammichele (Sicilian: Grammicheli, Greek: Echetle (meaning "plowshare"); Latin: Echetla, Ochula; Medieval: Occhiolà) is a town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Catania in Sicily, southern Italy. It is located at the feet of the Hyblaean Mountains, some 13 kilometres (8 mi) from Caltagirone. It has a population of 12,292 as of 2025.^[2]

History

Piazza Carafa in the center of the town, Palazzo Communale and San Michele Arcangelo

The town was built in 1693, after the old town of Occhiolà, located to the north of the modern Grammichele, was destroyed by an earthquake. Occhiolà, on account of the similarity of name, is generally identified with Echetla, a frontier city between Syracusan and Carthaginian territory in the time of Hiero II, which appears to have been originally a Sicel city in which Greek civilization prevailed from the 5th century onwards.^[3]

The devastation of the old town was so severe that the feudal landlord of the town, Carlo Maria Carafa Branciforte, Prince of Butari, commissioned construction of a new town, with plans aided by Michele da Ferla. Supposedly the Prince himself sketched out the initial hexagonal layout. In the center of the hexagon is the Piazza Carlo Maria Carafa, faced by the Chiesa Madre (Mother Church), San Michele Arcangelo, and the Palazzo Communale (City Hall). The town of Avola, destroyed by the same earthquake, was also relocated and rebuilt along a hexagonal layout.

On July 15, 1943, the 1st Canadian Infantry Division fought its first battle in the Allied invasion of Sicily against elements of the German Panzer Division "Hermann Göring". The Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment, Saskatoon Light Infantry (Machine Gun) and the Three Rivers Regiment (tank) all took part in the fighting, which concluded at midday with the town in Canadian hands.

Demographics

As of 2025, Grammichele has a population of 12,292, of whom 49.0% are male and 51.0% are female, comparable to the nationwide average of 49.0% and 51.0% respectively. Minors make up 16.7% of the population, and seniors make up 25.0%, compared to the Italian average of 14.9% and 24.7% respectively.^[2]

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% 1861 10,392 —     1871 10,319 −0.7% 1881 11,872 +15.0% 1901 15,017 +26.5% 1911 20,316 +35.3% 1921 27,003 +32.9% 1931 13,393 −50.4% 1936 14,014 +4.6%	Year Pop. ±% 1951 14,210 +1.4% 1961 14,486 +1.9% 1971 12,286 −15.2% 1981 13,668 +11.2% 1991 13,609 −0.4% 2001 13,395 −1.6% 2011 13,064 −2.5% 2021 12,566 −3.8%
Source: ISTAT[4][5]

Immigration

As of 2024, the foreign-born population is 1,207, equal to 9.8% of the population. The 5 largest foreign nationalities are the Swiss (291), Romanians (223), Albanians (222), Germans (128) and Senegalese (37).^[6]

Saint Michael's church

Main sights

To the east of Grammichele a cave shrine of Demeter, with fine votive terracottas, was discovered.^[3] Other sights include the Mother Church; San Michele Arcangelo, dedicated to St. Michael; and the Church of Calvary.

Notable people

• Francesco Gargano (1899–1975), an Italian fencer who won a gold medal in the team sabre event at the 1920 Summer Olympics.

• Agrippino Manteo (1884–1947), a Catanese-American puppeteer who immigrated first to Mendoza, Argentina, and then to New York City, where he performed Sicilian puppet theater plays on a daily basis from the early 1920s until he closed his theater in 1939. <Cavallo, Jo Ann. The Sicilian Puppet Theater of Agrippino Manteo (1884-1947): The Paladins of France in America. Anthem Press, 2023. >

References

1. "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011" (in Italian). ISTAT.
2. "Resident population". ISTAT.
3. Chisholm 1911.
4. "Popolazione residente dei comuni. Censimenti dal 1861 al 1991" [Resident population of the municipalities. Censuses from 1861 to 1991] (PDF) (in Italian). ISTAT.
5. "Resident population - Time series". ISTAT.
6. "Resident population by sex, municipality and citizenship". ISTAT.

Sources

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Grammichele". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 332.