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Aragona ( or ''Raona'') is a commune in the province of Agrigento in the Italian island of Sicily. It is northeast of Agrigento. It is known mainly for the Macalube natural reserve and for being the Italian municipality with the highest emigration rate. ==History== Aragona is located on the eastern slopes of the Mount Belvedere at an altitude of 428 m. In the 13th century, the Castello di Barrugeri was built near what is now Aragona, but it no longer exists. The town was founded on January 6, 1606, upon the initiative of lord Baldassare III Naselli, Count of Comiso. He had previously submitted a request for the foundation of a new village in his fiefdom of Diesi during the 49th Extraordinary General Parliament, overseen by the Spanish viceroy Lorenzo Suarez de Figueroa e Cordoba on August 2, 1604 in Messina. On September 6 of that year, the viceroy ordered an official investigation into the matter, which eventually resulted on January 6, 1606, in the granting of a ''licentia populandi'', i.e. the permission to increase the fief's population. The new village was named after the Count's mother, ''donna Beatrice Aragona Branciforti''. The ''Naselli'' family ruled Aragona until 1812, when feudalism was abolished. Notable members of the family include: *Baldassare I Naselli: Count of Comiso, who acquired the fiefdom of Diesi. He mostly lived in Agrigento but spent his later years in Comiso. *Gaspare I Naselli: firstborn son of Baldassare I. He had to spend some time outside of Italy to escape some of his father enemies. He also spent his last days in Comiso. *Gaspare II Naselli also known as "The Red Count": son of Baldassare II, he married Beatrice Aragona Branciforti of Castelvetrano. *Baldassare III Naselli: son of Gaspare, he was responsible for initiating the construction of the new town in the Diesi fiefdom. He named the town in honor of his mother and of the renowned Spanish royal house of Aragona. He died of malaria at a young age, together with two of his sons. His only hair remained his son Luigi. *Luigi I Naselli: he mostly lived in Palermo, where he managed to obtain the title of Prince of Aragona. In his old age, sick and widowed, he moved to Sciacca where he eventually died. *Baldassare IV Naselli: son of Luigi, he held important military and civilian offices and distinguished himself in the defense of Sicily from French and Saracen incursions. He lived in Aragona until his death. He started there the construction of a feudal palace and of a network of underground passages still not completely explored. He also financed the constructions of churches and convents such as those for the Mercedari and the Capuchin monks. After abdicating in favor of his son Luigi (1702), he took up the monastic vows and retired into the Capuchin convent he helped build, where he died in 1710. He is remembered as the "father of the poors". He was buried under the main altar of the Capuchin church of Saint Joseph (nowadays the parish of Saint Francis of Assisi). Today his remains are temporarily stored at the municipal cemetery of Aragona while the ancient church undergoes restorative works. *Baldassare V Naselli: born in the family palace at Aragona, he is considered the most prestigious member of the family. He was at one point nominated President of the Council of Sicily. He moved to the royal court of Naples first, then to Paris, a guest of the King of France. *Baldassare VII Naselli was the last member of the family to hold civilian powers over the town of Aragona, as feudalism was abolished during his life in 1812. When he died in Aragona in 1863, the title of Prince of Aragona went to his sister Marianna, married to Nicolò Burgio, and later to their son Luigi. *Luigi Burgio Naselli: he was a priest and the last direct descendant of the Naselli family. He lived in Palermo at first, then moved to Aragona, where he worked in close collaboration with the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul to take care of the local orphans and poors. When he died on September 28, 1889 the family palace became part of the assets of the Institute of the Prince of Aragona.〔http://www.palazzoprincipe.it/〕 For over a century, the Institute has taken care of youths in need under the guidance of the Daughters of Charity. Luigi is probably the one responsible for the construction of the family chapel by the architect Giovan Battista Palazzotto of Palermo in 1874. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Aragona」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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