Caltavuturo

Caltavuturo (Sicilian: Caltavuturu) is a town and comune in the Province of Palermo, Sicily, Italy. The neighboring comunes are Polizzi Generosa, Scillato and Sclafani Bagni. History According to many scholars, the name and origin of the town are traced back to Arab rule (the name derives from the Arabic word Qal'at Abi l-Thawr, "stronghold of Abu Thawr"), named after a Muslim leader that controlled the area. Others instead maintain that the name derives from the Arabic word "kala" (rock) and the Sicilian "vuturu" (vulture) so going to take the meaning of "Rock of vultures." The town was the site of the so-called Caltavuturo massacre on 20 January 1893, when local authorities killed 13 and wounded 21 peasants that had occupied communal land that they claimed was theirs. References