Santa Domenica Vittoria

Santa Domenica Vittoria (Sicilian: Santa Dumìnica) is a town and comune in the Province of Messina, Sicily, southern Italy. It is situated 7 kilometres (4 mi) north of Randazzo in the Nebrodi Mountain Range. It is 1,080 metres (3,540 ft) above sea level and has views over all of the northern Etna Valley. Although the town is in the Province of Messina it takes the telephone prefix for the Province of Catania as it is on the border between the Provinces of Catania and Messina. The administrative area of the comune covers 19 square kilometres (7.3 sq mi), but the town itself has an area of approximately 2 square kilometres (0.77 sq mi). The comune borders the following municipalities: Floresta, Montalbano Elicona, Randazzo, and Roccella Valdemone. Santa Domenica Vittoria is named after a Calabrian Saint, who was a victim of the Roman persecution of Christians under Diocletian. Many families in the town have a family nickname which has been carried on for generations. Quite often the children of townspeople who emigrated from the town many years earlier are recognised by their nickname, rather than their surname which is generally not known by the townspeople. Festival One of the biggest events of the year in the town is the Feast of St. Anthony, the town's patron. The actual feast day is 17 January, but given the cold winters that are usually accompanied by heavy snow and below freezing conditions, it is celebrated on the first Sunday of September. Before the day of celebrations there are seven days of prayer in the local church. On the day of the feast many of the men of the town dress in white and carry a statue of St Anthony in a procession through every street of town and the townspeople traditionally pin money to the statue as it passes by their balconies. The day ends with a fantastic fireworks display and a party in the town's main piazza. Gallery External links Municipal Website of Santa Domenica Vittoria (Italian)