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San Marco d'Alunzio | |
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| Comune di San Marco d'Alunzio | |
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| Country | Italy |
| Region | Sicily |
| Metropolitan city | Messina (ME) |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Filippo Miracula |
| Area | |
• Total | 26.14 km2 (10.09 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 548 m (1,798 ft) |
| Population (30 November 2021)[2] | |
• Total | 1,828 |
| • Density | 69.93/km2 (181.1/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Aluntini or Sanmarcoti |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 98070 |
| Dialing code | 0941 |
| Website | Official website |
San Marco d'Alunzio (Sicilian:San Marcu,Ancient Greek:Ἀλόντιον (Ptol.) orἈλούντιον (Dion.),Latin:Aluntium orHaluntium[3]) is a city andcomune (municipality) in theMetropolitan City of Messina in theItalian regionSicily, near the north coast of the island, located about 120 kilometres (75 mi) east ofPalermo and about 80 kilometres (50 mi) west ofMessina.
San Marco d'Alunzio borders the following municipalities:Alcara li Fusi,Capri Leone,Frazzanò,Longi,Militello Rosmarino,Torrenova. It is one ofI Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy").[4]
Aluntium or Haluntium was situated betweenTyndaris andCalacte. Its foundation was ascribed by some authors toAcarnanians led by Patron, some of whom settled here after guidingAeneas across theIonian Sea fromGreece.[5] If this legend is true the Acarnanian colonists probably were quickly assimilated by theSicelian, who inhabited this area in historical times. No mention of it is found inDiodorus, nor is it noticed in history prior to theRoman conquest of Sicily. But in the time ofCicero it appears to have been a place of some importance. He mentions it as having suffered severely from the exactions ofVerres, who, not content with ruinous extortions of corn, compelled the inhabitants to give up all their ornamental plate.[6] We learn from inscriptions that it retained the rank of amunicipium, and was a flourishing town at least as late as the reign ofAugustus.
The city sits atop a lofty hill of steep and difficult ascent, about 5 km from theTyrrhenian Sea.[7] This position exactly accords with that described by Cicero, who tells that Verres would not take the trouble to visit the town himselfquod erat difficili ascensu atque arduo, but remained on the beach below while he sent Archagathus to execute his behests.[8] Various inscriptions also are preserved at the site, or have been discovered there, one of which begins with the wordsτὸ Μουνικίπιον τῶν Ἀλοντίνων.[9]Cluverius, followingFazello, placed Aluntium at a spot near San Filadelfo (modernSan Fratello), where the ruins of an ancient city were then visible, and regarded San Marco d'Alunzio as the site ofAgathyrna (now identified with modernCapo d'Orlando).
Aluntium minted coins in antiquity, some of which survive.
After the fall of theWestern Roman Empire,Aluntium became part of theByzantine Empire asDemenna. After a period under theEmirate of Sicily, it was captured by theNormans in the 11th century, and was used byRobert Guiscard as one of his main bases for the conquest of the island. As part of the Kingdom of Sicily, San Marco d'Alunzio was a fief of the Filangieri family from 1398 until 1806.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857).Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.
