Campanarazzu archaeological area
The Archaeological Area of Campanarazzu constitutes the ancient inhabited center of Misterbianco entirely covered by the incandescent magma of the volcanic eruption of Etna in March 1669, and subsequently further deteriorated by the earthquake of January 1693.
The first news of the ancient town dates back to 1300, and attest that the first settlement was carried out by a brotherhood of religious who resided inside a white monastery, Monasterium album, now disappeared, from whose name the current name of the town derives . The term "Campanarazzu" instead refers to the bell of the monastery which represents one of the few objects that survived the catastrophic events. The bell was placed in the middle of the path between Misterbianco and Campanarazzu due to the fact that the flow of magma stopped at that point, the exact place where the lava flow stopped is called "Aliva m'pittata", the olive tree pettorito , in homage to the robust olive tree on which the bell was hung.
In 2009 the excavations of the Campanarazzu area began, and after a few years of research, in 2016 the well-preserved Mother Church was unearthed, without roof and doors, in which objects belonging to a posthumous period were also found. to the XIV.
The archaeological site is not open to the public but it is possible to carry out guided tours upon specific requests on set days and times.
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