Product Code Database
Bivona (IPA: ; Vivona in Sicilian (1997). 9788802072289, UTET. ISBN 9788802072289) is an Italy comune with 3,027 inhabitants in the Free Municipal Consortium of Agrigento in Sicily.
Nestled amidst the Monti Sicani, where it once served, alongside neighboring Palazzo Adriano, as the official seat of the regional park, Bivona is renowned for cultivating the Bivona Peach, which earned the PGI designation in 2014, and for crafting a distinctive artisanal chair.
Likely originating as a settlement during the Muslim Sicily, Bivona is first documented in the Norman era. It hosted a Jewish community, traces of which remain in the sparse remnants of a synagogue and in local folklore. Between the 15th and 16th centuries, it was a prominent feudal center in the Vallo di Mazara. In 1554, Charles V elevated it to a duchy, the first in the Kingdom of Sicily, while also granting it the title of city.. The town was home to numerous Religious order, including the Jesuit college endorsed by Ignatius of Loyola, as evidenced by the many sacred buildings concentrated in its medieval historic center. Bivona is also noted for one of the earliest documented cults of Saint Rosalia..
The territory of Bivona spans approximately and is partially included in the "Oriented Nature Reserve of Palazzo Adriano Mountains and Sosio Valley" and the "Sicani Mountains Park".
Its elevation ranges from above sea level in the southern area, bordering Ribera and Cianciana, to at the summit of Monte delle Rose, north of the town, near Palazzo Adriano in the Metropolitan City of Palermo. The elevation of the inhabited area varies from in the southern districts to approximately 600 meters in the northern ones,The elevation data specified were derived from the aerophotogrammetric map available at the technical office of the Municipality of Bivona. typically cited as , referencing the former town hall (now Piazza Giovanni Cinà).
The mountainous landscape comprises limestone-dolomite formations from the Mesozoic era, primarily in the northern part of the territory. The main peaks in Bivona's territory include:The following data were derived from the Topographic Map of the Territory of the Municipality of Bivona.Other notable peaks in Bivona's territory include: Pizzo San Matteo (), Monte M. S. Venere (), Cozzo Timpe Rosse (), Serra Mezzo Canale (), Pizzo il Moscamento (), Monte Chirullo (), Monte il Casino (), Montata Badia (), and Monte Castelluccio ().
The rocky outcrops of Pizzo Mondello, composed of layered limestone and flint with fossil shell traces ( Halobia), are steeply inclined, reflecting the tectonic deformations experienced by the Sicani Mountains.
A few kilometers from the town center lies the Castello Dam, creating an artificial lake with a capacity of approximately . Its waters irrigate Bivona's peach orchards and the orange groves of Ribera.
In the 1930s, during a visit by Benito Mussolini, Platanus were planted along Via Lorenzo Panepinto, black locust trees in Piazza XXVIII Ottobre, and the municipal park was landscaped.
The fauna primarily includes small insectivorous birds such as blue tits, Great tit, chaffinches, blackcaps, European robin, and Eurasian wren, alongside Common blackbird, wood pigeons, and Eurasian jay.
The variant Bisbona is recorded in 1363Letter from Frederick III to Giovanni Chiaramonte, 28 September 1363. and was considered a scholarly form in the 16th century, derived from bis bona ("twice good"). A 1557 text states: "This town is called Bivona, almost Bi-bona, that is, bis-bona, for the purity of its air, being situated on high cliffs, and for the abundance of healthful waters and fruitful trees, of which it is exceedingly rich, a truly more than good and most pleasant place".. This etymology was supported by Trovato.
More likely, it is related to the Calabrian Bivona or Vivona (near Vibo Valentia), stemming from a pre-Greek substrate word, later Hellenized as Ἱππώνιον (Hippṓnion) and Latinized as Vibō, Vibōna.
Due to misinterpretations of ancient sources,. Bivona was once thought to have Greek origins, identified with Hipponium, founded by Gelon.. Another unverified hypothesis linked it to the indigenous (later Hellenized) center of Hippana, later identified at Monte dei Cavalli (Prizzi),. though both names may share a common Mediterranean substrate root (* vīp-/ vīb-)..
By the late 13th century, it became a lordship but was sacked in 1359 by royal troops under Francesco Ventimiglia. The Bivona Castle was then entrusted to Corrado Doria..
Bivona flourished under the Chiaramonte lordship (1363–1392). and especially under the De Luna,. key figures in the Cases of Sciacca...
Over the next two centuries, the duchy passed to the Montcada family (the princes of Paternò),. then to Spanish noble families who remained uninvolved in local affairs, leading to the town's decline..
In the 20th century, Bivona developed as an administrative and cultural hub of inland Agrigento, hosting various health and administrative offices, as well as secondary schools.
The gonfalon is a white cloth bordered in azure; the flag is a white cloth bordered in azure.
The coat of arms used until 2021 was described in the municipal statute as:
The crescent moon represents the noble family of the first dukes, the De Luna d'Aragona, while the crab may recall the ancient symbol of Akragas. The gonfalon of the municipality of Bivona reproduces the coat of arms on an azure background, enriched with floral decorations.The gonfalon is regulated by the statutory provisions of the municipality.
According to the Statute of the Municipality of Bivona, the municipality has its own anthem.Municipal Statute, art. 4, paragraph 6.
| Title of City |
Additionally, destroyed churches include: the Church of Sant’Andrea (late 12th century or early 13th century, likely Bivona's first church and mother church.); the Church of Sant’Antonio Abate (first mentioned on 23 February 1419.); the Church of Sant’Agata, built during the Chiaramonte lordship (1363–1392);. the Church of San Giovanni Battista; the Church of Santa Maria Maddalena (ceded to the Jesuits in 1595, becoming the new mother church.); and the Church of San Pietro, later Santa Maria del Soccorso (single-nave with one chapel per side and a small bell tower.).
Finally, among destroyed religious buildings is the Church of the Immaculate Conception (1648), built at the expense of Bivona's poet and physician Giuseppe Romano (1613–1681). It collapsed in the 20th century and was rebuilt as a meeting and conference venue. The original Baroque portal with twisted columns, relocated to the nearby Church of Santa Maria di Loreto, was buried under rubble after that church's roof collapsed.. The main altar once housed a statue of the Immaculate Conception, now preserved in the Mother Church.
Other convents included the Convent of the Minor Conventuals, established in 1394, and the Benedictine Monastery, founded in the early 15th century for the Congregation of Cassinese Benedictine Nuns, now an educational institute and the Bivona ASL headquarters,. and the Convent of Santa Maria di Gesù, once home to the Observant Friars Minor and later the Reformed Friars Minor..
In 2011, a bas-relief honoring Falcone and Borsellino was inaugurated in the street named after them, created by artist Lorenzo Reina from Santo Stefano Quisquina.
Numerous archaeological discoveries confirm human presence since the Copper Age: Serraferlicchio pottery shards, black mother-of-pearl pottery, Carthage coins, a Roman wine amphora, an Arezzo jug base, a coin of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, and Muslim necropolises. These are joined by a prehistoric rock necropolis, the necropolis in Contrada Millaga near Cianciana’s town center, and remains of walls tentatively identified as a Sicani necropolis, along with sparse surface finds..
A survey conducted from 2009 by a team from the Georg-August University of Göttingen identified approximately 200 archaeological sites in Bivona and neighboring municipalities..
Part of Bivona's territory was within the Oriented Nature Reserve of Palazzo Adriano Mountains and Sosio Valley, established in 1997 and later incorporated into the park.
In the eastern part of Bivona's territory, toward Santo Stefano Quisquina, the "Canfuto state-owned campground" extends over about three hectares, a wooded hill, mostly covered in Conifer, that offers a view of the Magazzolo Valley.
The establishment of new feudal municipalities in the Bivona area led to a demographic decline in the 17th century, reaching a low of inhabitants in 1806. A subsequent demographic recovery followed.
With Italy's unification, the hamlet of San Ferdinando, with about fifty inhabitants, was detached from Bivona (to which it belonged since 1814) and renamed Filaga, later becoming a frazione of Prizzi.. In the second half of the 20th century, the population declined again due to emigration.
Over the centuries, Bivona's population has been composed of various ethnic groups: it was a pagus Saracenorum (a village of Saracen, as described by the historian Tommaso Fazello), thus inhabited by Arabs,. who left significant traces in both Bivona's toponymy and dialect.. Subsequently, the town's population grew with the arrival of the Normans. The town was influenced by both the populations that dominated Sicily (Angevins,. Aragonese.) and, especially, by the lords (and later dukes) who held power in the town, almost all of whom were of Spanish origin..
At the end of the 14th century, a Jewish community settled in the town, giving rise to the Jewish ghetto of Bivona..
The Bivona dialect has been influenced by the Arabic language, with its legacy evident in both phonetics and lexicon: in phonetics, as the voiceless velar fricative h has spread to many dialectal words of non-Arabic origin; in the lexicon, as most local toponyms derive from Arabic, for example, Magazzolo, which comes from magzil, meaning "turbulent waters," or xanèa (sometimes also written as hanèa, khanèa, hanìa, or hanèia), a term attested only in Bivona.
The first religion practiced in Bivona was likely Islam.. With the expulsion of Muslims from Sicily, Christianity spread in Bivona, although the presence of the Jewish quarter is also documented in the 15th century, housing a small Judaism, which was expelled in 1492;. by 1454, the community must have exceeded forty families, the number required to establish a local synagogue. In subsequent centuries, numerous religious orders settled in the town, numbering more than thirty, and over forty sacred buildings were constructed, an unusual occurrence for a community that never exceeded 8,000 inhabitants.
In addition to the Catholic Church, which has two local parishes, there is a Pentecostalism, founded in 1925 and re-established in 1981 as a local expression of the Assemblies of God in Italy..
The Bivona folklore groups perform in traditional Sicilian costumes during local festivals and in various traditional Sicilian music performances, sometimes at events of national and international significance
Regarding healthcare, since the 16th century, Bivona has been equipped with hospital facilities: in 1540, with the support of the municipal Senate, the Ospedale degli Incurabili was founded near the Church of San Bartolomeo. The only remnant of that building is the name of the street, called "Via Ospedale."
In 1936, a hospital was built in the higher parts of the town: the facility soon became a tracomatosario, a place for treating trachoma, a disease that was prevalent in Sicily, especially in the post-World War II period, primarily affecting children. The building now houses the Bivona Health District, part of the Provincial Health Authority No. 1 of Agrigento.
During the Fascist period, the institution was replaced by a technical institute (named after Francesco Crispi, a native of the area), where Latin was also taught. The classical high school was activated in the late 1940s through the collaboration of Bivona lawyer Edmondo Trizzino, the Minister of Public Education Guido Gonella, and the Brescian lawyer Ludovico Montini, brother of Giovanni Battista Montini, the future Pope Paul VI. The Bivona state high school, named after Luigi Pirandello, gained autonomy on 18 March 1953; in the late 1970s, a commercial technical institute was established; in the 1990s, new high school courses were introduced, including the bio-socio-health course, unique in Italy, replaced in 2011 by the new socio-health course with "optics" and "dental technology" specializations. The "Lorenzo Panepinto" secondary education institute offers technical education (economic and technological sectors) and vocational education (hospitality and catering services, and industry and crafts, based in the neighboring municipality of Cianciana).
Additionally, Bivona is home to the publishing house Cammarata Editore, active since 2001, which publishes fiction and has a series dedicated to multimedia.
In the 2000s, several books set in Bivona were published: Gaetano Marini verificatore di pesi e misure. Bivona 1862 by Pasquale Marchese, Le tribolazioni di un insegnante di ginnasio by Placido Cerri (published in 1872 and reprinted in 2005), Giardino sicano. Bivona come metafora by Salvatore Guida, and I bambini della Croce bianca by Carmelo Miduri.
In 1601, the Bivona priest Ruggero Valenti carved the bier of Saint Rosalia:. it is a gilded and polychrome wooden bier in the shape of a canopy, topped by a perforated dome and supported by a base with reliefs featuring fantastic figures (the work includes about two hundred fantastic characters); the columns, rich in details and decorations (typical of the late Mannerist style), seem to almost protect the statue of the Santuzza, with delicate features and entirely covered in pure gold.. Bivona was the birthplace and workplace of artists renowned regionally, especially in the 16th century.. For several years, a summer Art Exhibition (in its fourth edition in 2010) has been organized, featuring various local artists showcasing works in all forms of visual art: painting, sculpture, graphics, ceramics, and photography.
Among local playwrights, notable names include Cesare Sermenghi, Paolo Trizzino (1897–1955) ( Il calvario di Pinocchio, performed in 1926 at the Teatro Brancaccio in Rome), and Giuseppe Scilì Bellomo (Bivona, 1951), author of rhyming comedies in dialect.
In August 2010, the region's first public recording studio was inaugurated, located in the former Augustinian nuns’ convent.
In the medieval period, after its enfeoffment, Bivona became a terra cum turri: the inhabited area was fortified and equipped with four gates,. and a castle (or watchtower) was built to the northeast of the settlement. In the 14th century, the urban structure, with an irregular layout, was situated between the Savuco and Ferri springs, featuring several squares and numerous green spaces owned by religious communities and wealthier families...
In the 16th century, due to significant immigration, the town expanded southward, achieving a roughly rhomboidal urban configuration that persisted until the 19th century.. The new districts were characterized by linearly arranged blocks, most of them in a "spine" layout.. Their names—around forty by the end of the century.—served as actual reference points, as it was not customary to name individual streets.. At other times, churches and sacred shrines served as landmarks.
Due to a sharp demographic decline in the 18th century, the urban fabric deteriorated, and numerous churches and other buildings collapsed.. However, bridges were built over the Alba River, which crossed part of the town..
Street naming and house numbering began after 1840.. In the same years, the urban section of the National Road (now Via Roma) connecting Palermo and Agrigento was constructed,. along with the New Road (now Via Lorenzo Panepinto) on the Alba River's bed, the expansion of Piazza San Giovanni, and the improvement of other streets;. a cemetery was also opened.. In the 20th century, Bivona began expanding eastward and westward, with the construction of apartment buildings on Via Porta Palermo and public housing near the Santa Filomena area. Numerous villas were also built, especially in the eastern part of Bivona's territory, toward Santo Stefano Quisquina. Since 1999, the Municipality of Bivona has had a General Regulatory Plan that identifies seismic and historical-artistic-monumental constraints and defines homogeneous territorial zones by purpose. The surface area of the historic town center measures 198,640 square meter.
The special area of the Barico Basin, recorded by the ISTAT among the localities of the municipality of Bivona, includes the artificial reservoir near the Castello Dam, which also falls within the municipality of Alessandria della Rocca.
As of the 15th ISTAT general population and housing census (2011), Bivona's territory is divided as follows:
This variety is medium-sized, with firm white flesh, often streaked with pinkish-red veins. Its flavor is sweet and aromatic, and its fragrance stands out compared to most peaches produced elsewhere in Sicily and Italy.
In addition to peach cultivation, there is production of olive, almond, and grape, as well as animal husbandry of cattle, sheep, and pig, producing "Sicani Mountains meat" and typical Sicilian cheese, including:
Bivona is part of the Sicani Mountains Rural District, which includes several municipalities in the provinces of Agrigento, Caltanissetta, and Palermo.
Bivona's territory is also included in the production area of the Ribera Orange PDO.
In the first half of the 19th century, the Balata sulfur mine was active, owned by the Duke of Ferrandina, but later abandoned.
Bivona is also served by several provincial roads:
The Bivona station was located in the Santa Filomena area, southwest of the town. The railway is now in poor condition: tracks have been removed in many places, the level crossing south of the town is in ruins, and the one in the Antinoro district has been sold off.
Ethnic groups and foreign minorities
The foreign population in Bivona is relatively small: as of 31 December 2024, there were 54 foreign residents, accounting for 1.90% of the population, a figure significantly lower than the national average.
Languages and dialects
The Bivona dialect, used alongside the Italian language, belongs to the group of western dialects of the Sicilian language; it was first studied by Paolo Trizzino in 1920 under the guidance of Giacomo De Gregorio..
Religion
The predominant religion practiced in Bivona is Catholic Church:. Bivona, part of the Archdiocese of Agrigento, has preserved its religious traditions,. particularly the ancient devotion to Saint Rosalia, the Palermo-born virgin who lived much of her life in the mountains of Bivona.. The co-patrons of the town are Saint Francis of Assisi and the Madonna dell'Olio..
Traditions and folklore
In August 1998, the folklore group "Bivona Folk" was formed, affiliated with the Italian Federation of Popular Traditions; in July 2010, the Cultural Association "Sikania Folk" was founded, which in 2011 and 2012 organized the International Folklore Festival "Pesca d'Oro".
The people of Bivona have a nickname: they are called judè (Judaism), both due to the ancient presence of a Jewish community from the last centuries of the Middle Ages and because of a now-lost tradition of carrying a blackened wooden Crucifix in procession on the first Friday after Easter, prompting residents of neighboring towns to exclaim: "Vivunisi judè, ca doppu 'na simana Lu mittistivu 'ncruci arrè", meaning "Bivona Jews, who put Him back on the cross after a week".Distretto Scolastico N. 003 - Bivona (AG), Leggiamo il nostro patrimonio artistico, Progetto "Educazione Permanente", 2000. p. 48.
Institutions, organizations, and associations
The presence of offices, services, schools, sacred buildings, organizations, and associations of provincial and regional importance confirms the role of Bivona as an administrative center of the Agrigento hinterland, a role it has held since it was designated the capital of the Bourbon district in 1812.
Culture
Education
Libraries
The "Romano Cammarata" municipal library, named after a local scholar, is located in the former Augustinian nuns' convent in Piazza San Giovanni. It holds a collection of over 8,000 volumes, supplemented by more than 1,000 audiovisual materials.
Schools
The presence of the Jewish community and, later, the Jesuits ensured a continuous process of cultural growth in Bivona starting from the 16th century.. In 1767, the Jesuits were expelled from Sicily,. and a few years later, the school system was directly managed by the Bourbon government, which ordered the establishment of a dedicated school in each of the island's convents:. this was fortunate for Bivona, which at the time was home to four convents. Under the Savoy government, a high school was established in Bivona by decree of Garibaldi in 1860; however, it opened only on 9 February 1863.
Universities
Bivona was home to a branch campus of the University of Palermo for forestry and environmental sciences degrees from the Faculty of Agriculture from 1991 to 2001. It still hosts the herbal techniques degree course from the Faculty of Pharmacy, although enrollments have been closed since the 2004/2005 academic year, and the course will soon be discontinued; the course, logistically managed by the Agrigento Province University Consortium (CUPA), is held in a facility in the neighboring municipality of Santo Stefano Quisquina, which lacks support infrastructure.
Museums
The Carmelo Cammarata House Museum houses works by the local sculptor (1924–1999), created using techniques typical of Sicilian sculpture.
Media
The town has no radio stations, as the only Bivona radio, Radio Bivona, has been defunct for years.
The "Giovanni Meli" middle school, the "Romano Cammarata" municipal library, and the "Leonardo da Vinci" cultural association are responsible for publishing several historical essays, including works by local historian Antonino Marrone, author of Bivona Città Feudale, a two-volume study on the town's history up to 1812 published by Salvatore Sciascia Editore, and various monographs ( Il Distretto, il Circondario e il Collegio Elettorale di Bivona (1812-1880), Storia delle Comunità Religiose e degli edifici sacri di Bivona, Ebrei e Giudaismo a Bivona (1428-1547), Bivona dal 1812 al 1881, Il fascio dei lavoratori di Bivona); works by poet and essayist Cesare Sermenghi, author of Mondi minori scomparsi and Il passato e le sue risposte. Another work on Bivona's history is Cenno storico - politico - etnografico di Bivona, published in 1909 by Bivona native Giovan Battista Sedita and reprinted in 1992. On religious topics, there are Il culto di S. Rosalia a Bivona. La Chiesa e il Fercolo by Salvatore Tornatore and Cristianesimo imperfetto by Alessandro De Bono.
Art
Bivona is home to artworks belonging to the artistic movements that most influenced and characterized Sicily in past centuries. In painting, notable examples include the canvases and paintings adorning the walls and sacristies of Bivona's many churches:. illustrious examples are the paintings by the Zoppo di Ganci in the Church of the Carmine (such as Maria e Sant'Anna from the 17th century),. the 18th-century canvas depicting Santa Maria degli Angeli behind the main altar of the Church of the Capuchins (likely by the Flemish painter Ettore Cruzer),. or the precious canvases in the Mother Church. and the Church of San Paolo.. In architecture, the portals of Bivona's churches are exemplary of the various artistic movements that shaped the town's cultural life: from the Chiaramonte Gothic portal, considered one of the most significant remnants of late Gothic architecture in the Sicilian hinterland,Distretto Scolastico N. 003 - Bivona (AG), Leggiamo il nostro patrimonio artistico, Progetto "Educazione Permanente", 2000. p. 46. to the late Gothic portal of the Church of the Carmine; from the Baroque portal of the Church of Saint Rosalia to the identical style of the Church of San Bartolomeo; from the late Renaissance portal of the Mother Church to the characteristic Baroque portal at the Church of San Paolo. In terms of sculpture, the statues and crucifixes within sacred buildings testify to the economic and cultural prosperity of Bivona in past centuries.
Theatre
Since 1996, the "City of Bivona" popular theatre festival has been held in Bivona, featuring theatre companies from various parts of Sicily. Since the 1980s, a theatre company, initially called the "Cultural Association Friends of the Show" (ARCAS) and renamed the "Boccascena Cultural Association" in 2003, has staged several musicals directed by Piero Lattuca.
Music
Bivona is home to the "City of Bivona" and "Gioacchino Rossini" bands; the local secondary education institute's recorder polyphonic group and saxophone ensemble, which have participated in various regional and national competitions, were also active. Since 2006, the town has hosted the "City of Bivona" philharmonic competition for amateur bands in Sicily.
Cuisine
Local culinary specialties are based on peaches, the symbol of Bivona's agriculture: peach and ricotta cake, biscuits with peach jam, and Pasticciotto with peach jam. Other specialties include pasta 'ncasciata (with broccoli, tomato sauce, pecorino cheese, and pieces of lard),. froscia (with fresh ricotta, bread, grated cheese, egg, and calamint),. green olive caponata (with salted green olives, onion, celery, garlic, salt, black pepper, oregano, Raisin, olive oil, and vinegar),. li sfinci (made with Durum wheat, yeast, oil, and hot water),. fruit pastries, pignolata,. and cubata (a mixture of almond, sugar, honey, and cinnamon).
Events
Peach Festival
Bivona's main event is the Peach Festival, held since 1985. The event takes place over three days in the second half of August, featuring numerous food and wine stands and aiming to promote the quality of the local fruit, grown in the municipality and the Monti Sicani area. The Bivona Peach was showcased for its exceptional qualities among the excellent products in the Bio-Mediterranean Cluster at Expo 2015.
Human geography
Urban planning
The hilly location of the town at the foot of the Sicani Mountains protected its inhabitants from malaria and other diseases for centuries.. Additionally, the presence of abundant springs and waterways enabled agriculture and pastoralism.
Historical subdivisions
Districts in Bivona are not administratively recognized and are considered only from a historical perspective. The main historical districts of Bivona are:. the Savuco district;. the Fontana Pazza district;. the Nadaro district, whose name likely derives from the Arabic term Nadarà, meaning "panoramic place," due to its position overlooking much of the town;. the Santa Rosalia district, one of the oldest built extra moenia;. the Santa Chiara district;. the San Domenico district, once home to the Jewish quarter;. and the Garitani district, named after a garita, a watchtower located on the southwestern side of the city walls.
Hamlets
In the past, the municipality of Bivona administered the hamlet of Borgo San Ferdinando (now Filaga), which was assigned to the municipality of Prizzi in 1859.
-
Economy
Thanks to widespread peach cultivation, the leading sector of Bivona's economy is agriculture, employing 990 workers according to ISTAT data from the 2001 Census; industry employs 49; commerce, 71; crafts, 57; and institutions, 15.
Agriculture
The main agricultural product of Bivona is the peach, known as Montagnola or Pescabivona, earning the town the nickname "City of Peaches".
Crafts
In the Handicraft sector, the traditional production of chair (the so-called Bivona Chair) is notable.
Industry
According to a 2003 analysis by ISTAT based on Local Labour Systems (SLL),Territorial units consisting of multiple contiguous municipalities, geographically and statistically comparable; see the agricultural industry provides Bivona's highest economic yield.The Bivona Local Labour System is specialized in: leather, hide, and footwear industries; chemical and fiber industries; medical and precision equipment manufacturing; and vehicle manufacturing, although the latter, along with the food industry, is a sector in which the town has experienced a significant loss of specialization.
Services
According to the 2003 SLL analysis, in the "Business Services" and "Cultural and Environmental Goods and Services" sectors, Bivona's SLL is rated at a medium-high level.
Tourism
Several initiatives and projects, such as the Itinerarium Rosaliae. and the construction of the Mare-Monti road, aim to promote the tourism sector; in 2013, the municipal tourism council was established.
Infrastructure and transport
Bivona, located at the crossroads between the road connecting Sciacca to Castronovo di Sicilia and the one linking Agrigento to Corleone, has been a mandatory stop for travelers for centuries..
Roads
The main road axis crossing the municipal territory is the State Road 118 Corleonese Agrigentina. The road passes through Bivona's urban center along Via Porta Palermo, Piazza Guglielmo Marconi, and Via Roma, continuing toward the Scaldamosche and Santa Filomena districts.
Railways
Until the late 1950s, the municipality was served by the narrow-gauge railway Lercara-Filaga-Magazzolo, built by the Italian State Railways starting in 1912 to connect the sulfur mining areas of Lercara Friddi and Cianciana to the Castelvetrano-Porto Empedocle Railway along Sicily's southern coast, reaching port loading facilities. The final section of the railway, between Bivona and Alessandria della Rocca, was inaugurated on 1 September 1924. The railway was used for both mineral and passenger transport. The Bivona railway station service was suspended in October 1959 and permanently closed in 1961.
Administration
Twin towns
Bivona was twinned with the Val Trompia municipality of Collebeato (Lombardy) in 2004–2005: the twinning aimed to promote their respective local peach varieties during related events.
Other administrative information
The municipality of Bivona is part of the following supra-municipal organizations:
Sports
The main local soccer team is ASD Bivona 2020, competing in the Terza Categoria (Agrigento group) in the 2020/2021 season. ASD Virtus Bivona, which competed in regional-level championships, was active until the 2017/2018 season.
Sports facilities
The "Renato Traina" municipal stadium, located in the southwestern part of the town near the Santa Filomena area, is equipped with lighting, a covered grandstand on the east side, and an athletics track, which is not approved as it is shorter than the standard 400 meters.
See also
Bibliography
External links
|
|
