The last Muslim lord of Burgio was called Hamud, and he held out against Roger the Norman longer than anyone. When he surrendered, in 1088, he was baptised at Sciacca with the king as his godfather, and took the name of that godfather and of his own fief: Roger Burgio.
The town's name, on the other hand, comes from the Greek pyrgos, tower, and a tower is still there: the castle above the houses, restored in 1981. Bells have been made in Burgio for centuries — the Virgadamo foundry is still open — and ceramics, which fill the museum; in the Capuchin convent, instead, there are the mummies. There are 2,780 residents.
Arancina · Pasta alla Norma
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Next up: Saint Anthony the Abbot, patron of a town where Easter is celebrated with the «Rigattiate», Sunday 17 January
Nearest airport: Palermo Falcone-Borsellino, 67 km away
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📅 Every year, on 17 January
Burgio celebrates Saint Anthony the Abbot on 17 January; the particularly ancient and original Holy Week rites culminate in the celebrations honouring Saint Vitus the Martyr and Saint Luke the Evangelist, the so-called «Rigattiate», a religious contest between two confraternities.
Saffron rice, ragù with peas and caciocavallo cheese inside a golden crust. Round and feminine in Palermo, pointed and called arancino in Catania: the quarrel is serious.
Read more →Straight-line distances from the town centre. Tap a point to open its page.
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
Outside Burgio, but an easy day trip away.
