Arriving in San Fratello, situated 90 kilometres west of Messina, visitors encounter a Sicilian town defined by a surprising northern legacy. Repopulated under Norman rule by Lombard soldiers and settlers from Piedmont and Liguria, this town of 3,942 inhabitants preserves a distinct Gallo-Italic dialect, locally preserving the medieval name San Frareau.
Just two kilometres north of the present settlement lie the remains of Apollonia, the ancient Greek city that once stood here. San Fratello is also the ancestral home of the Craxi family. After reaching a population peak of 10,094 in 1921, the municipality experienced heavy emigration to the United States and Italian industrial centres.
Near San Fratello
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
