The patroness of Altofonte is Saint Anne, celebrated on 26 July; one of her most interesting altars stands as the third altar on the right in one of the town's historic churches. The centre of Altofonte, called «U Parcu» in Sicilian, was the residence and hunting centre of the king of Sicily Roger II, who for this very reason gave it the name of Parco: the name was later changed to Altofonte by royal decree of 26 February 1930, referring to the abundance of water in the area, set within a mountainous landscape rich in game.
The Ruggeriano Palace, born as a royal palace, was joined in 1307 by an abbey built by Frederick II of Aragon for Cistercian monks; in 1633 the town's mother church was then built at the will of the abbot-cardinal Scipione Borghese. From the second half of the 17th century, a true settlement grew up around these buildings, leading to the formation of the municipality in the early 19th century.
