Aderno (CT):former name for Adrano [CT].
Ades: See Hades.
Adhemar (Adhemar, Ademar, Ademarius) of Salerno>: Prince of Salerno (r853-861). Son and heir of the usurper Peter of Salerno. An unpopular ruler, he lost considerable authority and territory to the Counts of Capua. In 858, his situation was so threatened that he had to call on the assistance of Guy I of Spoleto, who demanded further territorial concessions. Thus able to survive, Adhemar was forced to turn control of the Liri River over to Guy as compensation.
Adhemar of Capua:Prince of Capua (999).
Adimari, Lodovico (or Ludovico): (b. 1644, Naples. d. 1708, Florence). Scholar and poet. Having served the Medici at Florence, he was forced into exile after the collapse of their power, living successively at Lucca, Bologna, and Mantua. In 1692, he returned to Florence where he eventually became a scholar of the Tuscan tongue in the Florentine Studio (1697). Adimari was the author of three dramas and several laudatory, sacred, and love poems. His best works are considered to be five Satires, published posthumously in 1716. Other works include Poesie sacre e morali (1696) and Prose sacre (1706). Accused of having killed his wife, he lost a commission from the Captain of Pietrasanta.
Admiral: A high state and military official in the Norman Sicily. The title originated as the Arabic amir al-bahr, meaning “Commander (emir) of the Sea.”
Adonis, Gardens of: In the ancient Greek cities founded in Sicily and Magna Graecia, the worship of the nature/vegetation god, Adonis, was very popular. A ritual to this deity was known as the Gardens of Adonis. These so-called gardens were actually baskets or pots filled with earth, in which wheat, barley, lettuces, fennel, and various kinds of flowers were sown and tended by women for eight days. Although the plants sprouted quickly and flourished, they lacked a root system and withered and died at the end of eight days. The dead plants were then bundled with images of Adonis and brought to the seashore or to a sacred spring, where they were flung into the water. After the rise of Christianity, the ritual of the Gardens of Adonis survived to become part of the Easter celebrations. As the holy day approached, women sowed wheat, lentils and canary seed in plates, which they kept in the dark and watered every two days. When the plants grew tall enough they were tied together in bundle with red ribbons. On Good Friday the plants in their plates were brought to both Catholic and Greek Rite churches where they were then placed on sepulchers with effigies of Christ. This practice, known as the “Gardens of Gethsemane” has survived into modern times in Sicily as well as at Cosenza in Calabria.
Adonis, Scarlet: A bright little flower found throughout Sicily. It received its name from the legend that it originally sprang from the blood of Adonis when he was slain by a wild boar.
Adorno (RC): Former name for the commune of Ardoro (RC).
Adorno, Giorgio: (d. 1558). Navigator. He served as Captain General of the Galleys for the Knights of Malta.
Adorno, Mario: (b. 1773, Siracusa. d. 1837, Siracusa). Lawyer and patriot. He participated in the uprising of the Carbonari in 1820-21. In 1837, he led an unsuccessful revolt in Siracusa against the Bourbon government. He was captured and executed with his son Carmelo.
Adrano (CT): (anc. Adranon, Adranum, Adranus, Hadranum; Arab. Adornu; formerly Aderno). A commune (Area: 82.51 km². Alt. 560 m) in the province of Catania. Located 36 km NW of Catania, on the SW slope of M. Etna, it is situated in a hilly region near the junction of the rivers Simeto and Salso, on a lava hill above the Simeto valley. Population: 35,984 (2006e); 35,611(2004). The town is a market center for wine, citrus fruit (especially oranges), pistachios, and honey. The surrounding territory is given over to agricultural cultivation (citrus fruits, olives, pistachios, and vegetables) and livestock breeding (cattle and sheep). Part of Regione Agraria n. 1 – Versante Occidentale dell’Etna. Part of Parco dell’Etna.