Motta Sant’Anastasia is a place where the history of the land and the history of its people have always been inseparable.
Long before there was a town, there was the rock.
Motta Sant’Anastasia grew around a remarkable volcanic formation rising from the plain south-west of Mount Etna. Known as a neck, the basaltic rock is the hardened remains of an ancient volcanic structure, left standing as the softer material around it was eroded away.
For centuries, the same rock that gives Motta its distinctive character also gave the place its importance. Rising above the surrounding plain, it offered a natural vantage point from which the landscape could be watched and defended.
People were living in the surrounding territory long before the medieval town took shape. Archaeological investigations in Contrada Ardizzone have documented a Greek presence dating from the fifth and fourth centuries BC, while Roman remains, including coins and a mosaic belonging to a villa in Contrada Acquarone, bear witness to the continued settlement of the area.
Even the name of the town seems to preserve something of its connection to the landscape. Motta is thought to be a pre-Roman name associated with a raised or prominent place, while Anastasia has been linked to a Greek-Byzantine term with a similar meaning. From the twelfth to the fourteenth century, the two names gradually became joined, alongside the growing devotion to Saint Anastasia, who became the town's patron saint.
The Normans
By the eleventh century, the rock of Motta had acquired a new importance.
The Normans were in the process of conquering Sicily, a campaign that began in 1061 and was completed in 1091. As they established their power across the island, they made use of strategic heights and existing centres of settlement to control the territory around them.
At Motta, the position was particularly valuable. From the summit of the rock, the entrance to the great plain of Catania could be watched from above.
Between 1070 and 1074, the great Norman dongione was built by order of Count Roger of Hauteville, Roger I of Sicily. Local historical sources traditionally describe it as having been built on the remains of an earlier Arab tower, although the earlier structure is not firmly documented.
The massive rectangular tower rises directly from the volcanic rock. Built as a defensive and military stronghold, it was designed to command the surrounding territory rather than simply to serve as a residence. Its walls, narrow defensive openings and elevated position made the natural rock itself part of the fortress.
The choice of place was therefore as important as the building itself.
The Normans did not create the strategic importance of Motta. They recognised it and built upon it.
In 1091, following the completion of the Norman conquest, the castle was granted to the newly established Diocese of Catania, which retained possession until the end of the thirteenth century.
By the middle of the twelfth century, Motta had become more than an isolated military tower. Around 1150, the Arab geographer al-Idrisi recorded Sant'Anastasia in his description of Sicily, locating it in relation to the sea, Lentini and the Simeto River. In a document dated 1168, the settlement is referred to as castrum Sancte Anastasie — evidence of a fortified settlement rather than merely a solitary tower.
The rock had become a town.
"Vineyards, once more widespread, have almost disappeared from the municipality. Only a handful remain today, including our own vineyards"
