Riesi

History

Riesi was founded in the 13th century. In the period of Arab rule over the island, the area was called "abandoned place" or "fallow".

Until the 1920s, many of the city's inhabitants worked in the nearby sulphur mines "Trabbia" and "Tallarita". The owners of the mine greatly exploited the impoverished population. Many families had to let their children work in the mines as indentured servants in order to survive. As you enter the city today, there is a large memorial commemorating the sufferings of the miners.

In 1961, the Waldensian minister Tullio Vinay founded a Christian outreach centre named "Servizio Cristiano" (Christian service) in the city to fight poverty. In the beginning, the key aims were to promote literacy among children and teenagers, with later initiatives promoting agriculture and vocational training. A modernist architectural complex named "Monte degli Ulivi" (Moint of Olives) was built to house the centre. Today, the Waldensian church operates a kindergarten, an elementary school, a guest house, a family health centre, a rehabilitation centre for the disabled, and a small farm.

Politics and social situation

Riesi suffers from a strong organized crime presence. It is the hometown of Mafia boss Giuseppe Di Cristina. Every year, conflicts within the Mafia lead to casualties. In the spring of 2006, President Giorgio Napolitano dismissed the mayor and the city council from their offices because of evidence of links to organized crime. Until a new city council election in 2008, as in previous such periods, the city was governed provisionally by the regional government in Palermo.

High poverty before the close of World War II and the ongoing difficult social situation have forced many Riesini to emigrate. Popular destinations, apart from the large cities in Italy, have been Belgium and Sweden. Many Riesini still leave their homes after graduating from high school in order to find a job or training in one of Italy's large cities. Therefore, Riesi's actual population lies far below the official number.

Economy

Since the decline of the sulfur industry, the city subsists on agriculture. Olives, almonds, wheat, fruit, artichokes, and other vegetables are cultivated. There are a cooperative and two private oil mills. The wine cooperative of the region is located in Riesi, where it operates a wine press. There is also a small goldsmith manufacturer and a few small mechanical engineering companies, including Meccanotecnica Riesi.

Religion

Traditionally, the population has been Catholic. In the 19th century, the Waldensians, an old Protestant church from Northern Italy, gained influence through missionary activity in many parts of Sicily. For a short period, more than half the population called itself "Waldensians", although they still attended Catholic masses on Sundays. This caused the Curia to send the Salesians of Don Bosco to the island in order to reconvert the converts. Today, only a tiny Waldensian community of about 60 parishioners with their families has remained. Returning emigrants brought foreign confessions to the city. This is why there are also two Pentecostal churches and a kingdom hall of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Sights

• Church of Madonna Santissima della Catena, built in the first half of the 17th century
• Church of San Giuseppe, built in the 19th century
• Architectural ensemble "Monte degli Ulivi" for the institutions of the Servizio Cristiano belonging to the Waldensian church, built in 1963–66, architect Leonardo Ricci, one of the most notable examples of Italian architecture in the 20th century.

Celebrations

• Easter festivities, especially on Good Friday including passion plays, processions and a folk festival
• Church anniversary of Santissima Madonna della Catena on the second Sunday in September with processions and a folk festival
• Church anniversary of St. John Bosco with processions in January

Demographic evolution

Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) id:barra value:rgb(0.6,0.7,0.8)

ImageSize = width:455 height:303 PlotArea = left:50 bottom:50 top:30 right:30 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:21000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:2000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:500 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo

BarData= bar:1861 text:1861 bar:1871 text:1871 bar:1881 text:1881 bar:1901 text:1901 bar:1911 text:1911 bar:1921 text:1921 bar:1931 text:1931 bar:1936 text:1936 bar:1951 text:1951 bar:1961 text:1961 bar:1971 text:1971 bar:1981 text:1981 bar:1991 text:1991 bar:2001 text:2001

PlotData= color:barra width:20 align:left

bar:1861 from: 0 till:9226 bar:1871 from: 0 till:11565 bar:1881 from: 0 till:12008 bar:1901 from: 0 till:14977 bar:1911 from: 0 till:17253 bar:1921 from: 0 till:17073 bar:1931 from: 0 till:20406 bar:1936 from: 0 till:19709 bar:1951 from: 0 till:20437 bar:1961 from: 0 till:18167 bar:1971 from: 0 till:15989 bar:1981 from: 0 till:15085 bar:1991 from: 0 till:12506 bar:2001 from: 0 till:11746

PlotData=

bar:1861 at:9226 fontsize:XS text: 9226 shift:(-8,5) bar:1871 at:11565 fontsize:XS text: 11565 shift:(-8,5) bar:1881 at:12008 fontsize:XS text: 12008 shift:(-8,5) bar:1901 at:14977 fontsize:XS text: 14977 shift:(-8,5) bar:1911 at:17253 fontsize:XS text: 17253 shift:(-8,5) bar:1921 at:17073 fontsize:XS text: 17073 shift:(-8,5) bar:1931 at:20406 fontsize:XS text: 20406 shift:(-8,5) bar:1936 at:19709 fontsize:XS text: 19709 shift:(-8,5) bar:1951 at:20437 fontsize:XS text: 20437 shift:(-8,5) bar:1961 at:18167 fontsize:XS text: 18167 shift:(-8,5) bar:1971 at:15989 fontsize:XS text: 15989 shift:(-8,5) bar:1981 at:15085 fontsize:XS text: 15085 shift:(-8,5) bar:1991 at:12506 fontsize:XS text: 12506 shift:(-8,5) bar:2001 at:11746 fontsize:XS text: 11746 shift:(-8,5)

TextData= fontsize:S pos:(20,20) text:Data from ISTAT

References

References

1. All demographics and other statistics: Italian statistical institute [[National Institute of Statistics (Italy). Istat]].
2. (1990-11-22). "AGGUATO MAFIOSO MUOIONO DUE BOSS E UN PASSANTE - la Repubblica.it".