Located at an altitude of about 2395ft, the ancient village of Centuripe in Italy has an extraordinary shape of a human chilling, or a starfish, when viewed from above.
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Centuripe is a small Sicilian village located on a hill in the province of Enna, Italy, close to Mount Etna, an active stratovolcano, with a population of just over 5,000.
Looking at the image taken from above, one can easily recognize the shape of the village is similar to that of a human with arms and legs spreading out. Meanwhile, others think of starfish upon observing.
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The area has been inhabited since prehistoric time, but it was the ancient Greeks that laid the foundation of this settlement, named Kentoripa. The town had then been under Roman, Arab, Norman and eventually Angevins domination.In the 16th century, the village was rebuilt under the name of Centorbi and it almost kept the urban planning style from the medieval period. In the 19th century, its name was officially changed to Centuripe. Today, not only the village but also the surrounding areas have become a tourist destination for those who love to discover history.
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Thanks to its long history, the village of Centuripe is like a "jewel" to archaeologists. There are many interesting attractions in this village ready to be explored. One example is the archeology museum, housing the largest collection of Romans found in central Sicily, alongside important and rare statues of two Emperors Hadrian and Octavianus Augustus.
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In addition, a few miles from the center of the village, there are two ancient bridges. One of them is a Roman bridge, located on an important route connecting Catania with the Tyrrhenian coast along the Simeto River. The other is a Saracen bridge located closest to the town of Adrano. And another attraction is the Roman thermal baths at Contrada Bagni, a little further lies Corradino castle.
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Coming to this unique "human-shaped" village, visitors will seem to relive the historical years with places such as Monte Porcello: Remains of Greek-Hellenistic settlement; Sorgiva Bagni: Roman spa remains; Vallone Defesa: location of the ancient gymnasium; La Dogana: Fountain-cistern of the Roman-imperial age; Castellaccio: remains of a medieval castle; District Difesa: Large ceramic kilns; Panneria: Roman house...
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H/T:
Daily Mail Online