Draft:Grisì

Grisì is a hamlet of 992 inhabitants in the municipality of Monreale, in the metropolitan city of Palermo, Sicily. Located on the hills, between the Partinico plain and the upper Belice valley, it is a center with an agricultural vocation, in whose territory the cultivation of vines and olive trees is widespread and renowned.

Ancient age
It is hypothesized that the name Grisì derives from the ancient Greek adjective χρυσή, feminine of χρυσός (transliterated chrysòs) 'of gold'. which would later change in the Byzantine period to grysòs. The etymological meaning attributed today is 'land of gold,' referring to the richness and fertility of its soils, historically suited to agriculture and favored by a temperate climate.

Excavations carried out in the 1980s on behalf of an archaeological survey by the name Monreale Survey proved that the territory of Grisì was a land of ancient settlements of the Neolithic age and, more consistently, of the Hellenistic, Roman and Arab domination periods. On top of the hill under which Grisì is located, ruins of foundations of an ancient manor (hence the name of the hill, 'Castellaccio) were unearthed, along with buildings from the Greek-Roman period, later used by the Saracens. Finds of ancient pottery and domestic animal remains also confirmed that the Monreale Survey study area had been known since ancient times for its fertility suitable for agriculture and animal husbandry. With other excavations practiced for agricultural purposes, traces of an ancient cemetery were found, in whose sarcophagi were found objects and coins traceable to the time of Arab rule in Sicily, which lasted from the 10th to 11th centuries AD. The area on which stands a small tower of Saracen architecture, still present in the Disisa fief, may have been used by the Arabs as a strategic position so that they could easily control the entire surrounding territory. The very Arabic ethymology of the toponyms of the fiefs Disisa (from Aziz, the splendid) and Cambuca (from Lacamucka, feud) highlights the territory's Saracen past.

The Rollum Bullarum, an important document in Latin from the Norman era dating from the year 1182, detailing the territories donated by King William II of Sicily to the Archbishopric of Monreale, attests to the Arabic toponym dail al K'rusìn, locating Grisì within the Disisa Fief. Another toponym (Currusyn), given in a 1327 document as Curresim, was certainly closely related to the present toponym Grisì.

Modern Age
As of 1650, the territory of Grisì experienced a period of great development as a possession of the Jesuits of the College of Trapani. Indeed, the Jesuits adopted new cultivation techniques, which were well suited to the local soil and climate, and together with cattle breeding and grain harvesting, they managed to create an autonomous productive nucleus, accumulating large earnings, part of which were destined for the Archbishopric of Monreale for the payment of tributes. The Jesuits built a masseria now called Chiasso Riccobono (called 'u bagghiu in local dialect), formed by the places for the custody of crops and animals, a chapel and residential cottages. In addition to devoting themselves to work in the fields, the Jesuits also took care of the Catholic education of the workers, who were recruited as laborers during seasonality.

In 1767, King Ferdinand I decreed the expulsion of the Jesuits from the Kingdom of Sicily and the confiscation of all their property, which was subsequently put up for sale to nobles.

The feud of Grisì, along with the neighboring Macellaro, Valdibella and Dammusi, became the property of Giuseppe Beccadelli of Bologna Gravina, prince of Camporeale and marquis of Sambuca, on May 30, 1779.The royal decree established that the owners of the aforementioned fiefs or derivations of them, even if unrelated to the original titular family, would have mero et mixto imperio needing no subsequent investiture.The marquis of Sambuca, by an instrument of September 17, 1779, in turn granted the possession and relative prerogatives of the fief of Grisì in perpetual emphyteusis, transferring its material and legal possession with full jurisdiction (according to the very broad formula pro se et suis), to the brothers Don Francesco, Don Filippo and Don Giovanbattista Di Bella, nobles of Montelepre. The Di Bella family therefore became barons of Grisì, which, starting from the ancient baglio of the Jesuits, began to expand, becoming populated over time with families of farmers, coming from Montelepre and other neighboring towns. After the Di Bella lineage, the fiefdom of Grisì, with all its prerogatives, passed as dowry to the noble family of Norman origin, Modica de Mohac, as Giovanbattista Di Bella's daughter, Donna Rosa, went in marriage to the noble proconservator and judge of Monreale Don Nicolò de Mohac.

Contemporary age
In 1890, thanks to the initiative and foresight of Monteleprino priest Natale Di Bella, the construction of a church in the town center was begun with the spontaneous and generous offerings of the people of Grisì, who reimbursed the priest for the price of the land. The church was completed and consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on October 4, 1897, although it had already been opened for worship on November 21, 1896. It then obtained the title of parish of the Archdiocese of Monreale on February 1, 1935 and was recognized for civil effects by Royal Decree of September 5, 1935.

In 1910, the first three classes of elementary schools were opened and, the following year, Grisì was declared a hamlet of the municipality of Monreale, thus obtaining a civil status office and a post and telegraph office; it was the seat of one of the district councils into which the municipality of Monreale is divided. The town was hit by the Belice Earthquake on the night of January 14-15, 1968. A tent city had been created for the evacuees and a second church made of prefabs had also been erected to replace the main church that was then unfit for use due to the earthquake. With the restoration of the main church, the prefabricated church was no longer used and later dismantled. The long post-earthquake phase allowed the gradual modernization of the village into its present appearance.

Geography
Grisì lies on hilly area 480-500 meters above sea level, set between the extremes of the Partinico Plain and the Alto Belice valley. The highest relief is the so-called Mount Campana or Castellaccio (596 meters above sea level), while at the foot of the slope of the Cambuca district lies the Jato dam (also known as Lake Poma), an artificial reservoir built in the 1960s that has become a favorite resting place for many varieties of migratory birds, as well as a water reserve for several fields and towns. Its strategic location makes it possible to reach major centers in a short time and the Gulf of Castellammare, visible in its entirety as you leave the town. Grisì is 37.5 km from Monreale and borders the territories of the municipalities of Camporeale and Partinico.

Monuments and sites

 * Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: was built beginning in 1890, thanks to donations from the people, and completed in 1897. The exterior has a round-arched entrance, features a clock in the center and culminates in a pediment, to the left of which rises the bell tower. The interior, with a single nave in neoclassical style and oriented to the east, preserves under the high altar a stone plaque found in the ancient baglio with an engraving of the Jesuit Order; the barrel vault is decorated with four canvases, works by the Monteleprino painter Federico Puntorno, made in the first half of the 20th century and set along the length of the nave.


 * Ruins of the Castellaccio: remains of foundations of a probable fort from the Arab era, located on the hill overlooking the town and the Jato valley.


 * Ancient farmhouse and church of Tornamilla: built in 1644 at the behest of Baron Joannem Vincentium Tornamira.


 * Triptych of Hope: a mural, created in 2023 by artist Igor Scalisi Palminteri and helpers, is the largest of a cycle of three murals in the hamlets of Grisì, Pioppo and Aquino on the theme of fires and climate change.

Festivals

 * The patron saint of Grisì is the Sacred Heart of Jesus, whose devotion was introduced and spread by the Jesuits: in fact, he is also the owner of the church and the street on which it stands. Every year festivities are organized in his honor (called the feast by the inhabitants) on August 16, 17 and 18 by a committee (i dubbitàti ra festa) that is traditionally renewed annually with the rite of passage of candles. On the afternoon of day 18, the outgoing committee, accompanied by the brass band, will in fact give a candle to each of the seven new members. The two committees will carry the Vara of the Sacred Heart Of Jesus, carried on their shoulders during the solemn procession. The annual renewal of the committees with the gift of candles is probably a tradition derived from the Monteleprini customs from which Grisì is descended and is still reflected today. The festivities conclude at midnight with the performance of fireworks. The three-day patron saint's festival, characterized by illuminations, concerts, and competitive competitions is regarded as an occasion for family reunion, as emigrants return at that time to Grisì to celebrate with their loved ones, and it also attracts people from neighboring towns.


 * Saint Joseph is heartily celebrated on the feast day of March 19. Every year, a committee of devotees, with contributions from the residents, organizes the feast of the holy patriarch. During the celebration of Holy Masses, blessed bread made in a variety of forms is distributed to all, while in the days leading up to it, so-called altars are set up by families wishing to fulfill a vow, either in thanksgiving or simply out of devotion. At these altars, decorated with veils and flowers, many typical local dishes are placed, divided into three portions that will be served to three children, the virgineḍḍi, from less wealth families representing the Holy Family. The rest of the dishes will be distributed to charity. Since there is at least one in almost every family, the day continues with the name day celebration of a family member named Joseph. In the evening, all residents gather in front of the parish for the procession, gathered together with the brass band behind the statue of St. Joseph, which is carried on the shoulders of committee members. During the itinerary, the ancient ritual of the vampa ri san Ciuseppe takes place, an evocative burning of dried olive branches, which in ancient agricultural cultures marked the transition from winter to spring, and until the 1950s, it was customary to hold a public auction of the coals of the vampa, the proceeds of which were used to contribute to the expenses of the festival. The vampa is then followed by a fireworks display.

The legend of U Bancu ri Disisa
According to an ancient legend, a wealthy Saracen hid such immense treasures inside an unknown cave at the Disisa Feud, near Grisì, as to make the whole of Sicily rich and its name is 'u Bancu di Disisa. It is said precisely of a huge quantity of gold and silver coins, stones and precious objects of all shapes that astounded the adventurers who over time managed to penetrate inside the cave. In the cave, some human-like spirits play bowls, dice and cards, sitting on the piles of pure gold coins and jewels and precious objects. The treasure is unguarded, but those who try to take it away will mysteriously fail to find their way out until they have left everything in its place. It is said that someone even tried to get a coin out by making a dog swallow it inside a breadcrumb, but even the latter could not get out of the cave, except by evacuating the coin first. It is handed down that the only way to undo the curse, and thus appropriate the great treasure, is to find three people named Santi Turrisi, each from the three heads of the ancient kingdom, and have them sacrifice a white mare, strip it of its collar with bells ('u campanaro), remove its entrails and eat them fried inside the cave. Finally, the three Turrisi must be killed and therefore only through this ritual can the great treasure be conquered.A secondary version of the legend suggests that the treasure can be conquered if the book placed inside is read aloud by the light of a candle, without being terrorized by sinister noises and voices of the spirits of the cave.

The legend of the Banco di Disisa, which has an obvious Oriental flavor, can be found in the works of leading Sicilian folk tradition scholars and ethno-anthropologists Giuseppe Pitrè, Giuseppe Cocchiara and Salvatore Salomone Marino.

Economy
Olive trees, vines and durum wheat are grown in abundance in the agricultural districts of Grisì. The area is part of the district of two wine DOCs (the DOC Alcamo and the DOC Monreale, from which come some of the best Sicilian wines exported worldwide) and an olive DOP (DOP Val di Mazara). The high quality of local wines and oil, is recurrently rewarded with prestigious national and international certifications.

Contrade
Contrade (former fiefs) of the territory of Grisì:
 * Lo Strasatto
 * La Cambuca/Cambuchella
 * La De Sisa/Disisa
 * Il Lavatore/Lavatorello
 * Le Vigne Grandi
 * Tornamira/Tornamilla (from the baron Joannem Vincentium Tornamira, owner in 1639)
 * Roano (from the owner's name Don Lorenzo Roano, in 1687)
 * Vuarìa
 * Terra delle Fate