Avola (Sicily)

Avola is a city in the province of Syracuse, Sicily. Like much of south-eastern Sicily, Avola was destroyed by an earthquake in 1693, and was refounded in a new location of the coast, under the design of friar architect Angelo Italia, having a geometrical and regular plan. The main attractions are: Piazza Umberto I (the main square), the Mother Church of San Nicola and the Museo Civico. The baroque church of St. Anthony Abbate at the Piazza Regina Elena is worth seeing. The Nero d'Avola, a typical red wine of Sicily, is named after the city of Avola, where the first grafting of the vine was made, but its grapes may grow and the wine be produced in other regions of the island too. The Almond of Avola denomination (Mandorla di Avola) includes three different types of almond: Pizzuta, Fascionello and Romana or Corrente d'Avola. These three kinds of almond come from Avola's area.