Antillo

Antillo is a small village in the Valle d’Agrò, on the Ionian side of Sicily’s Peloritani Mountains. Set at around 480 metres above sea level on the left side of the Antillo stream, it sits between hill and mountain, beneath a steep rocky height and within a landscape that remains strongly rural.

Its origins are not described in a single clear way: some traditions point to very ancient settlement in the valley, while others emphasise a medieval foundation. The name Antillo may derive from the Latin *ante illos*, and for centuries the village was closely linked to the barony and territory of Savoca, becoming an autonomous municipality only in 1846.

This long dependence, together with its agricultural and pastoral life, gives Antillo a character rooted in mountain work, local devotion and community memory, including the experience of emigration. Its distinctiveness lies in this combination of Peloritani landscape, Valle d’Agrò identity and a small-village history that remained tied to Savoca for more than seven centuries.