Troina crossroads of Norman power

The conference aims to explore the role of Troina as the first center of Norman power in Sicily, a laboratory of political strategy and a strategic junction in the initial phases of the conquest of the island and the subsequent organization of the Kingdom. 

As the first Norman capital of Sicily, Troina was indeed one of the main reference points for the establishment of the power of the Altavilla family and for the construction of the administrative, military, and ecclesiastical structures of the new dominion.
In this perspective, the initiative proposes to analyze the policies adopted by the Normans in managing the territory, with particular attention to the administration of forest resources, regulation of natural resources, and the structuring of the main road axes that connected centers of power, productive areas, markets, and pilgrimage routes.
Particular emphasis will be placed on Val Demone, the large administrative district of the Arab-Norman era that included the territories of Troina and Enna. Characterized by an extraordinary wealth of forests, pastures, and natural resources, Val Demone constituted a strategic resource for the consolidation of Norman power, providing raw materials, supply areas, and important connections between the inland and the coasts of the island.

The meeting will provide an opportunity to reflect on the Norman contribution to the construction of the political, economic, and institutional landscape of medieval Sicily, highlighting the value of forests as an economic and strategic resource and the role of the road network in consolidating power and in relations between communities, abbeys, castles, markets, and devotional routes. In this context, the case of Troina allows for a privileged observation of the interactions between military organization, religious settlements, and territorial control.
Particular attention will also be dedicated to the relationships between Norman power and influences from Northern Italy, particularly from the Ligurian area, in order to assess the extent to which they contributed to the management of forest resources, the development of trade networks, and the circulation of people, techniques, administrative models, and specialized vocabularies in the Sicilian inland. From this perspective, the possible permanence of linguistic and cultural traces in the territory could constitute an interesting research avenue, to be further explored through the comparison of historical sources, diplomatic documentation, and linguistic studies.

Through the contributions of distinguished scholars such as Francesco Paolo Tocco, professor at the University of Messina, Fabio Sebastiano Venezia, historian and member of the Sicilian Regional Assembly, and other specialists from Italian and French universities and research centers, the conference aims to highlight aspects of the relationship between Norman civilization, environment, land organization, and the construction of the historical landscape of medieval Sicily that are still under-researched.

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