Aragona
Aragona ( or "Raona") is a commune in the province of Agrigento, Sicily, southern Italy. It is northeast of Agrigento. It is known mainly for the Macalube natural reserve and for being the Italian municipality with the highest emigration rate. Geography. The sulfur mine "Mandra", today inactive, is located in the municipality. Aragona is part of the agricultural region "Platani Hills" (). Bounding communes are: History. Aragona is located on the eastern slopes of the Mount Belvedere at an altitude of 428 m. In the 13th century, the Castello di Barrugeri was built near what is now Aragona, but it no  longer exists. The town was founded on January 6, 1606, upon the initiative of lord Baldassare III Naselli, Count of Comiso. He had previously submitted a request for the foundation of a new village in his fiefdom of Diesi during the 49th Extraordinary General Parliament, overseen by the Spanish viceroy Lorenzo Suarez de Figueroa e Cordoba on August 2, 1604, in Messina. On September 6 of that year, the viceroy ordered an official investigation into the matter, which eventually resulted on January 6, 1606, in the granting of a "licentia populandi", i.e. the permission to increase the fief's population . The new village was named after the Count's mother, donna Beatrice Aragona Branciforti. Culture. Television. Televideo Aragona. Cuisine. The "taganu" is a dish cooked with Rigatoni, eggs and tuma (cheese) a typical local fresh, non-salted cheese made from sheep's milk. The name derives from the name of the pot in which it is cooked on the Holy Saturday, to be then consumed on Easter Monday. It is baked for two hours and can be eaten hot or cold. It is accompanied by a white wine. Another typical dish of the local cuisine is the "'mbriulata", which consists  of dough filled with olives, caramelized onions, crumbled sausage, oil, salt and pepper. They are then rolled into the form of a bun and placed in the oven for 40 minutes. Transportation. There is a railroad station located in Aragona Caldare.