Mezzojuso, in the lower left quadrant
of the map above, is located in the heart of the
Palermo province of Sicily. At 500 meters above sea
level, it rests on a gently-inclined plateau at the
northern slope of a small double-peaked mount called "La
Brigna", that derives its
name from the Italo-Albanian (Arbėresh) word "brignat", meaning 'horns'.
To the
south of the streets of Mezzojuso and within its
territory are the lofty twin peaks of Il Pizzo di Casa (1211 meters above sea
level) and Il
Monte Marabito (1198 meters above sea level). These twin
peaks can be considered the farthest eastern edge of
a majestic mountain range called La Rocca Busambra (whose peak at 1613 meters
above sea level is about six kilometers west from
Mezzojuso). At La Rocca Busambra's northern foothills
is located the unique La Ficuzza forest, which borders on
Mezzojuso's western boundary.
Mezzojuso is situated about 34
kilometers from the provincial capital of Palermo (population of 698,556 in
1991), the largest city and the regional capital of
Sicily (population of 4,966,386 in 1991). According
to the official 1991 decennial Italian census, Mezzojuso had a population of 3,213
persons.
The
comune of Mezzojuso is well located, next to
Route 121, a major roadway connecting the large
Sicilian cities of Palermo (on the north coast) and
Agrigento (on the south coast).
In the
western area of Mezzojuso is a stream called "il fiume
Trazzeta" that flows in a northeastern direction into
the fertile Scorciavacca fields in the valley north
of Mezzojuso. This little stream then continues on
its course, into the rivulet called "il fiume
Azziriolo". This rivulet flows in a
southeastern direction, into the river called "il fiume San
Leonardo" which flows to the north and
empties into the Mediterranean Sea at the coastal
city of Termini
Imerese (population of 26,571 in 1991). Mezzojuso is
contained within its political district, "la circoscrizione
di Termini Imerese".
Although
the territories of the comunes of Mezzojuso and of Campofelice di
Fitalia
are adjacent to each other, the actual town center of
Mezzojuso is about six kilometers north of that of
Campofelice di Fitalia. Both places were initially
settled as Moslem villages -- "Manzil
Jusuf" and "Fitalia" -- during the Saracen Arab
era of Sicily, at about 1000 A.D. Though they have
generally had separate histories, Campofelice di
Fitalia was once a part or a fraction ("una frazione") of Mezzojuso, from latter
1852 until 12 February 1951, when Campofelice di
Fitalia was legally declared an autonomous comune.
Campofelice di Fitalia's population was recorded as
638 persons in 1991.