Church of Santo Stefano

The Church of Santo Stefano lies on the hills, in the district of the same name. The original cult building was built around the end of the 13th century and was rebuiolt several times over the centuries.

In 1957 the church was restored and enlarged thanks to the commitment of the parish priest Don Luigi Del Finto, to assume today's structure in the last decades

It was administered by various ecclesiastical patronages, until it became a chaplaincy. In the first twenty years of the eighteenth century the church was officiated only on solemn holidays and in this period a fair dedicated to the patron saint was established, held on the day of the feast of the patron saint. The fair was very famous for the sale of livestock and was held until the mid-20th century, recently characterized by the blessing of watermelons (li citrun).

The main facade of the church is a single symmetrical body with a rectangular entrance portal with a buffered arch. Above the portal there is a linear entablature that protrudes like a capital, and from the entablature rises a triangular curtain projecting the church towards the sky. The bell tower is located on the opposite side of the facade, above an adjacent building and is made up of a brick tower and a metal structure for the arabesque-style spire.

The plan of the church is rectangular with a single longitudinal nave which culminates in a room with a rectangular plan, where the presbytery space raised on a step is obtained. There are round arched openings on the free side and a spiral staircase is located to the right of the entrance. The gallery of the choir loft is supported by parallel walls to form a small acclimatization room, closed off by glass doors.

The floor of the church is made up of marble slabs which form a continuous surface and a central carpet is drawn which joins the concave shape of the presbytery platform by means of a similar and opposite shape.