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Via Garibaldi, Pachino, with 18th-19th century dwellings still visible.

The coat of Arms of Gaetano Starrabba, Prince of Giardinelli and founder of Pachino. The first Maltese inhabitants in Pachino... and a number of lies

that of the 45 families present there, Spaccaforno, Francesco Maria 36 declared themselves to be Maltese, Statella, and of the noblemen of Noto. four Greek and five Sicilian. Could it be possible that the Sicil­ The surnames of the 36 families ians who had taken up residence in ARNOLD that declared themselves as Maltese Pachino declared themselves as Mal­ CASSO LA were Dingli, Scerri, Spina, Grima and tese to parish priest Runza so as not Vella, written in the form still in use to be expelled? today. Then, one finds Zerbo, Man­ Or could it have been that gione, GrecojGrec, Falla, Zoppardi, the parish priest himself who Sicoperassi, Mommo, Mutigeggi, recorded them as 'Maltese' so as to The Sicilian town of Pachino was Borgh, Leon and Fella which, presum­ spare the concerned families an even­ e manuscript containing the first Pachino census, dated July 6, 1761. founded in 1760 by Gaetano and Vin­ ably, are variants of the current forms tual expulsion? What happened five . . cenzo Starrabba, the 'Principi di Gia­ Zarb, Mangion, Grech, Failla, years later, in 1768, during an official rdinelli', on what was originally Azzopardi, Sciberras, Mamo, inspection ordered by the King, gives And, in total, 25 individuals qualified his daughter Vera (n. 201) and son, malaria-infested marshland. The con­ Buttigieg, Borg, Leone and Vella. credibility to this supposition. as Maltese. Mariano (n. 203). cession was given to the Prince of Gia­ But then one comes across the fol­ The first family listed was the The last three families were made rdinelli by King Ferdinand IV through lowing 11 surnames that have never alidda (Salibba) one. The pater famil­ up of "Batta Morano di Malta", with a decree dated May 26, 1756. been registered in Malta: Naso, Astor, Gaetano Starrabba, Marchese di ias was Don Michielangelo Salidda di his wife Rosa, son Santo and daugh­ The building of the new town was Capo, Canicattini, Negro, Monte, "This recently Rudini, Principe dei Giardinelli, Malta, who was accompanied by his ter Modesta (nrs. 204, 205, 206, 207 subject to the following conditions: Montenegro, Spinelli, Tela (lela), founder of Pachino. lll!wue Elisabetta and his two daughters, respectively), another possible bache­ that the town was to be built at least Nigreto and Schinzina. One must add discovered 1761 Aleonora and Teresa. The four were lor, "Bartolomeo Greco di Malta" (n. two miles away from the sea, that it to these Tommaso and Lucchese, numbered as residents 186, 187, 188 208), and "Orazio Vella di Malta (n. was to comprise at least 40 families which could be related to the Maltese document sheds dealt in contraband goods. In view SS. Crocifisso church, Pachino. and 189 respectively. 209), accompanied by his wife Maria and that the new inhabitants had to surnames Tomasuolo and Lucchese. of all this, the king ordered an offi­ An interesting point to note is that and their siblings Orazia and Santo be Catholics originating from Greece, However, the first of these surnames new light on cial inspection and sent to Pachino <'' Michielangelo is qualified as a 'Don', (all unnumbered). Illiria or Albania. This meant that was registered in our country for the his delegate, Don Giuseppe his report that there were no Sicilians which means he must have been con­ This recently discovered 1761 doc­ originally Maltese citizens were not first time only in 1999, while the sec­ the development Ruffino, who was accompanied by present in Pachino and thus no pro­ sidered, because of the high level of ument sheds new light on the devel­ intended to be among the families .ond surname only appeared in 1769, Don Alfio Marzano. visions were taken against them and - his profession, as belonging to the opment of Pachino and, in particu­ that were to populate the new town. therefore after the Maltese started of Pachino" The inspection was held on May 16, the prince. Was this trick a continua­ category of 'gentlemen'. The most lar, the involvement of the Maltese: In reality, the Maltese had already going to Pachino. 1768, and was supposed to check on tion of the possible 1763 Rivelo lies? 'numerous Maltese family was in a matter of 24 months, the resi­ started arriving in Pachino before The situation is further compli­ the number of inhabitants of A few weeks ago, Guido Rabito, instead the one headed by 'Giuseppe dent Maltese families increased 1761. In fact, two Maltese who died in cated by the fact that the surname Whatever, the 1763 Rivelo confirms Pachino, their towns of provenance, director of the Centro Studi di Recu­ _Zoppardi di Malta' (resident n. 190). from seven to at least 23. This goes 1760 are recorded in the church of Salibba, which is indicated as a Greek that by that year the presence of Mal­ how long they had been there and if pero Beni Culturali ed Archeologici of He was living in Pachino together to show not only that the promise of the SS Crocifisso Registro mortuomm surname, is in reality quite a popular tese in Pachino was not only tolerated their family was composed of Sicil­ Pachino, discovered a manuscript with his wife Margarita (n. 191) and a 20-year tax holiday for the new (1760-1768). ThefirstofthesetwoMal­ Maltese one. but it was totally accepted. The fact ians, Greek Catholics or Albanians. dated July 6, 1761, which contains a their five daughters, Concetta (n. inhabitants was quite an incentive tese was Pietro Scerri, who was given Why are there so many incongru­ that a number of Sicilians might have The results of this census were hitherto unknown first census of 192), Aleonora (n. 193), Salva (n.194), for the Maltese but also that extreme unction by the parish priest encies in the list drawn up by the declared themselves as 'Maltese' fmalised on June 2,1768. the inhabitants of Pachino. This Felicia (n. 196) and a second Con­ Pachino provided yet another Sicil­ Saverio Manzio three days before parish priest Runza? meant that declaring oneself as a Mal­ In his 1968 book Pachino e i suoi din­ census had been commissioned by cetta (198), and their son, Giovanni ian safe haven for our Maltese fore­ Christmas. A day later, on December Are these genuine errors on the tese in Pachino was not risky at all. torni nella storia e nella leggenda, the parish priest of San Nicola in (n.197). Don Manzio must have been fathers at a time when they were 23,1760, Giovanni Dingli from Malta part of the parish priest or were they As the years passed, the situation Simone Sultano maintains that since Noto, Don Mariano Mazzone, but quite distracted when counting the fleeing from poverty and from the also departed from this world. intentional ones? became intolerable for the rulers the families in Pachino were not all was carried out by the priest in siblings since he skipped number 195 lack of proper economic opportuni­ In my 2014 book Malta-Pachino­ In my opinion, the second hypotli­ of nearby towns. In June 1767, the foreign ones, the Prince of Giardinelli Pachino, Don Saverio Manzio. in his mathematical exercise. ties in their own motherland. una storia in comune, written jointly esis is quite a credible and realistic Marquis of Spaccaforno, Francesco ensured that a Maltese person was to The interesting thing about this The next Maltese seems to have with Silvio Aliffi, I had pointed out one. In fact, though Sicilians were de Maria Statella, accused the Prince be placed in the dwelling of each 1761 census is that it gives us the list ' been a bachelor, or a man who had how by 1763, the Maltese had already jure prohibited from becoming resi­ of Giardinelli of having accepted family of Pachino. Thus, every time of Maltese inhabitants of Pachino in J settled down in Pachino without his AcknolVledgentent "invaded" Pachino. A census was car­ dents of the new town, inhabitants of other Sicilians as part of his town's the king's delegate knocked at the that year. In.reality, in 1761 there t. family. 'Antonio Scerri di Malta' is in Thanks to Sicilian researcher Guido ried out in that year by the town's Noto and Spaccaforno (today's inhabitants. Then, in November of doors of the 50 families, he always got were only seven Maltese families ''fact recorded as the lonely 199th Rabito for informing the author of parish priest, Don Giuseppe Runza. Ispica), in particular, settled down in the same year, the noblemen of an answer in Maltese. The king's del­ residing in the new town - the inhabitant of Pachino. 'Paolo Zarda his discovery and for having pro­ This document, known as the the newly-established town, thus Noto accused Pachino of being a egate, believing all these families to · Salidda, Zoppardi, Scerri, Zarda, (Zarb?) di Malta' is instead the vided scans of the 1761 document Rivelo dello Stato di Pachino, reveals incurring the wrath of the Marquis of haven for thieves and bandits who be Maltese, therefore confirmed in Morano, Greco and Vella families. . 200th one and he is accompanied by and other illustrations. The second page of the 1761 list with Maltese names.