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The Circumetnea
Railway
 The realization of the railway that, going
around mount Etna, was connecting Bronte with Catania and Giarre, was for
the town an event of historical importance.
Was finally taken away from isolation a town of about 20.000 inhabitants,
economically developed and with a prestigious college, the Real Capizzi
college, which was lodging several Sicilian and Calabrian students (the
boarders at that time reached the number of over three hundred ).
The brontese folks, the relatives of the boarding school students which
normally came to Bronte, were forced to weary journeys on carriages or
mule back to reach Catania or Giarre.
The commercialization and transport of the brontese products (pistachio,
wine, almonds, cereals, whit and oil) toward Giarre o Catania was carried
out travelling for over a day with small carts pulled by mules or horses,
over terrible mountain roads with the added danger of being robbed of
everything by the many bandits that infested the zone.
The railway was bringing wealth and
releasing from isolation a
country of 20.000 inhabitants with an agricultural very thriving economy,
but his realization was long and tormented.
The idea of realizing a railway around Etna was born with the constitution
of a Consortium Between Catania and the piedmont countries, stipulated
with the Royal Decree of December 31st, 1883.
The
first deliberation of our Civic
Council regarding the building of the railway goes to January 9th, 1882:.
Was establishing that the station in Bronte Of The Circum-etnea did not
have to be distant more than 500 meters from the habitat and that the
quotes of contribution for all the associated councils "must
not exceed L. 60.000 for fifty years".
A year later, on 2.22.1883, the same
Council accepted the distribution of the shares done by the Provincial
Deputation, which for our council was amounting at L. 5.174,10.
Two years
later, on 4.7.1884, the Civic
Council, "knowing that good part of the population wanted the
station of the Circumetnea to rise in Pietra Pizzuta district, below
the old theatre, downstream of the habitat", decides to change the
initial project moving, the station in the next district "Carcere Bovi".
Again two years later, the Council, with a deliberation of 1.23.1886,
names the baron Enrico Grimaldi- Serravalle of the company Circumetnea
representative of the Council.
The hopes of the brontese citizens to have the station "near
house" however were disappointed.
Lively protests were raised, 10.26.1889, from the Civic Council against
the concessionary company than with a new layout, established unilaterally,
was placing the station upstream to a distance of about three kilometers
from Bronte.
The concessionary company, pursuing only its economic interests, realized
upstream (on the current place) the way and the station, very far from the
habitat.
The first railway section inaugurated on February
2nd, 1895, was the "Catania Borgo-Aderṇ", "qualified
for everybody indistinctly the transport travelers, luggage and dogs,
goods to big and little speed, vehicles and cattle".
The Aderno-Bronte stroke was inaugurated on June
2 of 1895; the station in Bronte was built, very far from the
lived center , in the high part of the town.
The Council, to make the marketing of the brontese products easier, was
forced to a further expense of lire 50.000 to connect the station of the
Circum "with a new road suitable for carriages".
The railway was completed on July 10 of 1898 with a total length of 114,90
km (same as today).
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