Alcara li Fusi

The settlement probably took the Arab name of Akaret (meaning fortress) during the Islamic domination in Sicily. It does not seem improbable that the Arabs after the difficult conquest of this area of the Nebrodi (one of the last conquests, after almost a century after their landing on the island) had called for a network of fortifications for control of the territory.

Nevertheless, the first real historic reference of the existence of Alcara is from a document from 1096, a certificate from Count Roger, written in Greek, which indicated Alcara as a possession of the bishop of Messina.

The oldest quarter of the village, rising at the foot of the Turio Castle (nowadays a tower on top of a rocky spur, poorly rebuilt recently on a preexisting ruin) took the name of Motta in this period, referring to the typical model of Norman fortifications which included a tower surrounded by a wall, named "motte". It is therefore probable that to give an urban structure to a settlement perhaps having had a spread out character, was the Norman period. However, it does not seem possible, at the moment, to determine the structure of the walls of the "Motta"of which there are only small tracts.

In 1359, under the reign of Frederick IV of Sicily, the fortification and its property were assigned to Vinciguerra d'Aragona.

The name of the village became "Alcara Valdemone", due to its belonging to the administrative subdivision of Val Demone, even though it was documented in time different versions of the name such as "L'Arcara", "Arcara", and "L'Arcara".

In the 15th century is attested a Jewish community, probably older and particularly consistent in this area of the Nebrodi, confirming that Alcara was a commercial and economic center. The community would have disappeared by the 17th century with the expulsion of all Jews from Sicily not converted.

In 1812, with the abolition of the constituencies which had up till then divided Sicily (Val di Noto, Val di Mazara, and Val Demone), it took the name of Alcara "Li Fusi" since it was a center of production of spindles used for spinning (weaving). There are attested in the eighteen hundreds different variants such as "Alcare de fusa", "Alcara dei fusi", "Alcara de li fusi", and Alcara delle Fusa". Such denominations were due to the necessity of distinguishing this inhabited center from another "Alcara" or "L'Alcara" which for the same reason took the name of Lercara Friddi.

On May 17, 1860, at Alcara there was a peasant revolt which anticipated a similar and more famous one at Bronte (and others which happened in various centers of northeastern Sicily, such as at Caronia and Francavilla). Laborers, enraged by desperate living conditions, feeding upon expectations of a ransom and social justice in the wake of the news of the imminent arrival of Giuseppe Garibaldi and his troops, assaulted the "Casa of the nobles" slaughtering with scythes and knives many people, among whom a child. The Garibaldi group, after they came upon the village, jailed a few of the rioters, who after a quick process were executed. This episode is at the center of the masterpiece of the writer Vincenzo Consolo, Il sorriso dell'ignoto marinaio.