It is not certain that the
valley and hills the first settlers were the Sicani or Siculi.
There may have been a village or commercial port called Phoinix,
whereas more inland there was a small town named Kallipolis
or Agrilla which was then destroyed. The first Greek
settlers arrived between VIII Century and the V Century BC and
it is certain that it was them who gave the name ‘Arghennon
‘akron - Silver Promontory (Promontory: a point of
high land jutting out into the sea) the actual Cape S. Alessio.
Through the passing of time Akron changed to Argon
to Agron then to Agrò.
As regards to the actual position of Forza D'Agrò it is
believed that it had once been a fortress.
After the Roman conquest in 135 BC the Greek specification of
"Arghennon" was substituted by "Agrillae"
or "Agrille", the village, the subub and the
set of houses within the margin of the River Agrò became Known
as Vicum Agrillae - the Latin version.
The zone was then passed on to the Byzantine domain which
lasted there centuries 536-827.
To escape from other invasions the population moved more
inland - Casale. In the VIII Century, there were more
frequent Arabian incursions, and perhaps during this period the
Monastery d'Agrò was destroyed.
It was under the reign of Count Ruggero the Norman and his
successors that the Castle
of Forza D'Agrò was built and the
reconstruction of the Monastery of S. Peter and Paul. "Vicum
Agrillae" is mentioned for the first time under the
decree of Ruggero II 1117. When "Vicum" wasn't big
enough for the expanding population, in search of security and
independence, the people moved higher up the mountain - known as Magghia
an area on a flat levelling. The area around the guardroom
became another picturesque neighbourhood knows as the
Quartarello. The
name given to the village was Fortilicium d'Agrò (Fortezza d'
Agrò - Fortress of Agrò) abbreviated to Forza
D'Agrò. It was in the XIV Century that the
village slowly took shape and has been conserved to the present
day.
After the revolution in 1674 between Spain and
France, Forza
D'Agrò remained loyal to Spanish - it was treated as a
territorial conquest. Savoca absorbed Forza D'Agrò lost its
privileges which had been donated to them by Ruggero II.
The University of Agrò lost no time in trying to retrieve its
privileges concessed to them by the Norman King.
The first fifty years of 1700 was spent fighting for these
rights between, the Forzese and the Great Admiralty. Even though
the citizens were represented by courageous officials, it had
almost always had to abide to the authorities of that time.
At the beginning of 1800 the English occupied the Castle
of S. Alessio and the Castle of Forza
D'Agrò to defend the area from Napoleonic attacks. In 1866 a
law relating to the surpression of religeous estates gave
the state the power to take possesion of ecclesiastical assets.
The Franciscan morks, those of St. Catherine and St. Agustine
were forced to leave their convents. The
conventes were then transformed into
administrative offices. In the early 1900 many Forzese left the
village in search of fortune. Most emigrated to America.
Fortunately the area of Forza D'Agrò was almost untouched by
the Nazis. However, their presence was felt. They escavated a
secret tunnel
in the Cape of S. Alessio.
