THE ROBBE OF MILENA
Milena is a truly peculiar place, thanks to its town plan structure that has no “central point”, a characteristic that is typical of the nearby towns and villages, mainly known for the “robbe” (about sixty), small hamlets, grouped or far from each other. The origin of these poor dwellings is essentially practical: the lands of the feuds of Milocca, Caprarìa, Aquilìa and Cimicìa, of the Casinenses monks of the Monastery of S. Martino delle Scale di Monreale, were assigned by “censo”, namely leased, and, since the villages were far from each other, the people and the travellers built small houses along the royal trazzere or next to water springs, and temporarily lived there. The “robbe” were organised in the so-called “villaggi”, each of them gathering, in most cases, members of the same family: indeed, the name of the robba originated from the surname or the “’ngiuria” (nickname) of the family. Today, Milena has a new and modern look, and the “robbe” have lost their original aspect, as they have been absorbed by the town.
