San Marco d'Alunzio
San Marco d'Alunzio (, Ancient Greek: (Ptol.) or (Dion.), Latin: Aluntium or Haluntium) is a city and comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, near the north coast of the island, located about east of Palermo and about west of Messina. San Marco d'Alunzio borders the following municipalities: Alcara li Fusi, Capri Leone, Frazzanò, Longi, Militello Rosmarino, Torrenova. It is a member of the I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy") association. History Aluntium or Haluntium was situated between Tyndaris and Calacte. Its foundation was ascribed by some authors to Acarnanians led by Patron, some of whom settled here after guiding Aeneas across the Ionian Sea from Greece. If this legend is true the Acarnanian colonists probably were quickly assimilated by the Sicelian, who inhabited this area in historical times. No mention of it is found in Diodorus, nor is it noticed in history prior to the Roman conquest of Sicily. But in the time of Cicero it appears to have been a place of some importance. He mentions it as having suffered severely from the exactions of Verres, who, not content with ruinous extortions of corn, compelled the inhabitants