Caltanissetta is a little-known city in inland Sicily with a climate that is not at all Mediterranean. The premises do not seem like the best, instead the city has much to offer and tell.
The first inhabitants of this area were the Sicans, an ancient people of Sicily (19th century B.C.) who attributed it the name of Nyssa. The Greeks conquered it in the 7th century BC, and after the Second Punic War it passed to the Romans. With the subsequent Arab occupation around 846 AD, the city was fortified and the Arabic name Qal’at (“Castle”) was added, as it was protected by a fortress. The ancient name Nissa recalls the Arabic word nisa, meaning woman and it was therefore that the Arabs called it with the new name Qal’at al-nisa (“Castle of women”).
1. Piazza Garibaldi
At the center of this beautiful square is the Fontana del Tritone and the Cathedral of Santa Maria La Nova, the Church of San Sebastiano and the Palazzo del Carmine overlook seat of the Town Hall.
The Triton Fountain it was sculpted by a Nyssian, Michele Tripisciano in 1890, while the basin was designed by Gaetano Averna. The statue is an anthropomorphic depiction of Triton, who in Greek mythology is the son of the sea god Poseidon. At the beginning it was located inside the Palazzo Carmine and in 1956 it was moved to the center of the square, replacing an old iron lamppost.
The Cathedral of Santa Maria La Nova it is dedicated to the patron saint of the city San Michele Arcangelo. It was built around 1600 and inside there are beautiful frescoes from the 1700s by Guglielmo Borremans, a Flemish painter.
The Church of San Sebastiano it has sixteenth-century origins but the facade is from the nineteenth century. It was built to thank San Sebastian for having freed the city from the plague.
The Palazzo del Carmine finally, it also has ancient origins, it was built around 1400 but underwent several changes until the nineteenth century.
2. Church of Sant’Agata
The church with its characteristic reddish color dates back to the early 17th century and is dedicated to Sant’Agata. It overlooks Corso Umberto I, making it all very suggestive.
3. Pietrarossa Castle
The Pietrarossa castle, or rather the ruins of the castle, dominates the scene on Caltanissetta. It was precisely in its now disappeared rooms that the Sicilian barons proclaimed Frederick II of Aragon king. The castle was probably built by the Arabs and then rebuilt during the Norman period only to be destroyed by the earthquake of 1567 . To admire it up close, you can go to the church of S. Maria degli Angeli, also of Norman foundation, today totally restored.
4. Archaeological Museum
The archaeological museum of Caltanissetta houses more than 5,000 artifacts from prehistoric times to late antiquity that come from the Nissen area. The most famous and fascinating find is the small temple of Sabucina , dating back to the sixth century BC
It is a small temple that refers to Greek culture, but at the same time executed in a rough and unprofessional way. And it is precisely this feature that makes it so unique. It is a Greek-Sicilian product, the result of the encounter between two very different cultures. The least advanced of the indigenous inhabitants and the most advanced of the Greeks.
5. Abbey of Santo Spirito
The abbey is of Norman origins and is not located in the center of Caltanissetta, but in a secluded place, among the olive and almond trees of the Nissen countryside . Very beautiful both outside and inside. Inside there is also a baptismal font much older than the abbey itself, it is in fact of Romanesque origin and carved out of a block of stone.
6. Moncada Palace
T he Palazzo Moncada is a palace from the 1700s and houses the Michele Tripisciano museum , with works by the Nissen artist who also created the Triton Fountain located in Piazza Garibaldi. The palace remained unfinished (see left side in the photo), as the owner was expelled from the island after taking part in an anti-Spanish conspiracy.
7. Church of San Domenico
In the ancient part of the city, surrounded by ancient houses that create a very fascinating environment, is the church of San Domenico. It was founded in 1480 and then remodeled in the eighteenth century .
8. Strata ‘leaf market
Along the Via Consultore Benintendi, the town market takes place every morning, except Sunday, where you can find many local products . It has a long tradition, in fact it was born as early as 1500 as a place used for the sale of vegetables from the fields , to which a tax was applied, called leaf, hence the name of the market.
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Interactive map of Caltanissetta – Points of interest in purple
To locate yourself once in the area, click on the enlarge symbol at the top right of the map.
What to see around Caltanissetta
Here you will find the most beautiful places to visit around Caltanissetta .
Typical dishes of Caltanissetta and surroundings
In Caltanissetta and its surroundings there is certainly no shortage of food and it is very tasty and genuine, in fact many products come directly from the surrounding countryside. I list you here what to eat in Caltanissetta and surroundings.
Here instead you find the typical Sicilian dishes in general.