Enna heart of Sicily and enchantment of millenary history...

Commune of Enna

94100 Enna
Townhall , Piazza Coppola, centralino
Tel. +39 0935 40111 - 25041
Fax +39 0935 500400 - 500403
Azienda Autonoma Soggiorno e Turismo
Piazza N. Colajanni, 6 Tel. 093 528228

http://www.comune.enna.it

The Territory

Diodorus maintains that it was the Sicani who founded the city of Enna, during the period of peace between his people and the Siculi. The Greeks arrived later, in the 4th century BC. These facts are enough to give us an idea of how old the city is. There are two ways to reach Enna, but the best way is by taking the cut-off from the Catania-Palermo motorway. This will take you directly to the upper part of Enna, with its historical centre and the "castello di Lombardia" with its large parking area in the square around it. The panoramic view from the "Rocca di Cerere" makes this a worthwhile spot to start your tour from. The castle owes its name to the Lombardi garrison who lived there under Norman rule, and it will give you a perfect sensation of stateliness with its 20 remaining towers although nowadays the only one perfectly intact is the Torre Pisana with its large square. Going down towards the centre of the town along via Roma, your first stop should be the Alessi museum, next to the Duomo, where its treasures are preserved, such as the marvellous golden crown of the Virgin studded with precious stones, a collection of coins from the Punic period, and an important art gallery. Right next to the museum you will find the Duomo, built following the whishes of Eleonora d'Aragona, in 1307 and rebuilt after the great fire of 1446. The interior, with three naves, is richly decorated with a splendid wooden coffered ceiling and precious paitings including the Apparition of Saints Peter and Paul to Costantino di Guglielmo Boremans. If you cross the square in front of the Duomo, with its small garden and statue of Mazzini, you will find the "Palazzo Varisano", home to the regional archaeological museum, with five halls which preserve archaeological material from the area of Enna.

Further on down in the square dominated by the statue of politician and sociologist, Napoleone Colajanni from Enna you will come to the beautiful 17th century church of Santa Chiara. Opposite the square is a baroque gate which leads into the courtyard of Palazzo Pollicarini (15th century). Further on down, you will come to Piazza VI Dicembre, where it is worth visiting the church of San Marco, a baroque monument which preserves in its interior, a precious silver frontal dating back to the end of the 18th century. Continuing along via Roma, you come to Piazza Umberto I with its neo-classic town hall, the Garibaldi theatre, followed by Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, dominated by the church of San Francesco d'Assisi, with its 15th century bell tower and rich baroque restorations. Inside, there is a beatiful wooden Crucifix from the 15th century. At the end of the tour around the old town centre, it is worth heading back along via Roma in order to browse around the side streets, which are equally interesting and rich in pleasant surprises, such as the San Giovanni bell-tower from the 1400's. In Piazza Crispi, known as the "Belvedere", you will find the Abduction of Proserpina" Fountain, a bronze reproduction of Bernini's work. On the opposite side, in the town centre, in via IV Novemre, the Tower of Freerik II stands out on a grass mound, built in the 13th century and restored in the 14th century.