Calascibetta

Calascibetta is a town in the province of Enna, in the Province of Enna, Sicily, southern Italy.

which is only 6 km away, suspended over the Erei mountains at about 700 m of altitude with its 4700 inhabitants. The name itself indicates its topographical location: it derives from the Arabic Qalat-sciabat which means “castle on the summit”. Furthermore the municipality rises on the watershed of the Simeto and southern Imera rivers.

The area around the town of Calascibetta has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Necropolises, such as the Necropolis of Realmese, which dates from the 9th century BC. Until the 6th century BC Chr. Was used, testify to it. The Arabs built a fortress, hence the name Kalet (fort) and Scibet, from which derives the current name of the place. The city was only fortified by the Arabs in 841 and used as a base for the conquest of Enna. In the 11th century, the city was greatly expanded. In August 1342 King Peter II of Sicily died in Calascibetta.

Calascibetta is also one of the main archaeological basins of central Sicily. Here men have lived since very ancient times. The patron saint is Saint Peter the Apostle, holder together with the Virgin of the Assumption of the Mother Church, whose original nucleus dates back to the fourteenth century. Given the venerable age, the sacred building has undergone various alterations over time, to the point of altering its original appearance: the main facade, for example, has decorations dating back to the sixteenth century.

Access : Coordinates: / By Car: From Palermo and Catania : Get on A19, exit Enna. Take SS117 bis exit Calascibetta-Leonforte / BY AUTOBUS: from Enna buses depart from the main station (services: 11 per day from Monday to Saturday, and only 2 per day on Sundays.

Distance (in kilometers) between Calascibetta and the largest cities in Italy. Rome 502 km Milan 973 km Naples 362 km , Turin 997 km Palermo 99 km Genoa 881 km , Bologna 806 km Florence 733 km Bari 452 km ,  Catania 73 km the closest Venice 888 km Verona 915 km.

Highlights :

• In addition to a beautiful old town on the mountain with a view of Enna, it is the churches that are worth seeing:
• Church of San Francesco d’Assisi (Convent of the Capuchin Friars) : The Capuchin convent stands at the end of Via Giudea, once called “Judea or Colle dei Greeks” because, in the 14th century, 25 Jewish families lived there. As shown by an inscription on the steps, the Convent was founded in 1589 by the Capuchin Fathers whose names are unknown.
  The first Capuchin convent in Calascibetta was built in 1534 in the valley that separates from Enna. It was later abandoned and another was built (inaugurated on 21 September 1589) in the little hill of Via Giudea.
• Church of San Paolo / Church of San Pietro / St. John the Baptist Orthodox Parish, (formerly San Domenico Church) / Sanctuary of Maria SS. of Buonriposo / Chiesa Maria SS. della Catena / Chiesa di S.Barbara – Church of S.Barbara. / Santuario Madonna del Buon Riposo – Sanctuary of the Madonna del Buon Riposo /
• Necropolis of Realmese : The Necropolis of Realmese is an archaeological site from the Iron Age, three kilometers from Calascibetta. ,The Necropolis of Realmese is an Iron Age burial necropolis of the Pantalica type, which consists of 288 rock tombs. It is located on a rock about 3.0 km northwest of Calascibetta in the province of Enna in the center of Sicily.
• Chiesa Maria SS. del Monte Carmelo : The history of the Church in Calascibetta dedicated to Maria SS. Del Carmelo was born in 1371 with the construction of the Convent of the Carmelite Fathers, where in 1771 the Carmelite church was built near the Convent.
  In the following centuries the Congregation of Maria SS. of Mount Carmel and the association engaged in acts of solidarity.
• Mother Church dedicated to St. Peter and St. Mary Major, founded in 1340 by King Peter II of Aragon who in 1342 elevated it to the Royal Palatine Chapel, the second in Sicily after that of Palermo. His treasure is kept in the Diocesan Museum of Caltanissetta.
• Church of Sant’Antonio Abate, built in 1409, in the seventeenth century. it was restored, following the blackening of the walls due to lightning, today it shows numerous stuccos of Sicilian Baroque.
• Chapel of the SS. Crocifisso, known as the Church of Santa Barbara from the ancient annexed hospital of 1347, already branch of the Hospital of Santo Spirito in Rome in Saxia.
• Calascibetta Byzantine Village : The site develops along the Canalotto valley and is evidence of the Byzantine domination first, and then Arab in the Sicilian territory. The site is composed of a series of environments carved into the rock on which we distinguish the Byzantine churches with their colombarium, millstones and the village proper. The traces found show the organization of the daily life of the community that was maintained even in the Arab era, when the qanat was built.
• Ancient Jewish Quarter, Calascibetta was one of the 57 cities with a Jewish community in Sicily from 1350 to 1492. The streets: Giudea, Faranna, and Rome, already Via Borgo, constitute the heart of the ancient Jewish quarter of the city. The mikveh (purification tank) is located in the low Judean way.
• Museo della 500 di Calascibetta – Museum of Fiat 500 Club Italia : Via Dante | Locale Falcone Borsellino, 94010 Calascibetta, Sicily , The Museum is located near the Piazza Umberto I, is easily accessible. It was born on 11 November 2017 on the initiative of the coordination of Enna of the Fiat 500 Club Italia whose trustee is Pietro Folisi. Visitors can learn the history of the small car through information panels, video projections and owner of the explanations.
• Cozzo S. Giuseppe : The rocky complex of Cozzo di San Giuseppe, located north-west of Calascibetta, borders the district of Malpasso to the east and extends westwards to the Buonriposo district.Along the rocky ridge of Cozzo San Giuseppe, from east to west, there are silos from the Roman period, a catacombs hypogeum and the knoll known as the “Bishop’s cave”. The two silos for foodstuffs are obtained from the rocky bank and protected on the inside by a layer of chalky mortar with ceramic fragments, according to the technique introduced by the Romans of the earthenware pottery.
• Valle Coniglio : The existence of this necropolis was ascertained in 1950 following a first brief survey conducted by some members of the same archaeological mission led by L.B. Brea.
  Identified in fact a first chamber tomb underground, carved into the rock, the exploration of the Rabbit Valley led to the discovery of another 20 graves, type logically similar to the previous one and in good condition, although in part violated.
• Calcarella : The valley, located about one km south-west from the town of Calascibetta , The identified necropolis consists of tombs of the “artificial grotticella” type, with a circular or quadrangular plan. Most of the objects found during the exploration phases can be traced back to the Bronze Age and Iron Age (IX-VIII century BC) and are kept at the “P. Orsi ”of Syracuse.
• The Royal Palatine Chapel and Marco Castle: Mother Church of Calascibetta dedicated to Santa Maria Maggiore , The building rises above the ruins of a castle, a remnant of an Arab fortress that came to light during the recent restoration of the church.Visit the Royal Palatine Chapel is how to enter a museum, in which different works of art coexist with each other and of different manufacture, which follow one after the other arousing the wonder of those who admire them.
• The old town : Via Santa Lucia, in the center of the ancient Norman military citadel; Via Soprana, connecting the ancient and winding Arab streets; Via Longobardi and Vicolo Santa Margherita, the district in ancient times had two towers, the first tower was the smallest, located in the south east, practically in the direction of the Val di Noto, situated on the lowest and outer rocky spur of the fortress, still called today of the “Portella” or even “Porta dei Longobardi”. The name derived from the Lombard troops present in Calascibetta, which were an integral part of the Norman army. Piazza S. Pietro, the first nucleus of the medieval city; Via Faranna, the heart of the ancient Jewish quarter.

Events : Feast of the Patron Saint Peter Apostle first Sunday of August / Feast of the Madonna del Buonriposo in Calascibetta – Traditional “Festival of Sausage” in Calascibetta, on the occasion of the Feast of the Madonna del Buonriposo. First Sunday of September

Activities : Scenic Driving- Auto Touring / sightseeing / photo opportunities / trekking , Hiking lovers can find the list of the most interesting activities in Enna and its province / Sicilia excursions

Go next : Barrafranca / Catenanuova / Enna / Pergusa / Villapriolo / Villarosa / Cacchiamo / Villadoro / Borgo cascino / Leonforte / Grottacalda