Photo AlessandroAM, CC BY-SA 4.0
Caltanissetta · Sicily
Things to see in Caltanissetta
In Caltanissetta the atlas lists 21 historic places: 9 historic villas and palaces, 5 archaeological sites, 4 museums, 1 abbey or monastery, 1 castle and 1 historic theatre.
For most of these places we don’t have verified opening hours yet: always check the official website before you go.
Don’t miss: Mineralogy museum of Caltanissetta, Italian museum.
By date of construction, the most common period is the Modern era (75% of dated places) and the Renaissance (25% of dated places).
- 21historic places
- 58,532inhabitants
- 568 maltitude
The town
Caltanissetta is a medium-sized city in central Sicily, Italy.
It features a rich and long history, the first settlement dating to the 19th century BC.
The city still has traces of the different cultures which followed one another in Sicily: its current structure dates to the 10th century AD and is due to the Arabs, while many additions were made during Norman times and under the Aragonese rule of the Moncada family.
During the 19th century, the city grew in wealth thanks to the extraction of vast nearby sulphur deposits. With 88 mines in its territory, Caltanissetta was nicknamed the world's sulphur capital.
During the third decade of the 20th century, there was a period of intense cultural activity — so much that famed writer Leonardo Sciascia called it a "little Athens".
Text from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA, abridged · Wikivoyage
21 places
Villas and palaces 9
Archaeological sites 5
Museums 4
Abbeys and monasteries 1
Castles 1
Historic theatres 1
Getting there
By bus: The bus station is in front of the train station and a ten-minute walk from the city centre.
Many companies operate routes to Caltanissetta, linking it with other cities in Sicily and the rest of Italy. The main Sicilian destinations served with the highest frequency are
Palermo circa 10 times per day, with a stop at Palermo's central railway station, in turn connected by train with the airport.
Catania circa 15 times per day, including an intermediate stop at Catania's airport and a final stop at the central railway station.
Agrigento circa 15 times per day. Due to the fact that the Catania-Caltanissetta line continues on to Agrigento, this route benefits from the same high frequency.
Enna circa 6 times per day to "Enna bassa" (the modern part of the city) and circa 8 times per day to "Enna alta" (the ancient part).
Gela circa 7 times per day.
The companies operating services to and from Caltanissetta include SAIS Autolinee, Interbus, SAIS Trasporti, and Astra.
Intercity Bus Terminal (Capolinea Autobus), Capolinea Autobus Via Rochester, ☏ +39 0934 1905167.
By train: The city is served by two train stations: the central station and the Xirbi station, which lies outside the city.
The central station is a stop in the Caltanissetta-Gela-Syracuse, Caltanissetta-Agrigento, Catania-Agrigento, and Caltanissetta-Palermo lines.
Xirbi station is also important, as it lies on the most trafficked Sicilan line: the Catania-Palermo line.
Text from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA, abridged · Wikivoyage
What to see, according to Wikivoyage
Religious architecture: Cathedral of Santa Maria la Nova. Free. See of the bishopry of Caltanissetta, is in the central square Piazza Garibaldi. It was built from 1560 to 1622 and features frescoes by the Flemish painter Guglielmo Borremans and a wooden statue of Saint Michael by Stefano Li Volsi. The interior, in Baroque style, is impressive and its blue dome is easily spotted from many parts of the city, providing an easy to follow landmark. Saint Sebastian church (Chiesa di San Sebastiano). Free. Just in front of the Cathedral, with its characteristic red-and-blue facade in an eclectic style. Church of Saint Agata (Chiesa di Sant'Agata al Collegio). Free. At a short walk from the Cathedral, it is possibly the most impressive Baroque church in the city. Its interior is rich in marble and golden stuccoes. Attached to the church is the ancient 4 Jesuit college (Collegio dei Gesuiti). It is nowadays used by the municipal library (biblioteca Scarabelli) and the conservatory. Abbey of the Holy Ghost (Abbazia di Santo Spirito). Free. It is a Norman church built on a pre-existing Arabic farmstead in the outskirts of the city. Santa Maria degli Angeli.
Text from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA, abridged · Wikivoyage · Underlined names link to our own pages.