On a plateau at 948 metres above sea level, Enna is the capital of a Sicilian province and a small town of nearly 27,000 inhabitants, sometimes called the Belvedere of Sicily for its panoramas over a vast part of the island.
Today it has a recent university “Università Kore”, the Pergusa motor racing circuit which was the venue of the Formula 3000 and Formula 2 Grands Prix, and a power production site. The nearby Lake Pergusa is known in ancient literature for being associated with the Greek myth of Persephone.
An important place in Sicel times, Enna was a major fortified stronghold under the Romans and the Normans.
This town of solitary appearance has kept many legacies of that history, with its Rocca di Cerere, the Lombard castle, the historic centre and its churches.
The town’s most attractive sites are mainly along Via Roma, crossing the historic centre for nearly 2 km from the Tower of Frederick II to the Lombard Castle and the Rocca di Cerere, passing through Piazza Neglia, the cathedral of medieval origin, its beautiful churches, the Alessi museum or the sanctuary of Papardura.
View towards Calascibetta 
Lombard Castle
Historical overview of Enna
Enjoying an advantageous natural protection, the site has been occupied since prehistory. It was probably the Sicans who developed the first urbanisation, as a strategic defence point against the Sicels, a bastion that was later Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Norman, Swabian and Aragonese.
For a long time there was a sanctuary dedicated to Demeter, goddess of agriculture and fertility, whose temple occupied the summit of the acropolis. The goddess “supplied” the region with wheat or cotton.
Enna long resisted the Saracens, before finally capitulating around the year 951. The town’s fortifications and the Lombard castle date back to the Arabs and the Normans (who conquered the town in 1087). Frederick II of Hohenstaufen had the imposing wall built at the beginning of the 14th century. It was here that he reigned as King of Trinacria. The town later came under Angevin and then Aragonese domination.
What to see or do first in Enna
- Lombard Castle: Perched at the top of Enna, this medieval castle is one of the largest in Italy. It offers impressive ruins, fortified walls and towers with superb views over central Sicily from the top of the tower.
- Rocca di Cerere: One of the most emblematic viewpoints of Enna, this rocky platform was an ancient place of worship dedicated to the goddess Demeter (Ceres). Here you can see cavities carved into the rock, hypogea and remains of fortifications.
- Enna Cathedral (Duomo): Located in the heart of the town, the cathedral combines different architectural styles (Gothic, Baroque, Renaissance).
- Piazza Neglia: a beautiful spot in the town, where the church of San Tommaso has a fine tower of military architecture converted into a bell tower, a listed 16th-century marble altarpiece, as well as the Church of the Souls in Purgatory, a 17th-century Baroque oratory.
- Regional Museum of Palazzo Varisano: The Museo Archeologico Regionale d’Enna is housed in the Palazzo Varisano, right next to the Duomo. It traces the history of the region from prehistory to the Middle Ages through archaeological objects from surrounding sites.
- Tower of Frederick II: Octagonal tower built by Frederick II on the remains of a Greek theatre.
→ See also the article dedicated to the visit to Enna
Events and traditions in Enna
Enna’s Holy Week re-enacts the procession of Jesus and the apostles and his entry into Jerusalem, with Easter and Palm Sunday, the Friday procession and the Easter procession, etc.
During the Good Friday procession, the 16 historic trade confraternities parade, with nearly 2,500 hooded men.
On 2 July, for Our Lady of the Visitation, a procession is organised with the statue of the Virgin kept in the cathedral, ending with a firework display.
The Tortone Festival takes place in August, with a historical procession in medieval costumes and the tasting of tortone, a kind of fried pastry with sugar and cinnamon.
In Calascibetta, the sausage festival is held in September, with the Palio of the Berbers and tastings of local cuisine.
In October, in Agira, the Cassatella Festival and wild rabbit festival
Where Enna is and tourist map
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Photo gallery
Piazza Neglia 
Sanctuary of Papardura 
Tower of Frederick II 
Interior of Enna Cathedral
Articles about Enna
- Piazza Armerina
Piazza Armerina is a pretty town of about 20,000 inhabitants, at 700 metres of altitude in the Erean Mountains, founded by the Arabs in the 10th century.It is famous above ... - Hotels in Enna
Hotels in Enna in Sicily and farm stays, bed and breakfasts and apartments in the city centre or in the surroundings - Visit of Enna, monuments and surroundings
The heritage of the city of Enna is mainly concentrated along the Via Roma which crosses the historic centre for almost 2 km, from the Tower of Frederick II near ... - Villa Romana del Casale
The Villa del Casale in Piazza Armerina is a unique example of a luxurious Roman villa, whose mosaics illustrate the daily life of the era and its social structures. These ... - Morgantina
A few kilometres from Aidone lies the archaeological site of Morgantina, the remains of an ancient city inhabited since the Bronze Age by indigenous peoples, then by the Sicels, the ... - Assoro
Assoro, perched on the steep hill of Monte Stella in the Heraean Mountains, at nearly 850 metres of altitude in the heart of Sicily. It preserves a well-preserved medieval centre, ... - Aidone and Pietratagliata
Located in the heart of the Heraean Mountains, the town of Aidone is often referred to as the “balcony of Sicily”. It took its name in the 11th century when ... - Leonforte
In the Heraean Mountains, about 20 kilometres north-east of Enna, lie two pretty Sicilian villages a few kilometres apart: Leonforte, founded in the 17th century by the Branciforte family, and ... - Caltanissetta and its surroundings
A town with little tourism in the centre of Sicily, Caltanissetta is a provincial capital with nearly 60,000 inhabitants, yet endowed with a few treasures despite an unharmonious urban layout. ... - Calascibetta and surroundings
Calascibetta is a Sicilian village of nearly 4000 inhabitants located on a promontory at 691 metres of altitude, about 2.5 km as the crow flies north of Enna. Its name ... - In the Surroundings of Enna
Sicilian destinations near Enna: Piazza Armerina and the Roman villa of Casale 30 km to the south, Nicosia and the Nebrodi Park to the north-east, or the Madonie Park to ...
Information
External sites
- Enna on Wikipedia
- Tourist sites and blogs: www.ennamagazine.it, www.lorenzotaccioli.it
Comments in other languages
Three places to eat well in Enna and around Lake Pergusa:
- In Enna Bassa: Mica Pasta-bistrot, appreciated for its fresh homemade pasta
- In Enna Alta: Tommy’s Wine, an osteria and wine bar appreciated for its selection of wines and its more elaborate cuisine.
- Around Lake Pergusa, several restaurants and trattorias have a good reputation, including Villa Vetri, known for its high-quality Sicilian cuisine.