{"id":68387,"date":"2015-02-15T22:15:00","date_gmt":"2015-02-15T21:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sicile-sicilia.net\/?p=68387"},"modified":"2026-10-14T08:31:30","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T07:31:30","slug":"calascibetta-and-surroundings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sicile-sicilia.net\/en\/calascibetta-and-surroundings","title":{"rendered":"Calascibetta and surroundings"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Calascibetta<\/strong> 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 is said to come from the Arabic qal\u02bfat xibet, meaning “castle on the mountain”. The town dominates the surrounding valleys and offers a panorama over the typical Sicilian hills, dotted with wheat fields, olive groves and limestone massifs. Its rather discreet heritage includes the medieval quarter, a Norman tower and especially the rock-hewn caves. <\/p>\n

The foundation of Calascibetta is probably of Arab origin; they set up their camp there during the siege of the nearby town of Enna in 951. In 1087, it was the Norman Roger I of Hauteville who established a fortification there to besiege the Saracens of Enna. According to some sources, Roger had already built fortifications as early as 1062.<\/p>\n

Calascibetta today<\/h2>\n

Calascibetta retains its medieval layout with narrow alleys, small squares and old buildings with Norman, Arab and Baroque influences: an 11th-century Norman tower adjoining the church of Saint Peter  built in the 14th century on the ruins of an old castle, etc. Via Carcere street features very old rock dwellings.
A little further north, one can discover the necropolises of Realmese (9th \u2013 6th century BC), as well as a troglodyte village of Byzantine origin at Vallone Canalotto.
10 km west of Enna, on the road to Villarosa, a small museum is dedicated to trains with an old locomotive.<\/p>\n\n\n