Enna

This calcarenite peak rises almost independently from the main body of the mountain. Its summit was shaped in classical times to become the site of a sacred temenos dedicated to Demeter and Kore. In his speech against the governor Verres, Cicero mentions the presence of statues of Demeter and Triptolemus, a Greek hero associated with the Eleusinian myth, on this same rock. The exact location of the temples is uncertain, but they probably stood in the area currently occupied by the Lombardy Castle. Designed in 2001 as part of a European and global network promoting the connection between specific geological heritage and wider territorial heritage, the UNESCO Global Geopark is named after the Rocca di Cerere. The people of Enna call it the Rocca d’Azeru, a name derived from the Maghrebi term azirhou, meaning ‘rocky peak’.

Known since ancient times, as evidenced by the probably pre-Aryan etymology of its name, Pergo, this tectonic lake is located among a group of hills in the Erei Mountains. These hills almost entirely surround the sub-elliptical basin containing the reservoir. The catchment area is endorheic, meaning that all water flows into the lake and there are no actual tributaries or outlets. These waters are brackish despite having no connection to the sea and collect in the centre of the basin at an altitude of around 670 metres above sea level. These characteristics make the local environment extremely important from a naturalistic point of view and almost unique.
The basin retains most of the natural landscape features that make it evocative and rich in biodiversity. According to one hypothesis, the opening of the lake chasm led prehistoric indigenous peoples to attribute this impressive natural event to chthonic deities, giving rise to the myth of the abduction of Persephone (also known as Kore in ancient Greek), daughter of Demeter, by Hades, king of the Underworld.
However, the date of this subsidence remains unknown due to the lack of studies on the lake’s deep sediments and their chronology. In autumn 2001, a research team from the universities of Catania and Potsdam, assisted by researchers from Enna, excavated a 40-metre core sample to gain a better understanding of the lake’s history and of climate change in the Mediterranean over the past few millennia.
The prehistoric village of Cozzo Matrice was discovered on one of the hills in the lake basin. It is believed to have been a sacred citadel containing small temples for offerings, rich necropolises, sacred buildings, and a natural cave that was transformed into a sacred entrance to the Underworld.
Lake Pergusa, the only true natural lake in central Sicily, lies along one of the main migratory routes of the western Palearctic region. Due to its geographical position and the fact that it is a wetland oasis in a landscape dominated by drought for many months of the year, it is a key area in the migratory flow of many bird species. The lake provides an ideal habitat for birds that, without stopping, fly long distances over the sea to and from Africa, and during migration it offers an excellent resting place for thousands of water birds, especially anatids. These include species of great value and rarity, such as teals, wigeons, shovelers, pochards, coots, the beautiful and rare marsh harrier, and ferruginous ducks – a very rare species of ducks. The basin is currently a proven nesting site for the Sicilian rock partridge, which inhabits the scrubland dominated by broom in the surrounding hills. This hilly environment is also home to buzzards and various nocturnal birds of prey, such as owls, scops owls and barn owls. These birds are voracious eaters of small rodents and invertebrates. In addition to birds, Pergusa is home to mammals such as porcupines and weasels, reptiles such as beautiful marsh turtles and strange ocellated skinks called gongilos as well as amphibians. The lake is also home to interesting endemic microflora and microfauna. Due to a synergy between some of the microscopic organisms that live in it, the lake periodically experiences a unique global phenomenon: its waters turn blood red, giving the landscape a truly distinctive appearance. The main cause of this phenomenon is the copepod Arctodiaptomus salinus, a small ‘shrimp’ that turns red and settles in dense colonies under aquatic plants to protect itself from the summer sun. This pigment is then transferred to the bacteria living in the water, turning the surface of the lake the colour of musty wine lees. A wide strip of hygrophilous and riparian vegetation, typical of saltwater lagoons, surrounds the waters. This vegetation consists of concentric belts dominated by prickly rush, maritime rush, saltwort, and common reed, which form a natural boundary between the lake and the surrounding hills. The Erei Hills, reflected in the water, were once covered in woodland. Today, they are partly occupied by holiday homes and the rural village of Pergusa, and only a portion of the basin is covered by the Selva Pergusina reforestation project, managed by the Regional Forestry Agency. Here, nature is slowly reclaiming lost ground. Among the conifers and eucalyptus trees planted by humans, the oak species that once dominated the Erei landscape are beginning to reappear – holm oaks, downy oaks and the rare Quercus calliprinos. This scenic part of Sicily has been part of the region’s nature reserves since 1991 and, since 1995, has been designated ‘Special Nature Reserve of Lake Pergusa’. A specific law entrusts the management of the lake to the Regional Province of Enna. The management authority has introduced initial measures to protect and enhance the natural environment, including signage, walking paths, rest areas equipped with comfortable benches and outdoor fitness stations featuring rustic wooden equipment for sports enthusiasts.

Managed by Italia Nostra, this Oriented Nature Reserve covers a large area of around 1,500 hectares and is located between the provinces of Enna and Caltanissetta.
Here, nature lovers will find plenty to attract them, including the Capodarso gorges and a variety of magnificent natural environments, not only along the river. The river, winding through wide gorges with meanders and pools of salt water, forms a mosaic of habitats for countless species. It shelters migratory and resident birds such as coots, moorhens, and various herons (ardeidae), alongside reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and hundreds of species of invertebrates. In spring and summer, it is quite common to come across the European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis), which hides among the aquatic vegetation in order to surprise its prey. Easily accessible from both Enna and Caltanissetta, the reserve also protects some of the most important sites of Sicilian mining civilisation. The spectacular valley, populated since ancient times, is located between the two peaks of Capodarso to the east and Sabucina to the west. It was here that the deposits of the sulphurous chalk plateau were carved out, facilitating the cultivation of sulphur mines on both banks. This led to the creation of the Trabonella mine and, on the Enna side, the Giumentaro and Giumentarello mining complex. Following the collapse of the Sicilian sulphur market, the two mining complexes were abandoned. Today, it seems as though the workers, known as the carusi, had fled just a few hours earlier from some unknown threat, leaving behind piles of raw materials, tools, pay records, cars, and underground vehicles. At sunset, the magnificent Capodarso hill glows with its long stretches of amber-coloured calcarenite rock, concealing unexplored karst caves. A glimpse of these mysterious formations is visible in the remains of the so-called Grotta delle Meraviglie (Cave of Wonders). Also visible are remnants of a Hellenised indigenous settlement that once dominated the mountain summit: thousands of pottery fragments, a fortification wall, and a spectacular, enigmatic stone staircase that descends a few steps before jutting into the void of the north-west-facing cliff. The meaning of this staircase remains uncertain. It may symbolise a passage to supernatural worlds, mark a place of torture, or once have served as an escape route equipped with ropes and ladders.

The Mount Bruchito (872 m above sea level) and Mount Cannarella (819 m above sea level) ridges, located south of the town of Enna, form a monocline stretching about three kilometres east to west, as part of the extensive gypsum-sulphurous formation running from Cozzo Cuturo to Mount Capodarso. This formation was created by gypsum from the Messinian evaporation sequence, which rests in continuous sedimentation atop the Tripoli formation. The ridge consists of two cycles of gypsum formation. The lower cycle consists of gypsum locally named balatino, a primary microcrystalline gypsum with millimetre-scale rhythmic lamination. Here, the annual alternation of two types of layer can be distinguished: a light-coloured layer formed by chemical precipitation, composed of gypsum, and a dark layer resulting from detrital, marly-clayey inputs typical of the autumn period. This layer is overlain by gypsarenite, a sedimentary rock composed of sand and gypsum. The upper cycle’s gypsum, clearly visible on the dip slope known as franapoggio– a slope with bedding planes dipping in the same direction as the slope— consists of swallow-tail twinned gypsum crystals known as spicchiolino and gypsum-rich clays. The two cycles differ in orientation, with the gypsum of the lower cycle being much more deformed. At Portella Monaci, on the roof of the Tripoli formation, there are four balatino gypsum banks, each about one metre thick, separated by marly partitions. A bank of gypsarenite, around eight metres thick, closes the succession. The gypsum has been affected by intense folding phenomena. Folds with a small radius of curvature are present in the balatino gypsum and gypsarenite. These are highly compressed, millimetre-scale folds shaped like ‘drops’. On the south-western slope, the effect of runoff water on the chalky soil is visible. There are numerous sculptures whose silver-grey or pure white colour is enhanced by sunlight. These erosive forms are the result of highly soluble rocks being dissolved by running water. Grooves with U-shaped cross-sections and sharp ridges are well represented. They are generally a few centimetres wide, 1–2 cm deep, and range from a few centimetres to a few decimetres in length. There are also numerous mini-craters with sub-elliptical or polygonal contours and parabolic profiles. Evidence of a small sulphur mine operating on the same slope can be seen in the accumulations of rosticci—mine dumps composed of limestone waste generated during sulphur extraction— which are piled up to the west of Portella Monaci.

Managed by the Morgantina and Villa del Casale Archaeological Park, this site lies on one of the hills forming the basin of Lake Pergusa. It contains evidence of a large Hellenised indigenous settlement that existed from the Copper Age to the Classical period. A vast sacred temenos opens onto a breathtaking landscape that stretches across much of the island.

An ancient road traversed in devotion to the goddess Ceres, leading to the votive area at the summit. According to Diodorus Siculus, pilgrims came from all corners of Sicily to the valley below the Rocca, a place known as the ‘Garden of Enna’. As they climbed up the slope, numerous shrines and altars could be seen. The frescoes in the Grotta dei Santi and the remains of the fortification walls bear witness to Byzantine attempts to defend against the Arab conquest. The Arabs, in turn, introduced a system of water channels to irrigate the fields, which the Normans later modernised by adding cisterns used in leather processing. Evidence of the area’s continuous religious use can be seen in a small Roman church, of which only the load-bearing walls remain today. This church was built on top of a former Greek banquet hall that was used for animal sacrifices to the goddess Ceres. The area surrounding the church also contains Greek votive shrines where statuettes honouring the goddess of the harvest were once placed.

The castle, which covers almost three hectares, largely retains the original structure built by Frederick II of Swabia in the 13th century. It was constructed on the site of an ancient acropolis and earlier Byzantine, Arab, and Norman fortifications. It is divided into three large courtyards and a ravelin capable of functioning as separate castles. It is equipped with several towers and housing structures suitable for a military presence, as well as for the residence of the Swabian court. Once damaged during Manfredi’s reign, the Swabian palatium is now less visible, partially replaced by the towering 13th-century Torre Pisana. This symbol of the city’s identity is used as an urban recreational area and is enlivened by cultural and entertainment events.

Surrounded by an urban park, this medieval castle consists of the remains of a vast octagonal wall with two arched gates. In the centre stands a large octagonal tower which, at over 25 metres high, rises well above the roofs of the surrounding neighbourhoods. Although its attribution is uncertain, the tower’s Swabian architectural features suggest that it dates back to the reign of Frederick II of Swabia.

This is the only surviving defensive city gate still accessible to visitors. With a moulded round arch and traces of crenellations above, the gate is believed to have been part of a complex defensive system that included eleven other gates, although these no longer exist. Its name is of Arabic origin and comes from the nearby water source, which still exists today. This source was essential for people and animals entering Enna through this access point. The gate is set among rocky caves, which were once used as dwellings, places of worship, or burial sites. Many of these caves, including the famous Grotta della Spezieria, are now difficult to access, but traces of them can still be seen on the rock faces of the city.

The museum illustrates life in the area from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages. It traces the interaction between the cultures of the Sicani and the Siculi populations and the Greeks in this area, which would later become known as the umbilicus Siciliae due to its role as a hub connecting different parts of the island. Visitors can see the results of the first contacts with the Chalcidian colonies on the east coast through the exhibits. Funerary objects recreate the social environment of the 6th–5th centuries BCE, featuring a warrior class steeped in Greek culture and high-ranking local women. There are also sanctuaries where Greek-style cults were practised by the local population, such as the Sanctuary of Demeter Hennaia, which was extremely important throughout antiquity. The exhibition also covers the Middle Ages, when Enna was home to an important castle.

This multisensory museum, located in the Urban Cultural Centre of Enna, aims to enhance and promote the rituals and traditions of Holy Week and the confraternities of Enna. It features five immersive rooms set up inside the former Capuchin convent.

This project was created to preserve and promote the Rocca di Cerere archaeological site and the Lombardy Castle, offering an innovative approach to artistic heritage and content. Ancient literary and iconographic sources have been transformed into accessible media thanks to the collaboration of historians, archaeologists, architects, teachers, researchers and nature guides.

The Archaeological Museum is housed in the 18th-century Palazzo Varisano. The exhibition follows a topographical layout, organized according to the geographical areas and contexts of origin of the artefacts on display. It documents the cultural and settlement history of the province of Enna from prehistoric times to the Middle Ages. The towns of Aidone and Piazza Armerina have their own museums and are not included in the exhibition. The collections stem from excavations carried out by the Superintendency, as well as private donations and transfers of materials from the archaeological museums of Syracuse and Agrigento. The building itself also holds historical significance, as it was here that Giuseppe Garibaldi delivered his famous speech on 13th August 1863, which ended with his famous words “Rome or death!”.

Featuring 52 indigenous varieties, wheat represents an extraordinary genetic heritage that is essential for protecting biodiversity and shaping the local food and production culture.

Among these is Grano Timilia, also known as Tumminìa, an ancient variety of durum wheat known since at least the Middle Ages. It is cultivated in the valleys of Sicilian rivers, especially the Imera Meridionale, even in areas with very little water, and boasts excellent protein content. The resulting flour can be kneaded with small amounts of water, making it ideal for bread-making and pasta production. Another variety is Grano tenero Maiorca, which features a square-shaped ear and lacking awns. Flour obtained from this wheat has traditionally formed the base for bread and especially desserts. Though it was abandoned with the advent of modern varieties due to its low yield per hectare, it has now been rediscovered and is organically grown by several farms in the Rocca di Cerere Geopark area, mainly to meet the demands of traditionalist pastry chefs.

Maiorca flour was once exclusively used to make communion wafers, and in monasteries it was skilfully blended with ground almonds to make Pasta Reale or Martorana.

This PDO-certified product, also known as Pagnotta del Dittaino or Pandittaino, is one of the many variations born from repeated experimentation with the art of breadmaking. It is made with re-milled durum wheat semolina from varieties grown in the area traversed by the Dittaino River – a cradle of wheat and bread culture rooted in centuries of tradition.

Sheep farming has played a decisive role in the area’s economic development, with origins so ancient they blend into legend. In the Rocca di Cerere Geopark, large flocks of sheep are always accompanied by sheepdogs of two Sicilian breeds selected for this purpose: the Sicilian Shepherd (also known as the Cane di Mannara) and the Spino degli Iblei. The sheep come from various breeds, all selected for their ability to survive the inland pastures – a patchwork of biodiversity that, in summer, resembles a continental steppe. Since at least the Copper Age, and possibly since Neolithic times, the milk produced in this region has been used by shepherds to make cheese. Initially, it was naturally curdled, thickened and soured without additives. Over time, techniques became more refined, including coagulating milk with natural rennet. The rich variety of fresh and aged sheep’s milk cheeses includes tuma, a fresh, soft cheese already showing compact texture; pieces in the first salting stage, either plain white or seasoned with local almonds; saffron cheese, golden in colour and flavored with evaporite salt and the precious spice; and ricotta, obtained from the second processing of whey, which can be plain or saffron-infused, and is enjoyed fresh, used in desserts, salt-cured, or oven-baked.

The olive tree (Olea europaea) arrived in Sicily during the Bronze Age, as evidenced by fossil pollen studies in the lakebed deposits of Lake Pergusa, which revealed a substantial presence of the species during that period. Initially cultivated to produce lampante oil, the earliest fuel used to illuminate protohistoric dwellings, the tree was quickly recognised as a nutritious food source and a means of preserving other foods. With close link to light and regarded as a symbol of resilience, it has shaped the landscape of Sicily’s inland hills ever since. According to research by Italy’s National Research Council (CNR), this region offers the tree its ideal climatic niche. Today, the Pergusa basin hosts the world’s largest and most diverse collection of olive cultivars, with specimens sourced from all olive-growing regions.

This spice, obtained from the stigmas of the Crocus sativus flower, has been cultivated since ancient times and has certainly been present in the soil of the Messina area since antiquity. It is a product of excellence, but one that is also challenging to produce. Its cultivation is now undergoing a revival, allowing it to remain a key ingredient in various dairy and gastronomic preparations, where it plays a prominent role. The species probably originated in the Aegean and Asia Minor and is the result of human selection – it does not exist in nature like C. sativus. Without the skilful intervention of farmers, it cannot grow or spread. It contains over 150 different chemical compounds, including carotenoids, which enable the dried stigmas to impart their vivid yellow colour to food. The plant thrives in calcareous and clay-rich soils, taking root readily in the fields of the Dittaino valley and its smaller tributaries.

Almond trees (Prunus dulcis) are cultivated in the chalky, sulphur-rich soils of Sicily’s inland regions, where they are able to withstand scorching, dry summers. They are often grown in rotation with cereals, legumes and fodder crops. The almond lies at the heart of Sicily’s longstanding confectionery tradition. Before the arrival of cocoa, almond paste gave master pastry chefs, the island’s monsù (aristocratic chefs of French influence who shaped Sicilian cuisine between the 18th and 19th centuries), and even nuns in Sicilian convents, a medium for sweet sculptural expression, as seen in the miniature marvels of Pasta Martorana or Pasta Reale. Local varieties such as pizzuta and piaciattutti are now being revived in the Geopark area by careful, tenacious farmers.

Often called Sicilian polenta, Frascatula is listed among the traditional agri-food products (PAT) of the Sicily region. Its origins date back to Roman times, when wheat flour, cereals, and legumes were cooked with vegetables to create a thick soup called puls – the linguistic root of the word polenta. In the town of Enna, Frascatula is prepared using a blend of semolina and grass pea flour. It may also include seasonal vegetables and Italian bacon, known as pancetta, making it a hot and hearty winter dish.

The name buccellato comes from the Latin buccellatum, referring to bread that can be divided into bite-sized pieces, or buccelli. The name is used for various desserts, some more complex than others, which are all eaten in winter, particularly at Christmas. They are all filled with dried fruit and figs. The typical version from Enna consists of a shortcrust pastry shell with two layers filled with a mixture of flavoured and seasoned dried figs or almond paste.

The name derives from the Latin mustace, meaning ‘bay leaf’, as sweet focaccia wrapped in bay leaves and then baked was traditionally prepared for weddings and celebrations. In the Enna tradition, mustazzola (or mastazzola) are hard, chewy biscuits made with honey and no leavening agents. They are mainly eaten during lengthy patron saint festivities.

An artisanal ice cream featuring a chocolate coating and a sponge cake core soaked in Alchermes liqueur, studded with candied fruit. It occasionally includes a zabaglione filling.

A complex cycle of religious celebrations of late medieval origin, deeply influenced by Spanish tradition, unfolds annually during Easter. This ritual sequence represents the city’s most important religious and cultural event and one of the most significant manifestations of Holy Week in Sicily. Each year, the celebrations draw thousands of believers and visitors, transforming the historic centre into a vibrant stage of collective ritual and devotion. Recognised by the Sicilian Region for its cultural and devotional value, Enna’s Holy Week has been included in the Register of Intangible Heritage (REI) of Sicily and designated an event of international tourist interest.
The central event takes place on Good Friday, with a solemn and deeply moving procession involving around 3,000 members of the city’s historic confraternities. The earliest of these brotherhoods date back to the late Middle Ages and saw significant growth in the 17th century, likely due to Spanish influence modelled on Iberian confradías. These groups played a vital social role within the community.

Participants, clad in traditional garments, their faces veiled by hoods, solemnly parade through the streets bearing on their shoulders the fercoli –sacred statues of the Dead Christ and the Sorrowful Mother. The procession is accompanied by funeral marches performed by the town band, based on original compositions that heighten the atmosphere of mourning and spiritual reflection.
Holy Week in Enna culminates on Easter Sunday with the Paci, a symbolic encounter between the statues of the Risen Christ and the Virgin Mary, who removes her black veil in a gesture of joy and resurrection. The confreres carry both statues swiftly and reverently to the cathedral, where they remain until Low Sunday. Eight days later, the Spartenza marks their separation, symbolising the conclusion of the Easter cycle.

In the first half of the 14th century BCE, the pagan cult of the goddess Ceres was gradually replaced in the city of Enna by the Christian feast dedicated to Maria Santissima della Visitazione. This process of cultural syncretism preserved some of the original rituals, reworking them in a Christian context. A case in point is the transformation of the ancient ceremonial priests of Ceres into the Grande Compagnia degli Ignudi, a brotherhood that still actively participates in the procession today. During the procession on 2nd July, the statue of the Madonna, now adorned with gold ex-voto offerings donated by worshippers, is carried on a majestic fercolo known as the Nave d’Oro through the upper town. On the second Sunday of July, the return procession, known as Madonna a’ Muntata, brings the statue back to the cathedral, carried on the shoulders of the members of the Visitazione confraternity. During the festival, people prepare viscotta or vastedda da Madonna at home and often offer them as ex-voto or donate them during the celebrations.

This annual event takes place on 13th and 14th September in the picturesque natural setting of the Santuario del Santissimo Crocifisso di Papardura in Enna, located on a rocky hill. The origins of the cult date back to the early centuries of Christianity, when shepherds and farmers would gather in natural caves to pray together. The current sanctuary, built in 1696, incorporates the original cave containing the image of the Crucifix. A significant episode in the development of the sanctuary’s devotional identity is linked to a famine that struck the city in 1742. As a sign of penance, the population went in procession barefoot to the sanctuary, begging for an end to the food crisis. According to legend, following this collective act of faith, the subsequent harvest was so abundant that it exceeded the capacity of the local warehouses.

The festival is currently organised by the historic Congrega dei Massari, in collaboration with devout families and the faithful.