Licata Sicily
Canicatti, Sicily
Chiesa Spirito Santo, Canicatti, Sicily
The name of Canicattė is of Arabic origin, from خندق الطين Khandaq
al-ṭīn, meaning 'clay ditch'.
During the conquest of Sicily by the Normans, the local
Muslim lord was besieged and defeated by baron Salvatore Palmeri (1087),
a follower of Roger I of Sicily
U Cannuni Castello, Mazzarino, Sicily
Lunch in Barrenfranca, Sicily
Il Gelso Nero Restaurant - Carpaccio appitizer plate
Il Gelso Nero
Gnocchi in a red sauce
The road to Pietraperzia, Sicily
Pietraperzia, Sicily
The road to Enna, Sicily
From Enna looking north to Calascibetta
Piazza Scelfo, Enna
My apartment is located in the back building, on the far
right,
the single window facing the piazza.
The view from Enna looking northeast towards Mt. Etna
The city of
Enna (known as Castrogiovanni until the 1920s) is located
high on a mountaintop almost in the exact center of
Sicily,
affording a panoramic view overlooking the scenic valleys
of Sicily's rugged interior.
Enna's position makes it a natural strategic defensive
position; any army that sought to control Sicily's
interior would have to hold Enna.
Historically,
Enna is unique in being the only important city of
ancient Sicily that was not founded by foreign invaders;
it was established by one of Sicily's three
indigenous peoples, the Sicels (or Siculi),
from whom the name "Sicily" (from Sikelia) itself
derives.
This makes Enna one of the oldest continuously-inhabited
cities on the island.
Enna's main
attraction is the Lombard Castle, built by Frederick II in
the early part of the 13th century.
Many historians, however, agree that the castle was
erected upon the ruins of an earlier fortification,
possibly Arab or Byzantine.
That older fortress could have been built on the remnants
of an even earlier structure dating to the Roman period.
It is
believed that the castle's name derives from the fact that
Frederick II garrisoned the fort with troops from what is
now northern Italy.
In the 14th Century, Frederick III (son of Peter of
Aragon), as ruler of Sicily, further improved the castle's
defenses.
It was here that he was crowned "King of Trinacria."
The "Lombard
Castle" originally had 20 towers, but only six have
survived to the present day.
The so-called Pisan Tower is the tallest and offers a
breathtaking panoramic view of Sicily's scenic Dittaino
Valley.
The castle
is built in three levels of courtyards which seem to run
haphazardly into each other.
One of these courtyards serves as an open-air theatre;
archaeological excavations are being conducted in the
others.
Leaving Enna after my 3 day trip to begin my 2016
vacation in Sicily
Spending a month in Petralia Soprana.....
