Caltanissetta Tourist Attractions
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Provincial capitalLocationCaltanissetta, capital of the province of the same name, seat of a bishop and largest town in the interior of Sicily, is distinguished by its beautiful setting overlooking the valley of the Salso at the foot of Monte San Giuliano (727m/2,385ft). It is a center for the mining of sulfur, potash and magnesium. The name of the town is derived from the Sican town of Nissa, on the site of which the Arabs built a fortress (qalat).CommunicationsCaltanissetta lies at the point where the SS 122 from Enna joins the SS 640 from Agrigento. It is the end of the SS 191 from Gela and connects with the A 19 (Palermo-Catania, 9km/5.5mi). Railway station on the Catania-Palermo line.Cultural eventsProcession on Maundy Thursday with mystery-groups; Michaelmas Market (September 29th); folk festival (September).
Piazza Garibaldi
The central point of Caltanissetta is the Piazza Garibaldi, in which stands not only the Neptune fountain, but also the Cathedral (1570-1622) with its twin-towered façade and frescoes by the Fleming Guglielmo (Willelm) Borremans (1720). Opposite the Cathedral stands the Chiesa di San Sebastiano with its neo-Renaissance façade of 1891.
Corso Umberto
The Piazza Garibaldi in Caltanissetta is crossed in a north-south direction by the Corso Umberto. At its northern end are the town hall, and behind it the Palazzo Baronale Moncada (1625), a typically Sicilian Baroque building. At the end of the Corso, at the top of a flight of steps, stands the Jesuit Church of Sant'Agata (17th century)
Museo Civico
To the west of the Piazza Garibaldi, in the Via Cavour, not far from the railroad station, is the Museo Civico with finds from the ancient sites of Sabucina and Monte Gibil-Gabel.
Museo Folcloristico
Not far away from the Museo Civico in Caltanissetta, in the Museo Folcloristico (Via Pisani 10), the figures of the mystery groups are stored for the great procession on Maundy Thursday.
Chiesa San Domenico
In the eastern part of Caltanissetta stands the Chiesa San Domenico with its 18th century curved Baroque facade, and inside paintings which include "Virgin of Mount Carmel" and "Madonna of the Rosary" by Filippo Paladino as well as "San Vincenzo Ferreri" by Guglielmo (Willelm) Borremans (Via S. Domenico).
Chiesa Santa Maria degli Angeli
At the end of the Via Angeli, in front of the rock on which the castle stands is the Chiesa Santa Maria degli Angeli, the Gothic doorway of which is a reminder that the church's origins are in the 14th century. The neighboring Jesuit college is today the premises of the municipal library. The rock is dominated by the Castello di Pietrarossa, which has its origins in an Arab fortress.
Map of Caltanissetta Attractions
Map - Caltanissetta
