Central Sicily - Sicily - page 471

THE WESTERN INTERIOR

Bearing the scars of a history of neglect and poverty, Sicily's western interior is a bleached
landscape of rolling hills and small, isolated towns. For centuries the area was divided into
large latifondi (landed estates) owned by absentee landlords, and still today the area seems
remote and largely cut off from the rest of the world. It's a tough area to travel without your
own car, although interest is mainly limited to the main city Caltanissetta and the large Re-
galeali wine estate.

TOP OF CHAPTER

Caltanissetta
POP 60,300 / ELEV 568M
One of Sicily's nine provincial capitals, Caltanissetta is the largest city in the area, a
scruffy, workaday place with little obvious appeal. But if you do find yourself passing
through, there's a fine central piazza and, in the suburbs, a mildly interesting archaeological
museum.
The city, originally founded by the Greeks, enjoyed prosperity in the first half of the 20th
century as capital of the Sicilian sulphur-mining industry and is today an important agricul-
tural centre.

Sights & Activities

Piazza Garibaldi
Caltanissetta's historic centre converges on Piazza Garibaldi, which is a handsome
pedestrian-only piazza flanked by the Duomo , the town hall and the baroque Chiesa di San Se-
bastiano . The Duomo has a late-Renaissance appearance, but substantial alterations made in
the 19th century have ruined the overall effect. Inside, if you find the church open, are fres-
coes by the 18th-century Flemish artist Guglielmo Borremans.

HISTORIC QUARTER

Museo Archeologico
( 093 456 70 62; Contrada Santo Spirito; adult/reduced €2/1; 9am-1pm & 3.30-7pm, closed last Mon of month)
In the suburbs, sporadically signposted from the city centre, the Museo Archeologico dis-
plays a collection of prehistoric finds from all over Sicily, including vases, tools, early Si-

MUSEUM