Enna – between lake, myth and Sicilian history

On July 2, the Feast of Madonna della Visitazione is celebrated in Enna. It begins with 101 cannon shots and includes a procession in which the patron saint’s Vara, the Nave d’Oro, is carried. Holy Week also shapes the character of the city: A traditional procession of 16 brotherhoods makes its way to the cathedral from Palm Sunday until Wednesday morning, at one-hour intervals. During the Good Friday procession, around 2,500 veiled members of the brotherhoods walk with the biers of the dead Jesus and Our Lady of Sorrows to the sound of various funeral marches. Those who visit Enna therefore encounter religious traditions that visibly shape the course of the year and the cityscape.

Lake, protected area and distinctive landscapes

The Riserva Naturale Lago di Pergusa covers 402.5 hectares in the municipality of Enna and is designated as the Natura 2000 SAC/SPA ITA060002. It is an important resting and wintering area for waterbirds as well as a breeding ground for the Sicilian rock partridge. Lake Pergusa itself is a shallow, slightly brackish tectonic lake with no inlets or outlets. For orientation within the area, it is also noted that Lake Pergusa is the more distant section of the Enna route and can be reached by public bus or car. The Rocca di Cerere offers a different perspective. It lies on an almost isolated limestone sandstone peak that served as the sacred temenos of Demeter and Kore in classical times. The Rocca di Cerere gave its name to a geopark that has belonged to the European and Global Geopark Networks since 2001. Landscape and mythology are therefore closely connected here with the site’s traditional significance, without reducing the rock formation to a purely natural attraction.

Medieval buildings and historic spaces

The Torre di Federico II is considered one of Italy’s best-preserved Hohenstaufen monuments. During his stays in Sicily, it was used as the summer residence of the Hohenstaufen emperor. From the top, the Torre delle Aquile, Castello di Lombardia, cathedral and Mount Etna can be seen. Castello di Lombardia is one of Italy’s largest medieval castles; it was there that Frederick II of Swabia convened the first Sicilian parliament. The cathedral of Enna also combines architectural history and art. It has a basilica-style layout with three naves and a transept and preserves Gothic and Aragonese architectural elements. Inside are five altarpieces dated to the 18th century and attributed to the Flemish painter Guglielmo Borremans.

Myths, museums and specific visitor information

The Museo del Mito in Enna is presented as Italy’s first fully multimedia museum and conveys the myth in a contemporary form accessible to a broad audience. However, the museum is currently closed for renovation work. The Museo Archeologico Regionale di Aidone presents Morgantina as an abandoned, Hellenized indigenous city that flourished during the Hellenistic period. In the Museo delle Confraternite, the exhibition rooms are designed around the guiding theme of the five senses; each room is assigned one sense. For an excursion into mining history, Parco Minerario Floristella Grottacalda offers visitor trails and a picnic area. Guided tours on other days and at other times must be arranged in advance. This note distinguishes the visitor trails and picnic area from the guided tours that must be explicitly arranged.

Other places in the surrounding area

For further orientation, you can also visit Piazza Armerina, Pergusa, Pietraperzia, Aidone, Enna, Troina, Gagliano Castelferrato, Centuripe, Sant'Anna, Calascibetta, Nissoria, Agira, Valguarnera Caropepe, Catenanuova, Regalbuto, Villarosa, Barrafranca and Assoro].