What to see in Nicosia, itinerary including the main monuments and places of interest, including the Norman Castle, the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore and the Cathedral of San Nicola.
Tourist information
Located 48 km from Enna on the southern slopes of the Nebrodi mountains, Nicosia is an ancient Sicilian center, perched on steps on four reliefs dominated by the spur on which the remains of the Norman castle and the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, dating back to the thirteenth century but entirely rebuilt after 1757.
Among the works inside the place of worship stand out the altarpiece placed in the presbytery, carved by Gagini between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, depicting Stories of the Virgin, and the throne of Charles V, placed at the right pillar of the presbytery.
The Cathedral of San Nicola, which constitutes the main city monument, was built in the fourteenth century.
The portal and the bell tower with large mullioned windows and mullioned windows are very interesting, as well as the remarkable 15th century portico on the left side.
What see
Among the works inside that deserve to be mentioned are the marble pulpit of the Gaginesque school, located in the central nave, the seventeenth-century Crucifix by Fra Umile da Petralia, various seventeenth-century paintings, the choir stalls, in Baroque style, and the trussed ceiling of the fifteenth century, a pictorial realization unfortunately no longer visible due to the subsequent addition of vaults.
The Churches of Carmine and San Michele host sculptures by Gagini, while that of San Benedetto has a remarkable ogive portal decorated with a fifteenth-century rose window.
Sperlinga is located 10 km from Nicosia, a strategic defensive bulwark of the Angevins during the operation of the Sicilian Vespers in 1282.
This village, characterized by cave dwellings, is surrounded by a solitary and wooded environment.
The castle, which is the most important monument, has uncertain origins and appears to be partially excavated in the rock.
