The Duomo is the most impressive of the historic buildings that line Via Roma, Enna's showpiece street. Built over 200 years after the original Gothic cathedral burnt down in 1446, the current cathedral is topped by a muscular 17th-century campanile (bell tower) and graced with a sumptuous interior. Entry is usually through Jacopo Salemi's 16th-century side portal, which features a depiction of St Martin taking off his coat to cover the poor.

While the transept and polygonal apses offer traces of the original church, the interior is predominantly baroque, from the ornamental coffered wood ceiling and chandeliers, to the scene-stealing altar. Other points of interest include the bases of the grey basalt columns, decorated with grotesque carvings of snakes with human heads; the pulpit and stoup, both set on Greco-Roman remains from the Temple of Demeter; 17th-century presbytery paintings by Filippo Paladino; and the altarpieces by Guglielmo Borremans.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Enna attractions

1. Museo Archeologico di Palazzo Varisano

0.05 MILES

Enna's archaeological museum houses a good collection of local artefacts (labelled in Italian) excavated from throughout the region, as well as objects…

2. Castello di Lombardia

0.27 MILES

One of Sicily's most formidable castles guards Enna's highest point, at the easternmost edge of the historic centre. The original castle was built by the…

4. Piazza Crispi

0.33 MILES

Just off Piazza Vittorio Emanuele is another small square, Piazza F Crispi, commanding sweeping views over the valley to Calascibetta. The piazza is home…

5. Rocca di Cerere

0.39 MILES

Just below the entrance to Castello di Lombardia is a huge rock, which was once home to Enna's Temple of Demeter (Ceres to the Romans), goddess of…

6. Torre di Federico II

0.59 MILES

Secret passageways once led to this octagonal tower, which now stands in Enna's pine-studded public gardens. Once part of the town's old defence system,…

7. Chiesa Madre

1.51 MILES

Calascibetta's most impressive sight is its 14th-century cathedral. Among its highlights are 18th-century paintings by Ludovico Svirech.

8. Necropoli di Realmese

3.09 MILES

Situated 3km northwest of Calascibetta, the Necropoli di Realmese is worth investigating, with some 300 rock tombs dating from 850 BC. To reach the site,…