Calascibetta
Calascibetta
Calascibbetta (Sicilian) | |
|---|---|
| Comune di Calascibetta | |
 Panorama of Calascibetta | |
  Calascibetta Location of Calascibetta in Italy  Calascibetta Calascibetta (Sicily) | |
| Coordinates: 37°35′N 14°16′E / 37.583°N 14.267°E | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Sicily |
| Province | Enna (EN) |
| Frazioni | Cacchiamo, Buonriposo, Lago Morello |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Piero Antonio Santi Capizzi |
| Area | |
• Total | 89.12 km2 (34.41 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 691 m (2,267 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 3,948 |
| • Density | 44.30/km2 (114.7/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Xibetani |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 94010 |
| Dialing code | 0935 |
| Patron saint | St. Peter in chains |
| Saint day | First Sunday of August |
| Website | Official website |
Calascibetta (Sicilian: Calascibbetta) is a town and comune (municipality) in the Province of Enna in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy. It has 3,948 inhabitants.[4][5]
It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy").[6]
History
It was assumed that Calascibetta was founded in the 9th century as a Muslim military camp, on the fortress in front of Henna, to attempt the siege of the Byzantine stronghold. The territory was already inhabited in ancient times, as evidenced by the necropolis of Calcarella (11th and 10th centuries BC), of Realmese (with tombs of the 9th and 6th centuries BC), of Valle Coniglio (10th and 7th century BC) and of Malpasso (Copper Age).
Frequented in the Byzantine era as evidenced by nineteenth-century documents relating to frescoed caves used by Basilian eremitic monks, it is believed that a real foundation of Calascibetta took place with the Norman conquest of the island, where it appears mentioned in 1062, when it was fortified by Roger I, who had built the castle called "Marco", the first walls, the first village, during the siege of Castrogiovanni, and the great cathedral dedicating it to the Virgin Mary and to the Apostle St. Peter.
Unlike many of the small towns in Sicily, Calascibetta remained a city owned by the central royal government, and not a private feudal property. As such, it experienced a period of unmatched splendor, favored and preferred as it was by the Aragonese kings, including Peter II who died there during a stay, who endowed it, following the example of the Normans, with churches and monuments. Its inhabitants are called Xibetans.
In 1492, Calascibetta was one of about 50 towns in Sicily which included a giudecca, or a Jewish urban neighborhood, typically now labeled as a ghetto.[7]
Demographics
As of 2026, the population is 3,948, of which 48.9% are male, and 51.1% are female. Minors make up 13.2% of the population, and seniors make up 26.9%.[8][9]
Historical population | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: ISTAT[10][11] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Immigration
As of 2025, of the known countries of birth of 3,959 residents, the most numerous are: Italy (3,774 – 95.3%), Romania (48 – 1.2%), Belgium (46 – 1.2%), Germany (39 – 1%).[12][13]
Main sights
- Sant'Antonio church
- San Francesco D'Assisi
- San Pietro e Santa Maria Maggiore: Mother church of the town
- Maria Santissima del Monte Carmelo
- Santa Maria della Catena
References
- ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011" (in Italian). ISTAT.
- ^ "Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2026-01-01. Retrieved 2026-04-01. (On the search form, choose the statistical region of the municipality in the Area section, the Region, the Province, and the name of the Municipality)
- ^ "Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2026-01-01. Retrieved 2026-04-01.The file URL linking on technical dataset.
- ^ "Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2026-01-01. Retrieved 2026-04-01. (On the search form, choose the statistical region of the municipality in the Area section, the Region, the Province, and the name of the Municipality)
- ^ "Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2026-01-01. Retrieved 2026-04-01.The file URL linking on technical dataset.
- ^ "Sicilia" (in Italian). Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- ^ Italia Judaica: Gli ebrei in Sicilia sino all'espulsione del 1492, article titled Gli ebrei prima e dopo il 1492 by Francisco Renda, page 36.
- ^ "Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2026-01-01. Retrieved 2026-04-01. (On the search form, choose the statistical region of the municipality in the Area section, the Region, the Province, and the name of the Municipality)
- ^ "Resident population by age, sex and marital status on 1st January 2026". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2026-01-01. Retrieved 2026-04-01.The file URL linking on technical dataset.
- ^ "Popolazione residente dei comuni. Censimenti dal 1861 al 1991" [Resident population of the municipalities. Censuses from 1861 to 1991] (PDF) (in Italian). ISTAT. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2025-11-12.
- ^ "Resident population - Time series". ISTAT.
- ^ "Resident population by sex, municipality and individual citizenship or country of birth from year 2002". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2025-01-01. Retrieved 2025-02-27. (Click on 'View by country of birth', and on the search form, choose the statistical region of the municipality in the Area section, the Region, the Province, and the name of the Municipality)
- ^ "Resident population by sex, municipality and individual citizenship or country of birth from year 2002". demo.istat.it. ISTAT. 2025-01-01. Retrieved 2025-02-27.The file URL linking on technical dataset.
External links