ENNA

:''Enna'' is also a genus of spiders (Trechaleidae).
'Enna' (Greek: ; Latin: 'Henna' and less frequently 'Haenna') is a city located in the center of Sicily in the province of Enna, towering above the surrounding countryside. It has earned a few nicknames, such as "belvedere" (panoramic viewpoint) or the "ombelico" (navel) of Sicily.

Enna is the highest provincial capital of Italy.

Contents

History

Enna in Classical Mythology

Coinage

University, culture and education

Main sights

Monuments

Pergusa lake and archaeologic site

References

External links

History

Archaeological findings have showed the area of today's Enna was settled since prehistorical times.
Enna an ancient and important city of Sicily, situated as nearly as possible in the center of the island; whence Cicero calls it ''mediterranea maxime'' (Verr. iii. 83), and tells us that it was within a day's journey of the nearest point on all the three coasts. Hence the sacred grove of Proserpine, in its immediate neighborhood, was often called the ''umbilicus Siciliae'' – the navel of Sicily. (Cic. ''Verr.'' iv. 4. 8; Callim. ''H. in Cer.'' 15.) The peculiar situation of Enna is described by several ancient authors, and is indeed one of the most remarkable in Sicily. The ancient city was placed on the level summit of a gigantic hill, so lofty as almost to deserve to be called a mountain, and surrounded on all sides with precipitous cliffs almost wholly inaccessible, except in a very few spots which are easily defended, abundantly supplied with water which gushes from the face of the rocks on all sides, and having a fine plain or table land of about 5 km in circumference on the summit, it forms one of the most remarkable natural fortresses in the world. (Livy xxiv. 37; Cic. ''Verr.'' iv. 4. 8; Strabo vi. p. 272.) Stephanus of Byzantium tells us (''s. v.'' ), but without citing his authority, that Enna was a colony of Syracuse, founded 80 years after the settlement of the parent city (654 BCE): but the silence of Thucydides, where he mentions the other colonies of Syracuse founded about this period (vi. 2.), tells strongly against this statement. It is improbable also that the Syracusans should have established a colony so far inland at so early a period, and it is certain that when Enna first figures in history, it appears as a Siculian and not as a Greek city.
Dionysius I of Syracuse seems to have fully appreciated its importance, and repeatedly attempted to make himself master of the place; at first by aiding and encouraging Aeimnestus, a citizen of Enna, to seize on the sovereign power, and afterwards, failing in his object by this means, turning against him and assisting the Ennaeans to get rid of their despot. (Diod. xiv. 14.) He did not however at this time accomplish his purpose, and it was not till a later period that, after repeated expeditions against the neighbouring Sicilian cities, Enna also was betrayed into his hands. (''Id.'' xiv. 78.) In the time of Agathocles we find Enna for a time subject to that tyrant, but when the Agrigentines under Xenodicus began to proclaim the restoration of the other cities of Sicily to freedom, the Ennaeans were the first to join their standard, and opened their gates to Xenodicus, 309 BCE. (''Id.'' xx. 31.) In the First Punic War Enna is repeatedly mentioned; it was taken first by the Carthaginians under Hamilcar, and subsequently recaptured by the Romans, but in both instances by treachery and not by force. (Diod. xxiii. 9. p. 503; Pol. i. 24.) In the Second Punic War, while Marcellus was engaged in the siege of Syracuse (214 BCE), Enna became the scene of a fearful massacre. The defection of several Sicilian towns from Rome had alarmed Pinarius the governor of Enna, lest the citizens of that place should follow their example; and in order to forestal the apprehended treachery, he with the Roman garrison fell upon the citizens when assembled in the theatre, and put them all to the sword without distinction, after which he gave up the city to be plundered by his soldiers. (Liv. xxiv. 37-39.) Eighty years later Enna again became conspicuous as the headquarters of the First Servile War in Sicily (134-132 BCE), which first broke out there under the lead of Eunus, who made himself master in the first instance of Enna, which from its central position and great natural strength became the centre of his operations, and the receptacle, of the plunder of Sicily. It was the last place that held out against the proconsul Rupilius, and was at length betrayed into his hands, its impregnable strength having defied all his efforts. (Diod. xxxiv., Exc. Phot. pp. 526--529, Exc. Vales, pp. 599, 600; Flor. iii. 19. § 8; Oros. v. 9.; Strab. vi. p. 272.) Strabo tells us (''l. c.'') that it suffered severely upon this occasion (which, indeed, could scarcely be otherwise), and regards this period as the commencement of its subsequent decline. Cicero, however, notices it repeatedly in a manner which seems to imply that it was still a flourishing municipal town: it had a fertile territory, well-adapted for the growth of corn, and diligently cultivated, till it was rendered almost desolate by the exactions of Verres. (Cic. ''Verr.'' iii. 1. 8, 42, 83.) From this time we hear little of Enna: Strabo speaks of it as still inhabited, though by a small population, in his time: and the name appears in Pliny among the municipal towns of Sicily, as well as in Ptolemy and the Itineraries. (Strab. ''l. c.''; Plin. iii. 8. s. 14; Ptol. iii. 4. § 14; Itin. Ant. p. 93; Tab. Peut.)
Its great natural advantages, as well as its central position, must have secured it in all times from complete decay, and it seems to have continued to exist throughout the middle ages. In 859 the town was taken by the Saracens, who had to sneak in one by one through a sewer to breach the town's hardy defenses. Their name for the city, 'Qas'r Ianni' (Fort of John), was a combination of "qas'r" (a corruption of the Latin "castrum", fort), and "Ianni", a corruption of "Henna". The name in the native dialect of Sicily remained Castro Janni until the renaming. Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Sicily, established a summer residence here. After the displacement of the Saracens, in the middle ages the name was Latinized to 'Castrogiovanni' (maintaining the meaning "Fort of John"), by which it was known until 1927, when it was changed back to Enna by Mussolini. Today, the town is still important as an agricultural center.

Enna in Classical Mythology

The neighborhood of Enna is celebrated in mythological story as the place from whence Proserpine was carried off by Pluto. (Ovid, ''Met.'' v. 385-408; Claudian, ''de Rapt. Proserp.'' ii.; Diod. v. 3.) The exact spot assigned by local tradition as the scene of this event was a small lake surrounded by lofty and precipitous hills, about 8 km from Enna, the meadows on the banks of which abounded in flowers, while a cavern or grotto hard by was shown as that from which the infernal king suddenly emerged. This lake is called "Pergus" by Ovid (''Met.'' v. 386) and Claudian (''l. c.'' ii. 112), but it is remarkable that neither Cicero nor Diodorus speaks of any lake in particular as the scene of the occurrence: the former however says, that around Enna were ''lacus lucique plurimi, et laetissimi flores omni tempore anni.'' (''Verr.'' iv. 48.) Diodorus, on the contrary, describes the spot from whence Proserpine was carried off as a meadow abounding in flowers, especially odoriferous ones, to such a degree that it was impossible for hounds to follow their prey by the scent across this tract: he speaks of it as enclosed on all sides by steep cliffs, and having groves and marshes in the neighborhood, but makes no mention of a lake (v. 3). The cavern however is alluded to by him as well as by Cicero, and would seem to point to a definite locality. At the present day there still remains a small lake in a basin-shaped hollow surrounded by great hills, and a cavern near it is still pointed out as that described by Cicero and Diodorus, but the flowers have in great measure disappeared, as well as the groves and woods which formerly surrounded the spot, and by the 19th century, the scene was described by travellers as bare and desolate. (Hoare's ''Classical Tour'', vol. ii. p. 252; Gustav Parthey, ''Wanderungen d. Sicilien'', p. 135; Marquis of Ormonde, ''Autumn in Sicily'', p. 106, who has given a view of the lake.)
The connection of this myth with Enna naturally led to (if it did not rather arise from) the peculiar worship of the two goddesses Ceres and Proserpine in that city: and we learn from Cicero that there was a temple of Ceres of such great antiquity and sanctity that the Sicilians repaired thither with a feeling of religious awe, as if it were the goddess herself rather than her sanctuary that they were about to visit. Yet this did not preserve it from the sacrilegious hands of Verres, who carried off from thence a bronze image of the deity herself, the most ancient as well as the most venerated in Sicily. (Cic. ''Verr.'' iv. 4. 8) No remains of this temple are now visible: according to Fazello it stood on the brink of the precipice, and has been wholly carried away by the falling down of great masses of rock from the edge of the cliff. (Fazell. x. 2. p. 444; M. of Ormonde, p. 92.) Nor are there any other vestiges of antiquity still remaining at Enna: they were probably destroyed by the Saracens, who erected the castle and several other of the most prominent buildings of the modern city. (Hoare, ''l. c.'' p. 249.)

Coinage

There exist coins of Enna under the Roman dominion, with the legend "MUN. (Municipium) HENNA" thus confirming the authority of Cicero, all the best manuscripts of which have the aspirated form of the name. (Zumpt, ''ad Verr.'' p. 392.) The most ancient Greek coin of the city also gives the name "ΗΕΝΝΑΙΟΝ" (Eckhel, vol. i. p. 206): there is therefore little doubt that this form (Henna) of the ancient name is the more correct, though Enna is the more usual.

University, culture and education

Enna is now an important centre in archeological and educational studies. The Kore University of Enna, which already became a great protagonist among Italian universities, in quality, boom of students and international relationship, was officially founded in 2004, when the President of the Italian Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi visited it.

Main sights

Monuments

The most important monuments of Enna are:

★ The ''Castello di Lombardìa'' (Lombardy Castle), perhaps the most important example of military architecture in Sicily. It was created in very old times by Sicanians, rebuilt by Frederick II of Sicily and restructured under Frederick II of Aragon. The castle, which bears this name because of the garrison of Lombard troops that defended it in Norman times, has an irregular layout which once comprised 20 towers: of the six remaining, the ''Torre Pisana'' is the best preserved one. It has Guelph merlons. The castle was divided into three different spaces separated by walls: the first courtyard is home to a renowned outdoor lyric theatre in which high quality shows are performed; the second one houses a large green park, while in the third courtyard it is possible to see the vestiges of royal apartments, a bishop's chapel, medieval prisons and the ''Pisan Tower''.



★ The ''Duomo'' (Cathedral), a noteworthy example of religious architecture in Sicily, built in the 14th century by queen Eleonora, Frederick III's wife, but largely renovated after the fire of 1446. The great Baroque façade, in yellow tufa-stone, is surmounted by a massive campanile with finely shaped decorative elements. The portal on the right side is from the 16th century, while the other is from the original 14th century edifice. The interior has a nave with two aisles separated by massive Corinthian columns, and three apses. The stucco decoration is from the 16th and 17th centuries. Art works include a 15th century crucifix panel painting, a canvas by Guglielmo Borremans, the presbytery paintings by Filippo Paladini (1613), a Baroque side portal. The cathedral's treasure is housed in the Alessi Museum, and has precious ornaments, the gold crown with diamonds "Crown of the Virgin," Byzantine icons, thousands of ancient coins and other collections.

★ ''Palazzo Varisano'', housing the Regional Archaeological Museum of Enna, with material dating from the Copper Age to the 6th century AD coming from many archaeologic areas in the Province of Enna.

★ ''Torre di Federico'', an octagonal ancient tower which was allegedly a summer residence of Frederick III of Aragon. The two floors possess beautiful vaults. The aspect of the building is austere. It was part of a bigger complex, named ''Old castle'' and destroyed by Arabs, of which nowadays there remain some pieces of the old, imposing walls on the top of the green hill housing municipal gardens where the Tower rises.

★ The ''Campanile'' of the destroyed church of San Giovanni, features pointed arches with finely shaped archivolts, and a three light mullioned window with Catalan-style decorations.

★ The Municipal Library, located in the ''San Francesco'' building. The latter church has a noteworthy 15th century campanile and, in the interior, a fine painted Cross from the same century.

★ The church of ''San Tommaso'' is also of note for its 15th century belfry, with three orders. It has windows framed by an agile full-centred archivolt. The church contains a marble icon (1515) attributed to Giuliano Mancino and precious frescoes by Borremans.

★ The Janniscuru Gate is the only one preserved of the 7 old gates once located at the entrance of the town. It is a fine 17th century Roman arch, positioned in a charming natural setting under old steps in an area very rich in rock grottoes used as a necropolis thousands of years ago, just under the ancient, traditional quarter of Fundrisi.

Pergusa lake and archaeologic site

Lake Pergusa (Latin: ''Pergus lacus'' or ''Hennaeus lacus'') is set between a group of mountains in the chain of Erei, and it is located 5 km from Enna. It is a vital place in the migratory current of lots of birds. In addition to birds, which are certainly the protagonists of the Pergusa nature reserve, here there are also interesting species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.
Around the lake, there is the most important racing track of Southern Italy, the Autodromo di Pergusa, that hosted international competitions and events, such as Formula 1, Formula 3000 and a Ferrari Festival with Michael Schumacher.
In the area of Pergusa lake we can also find an archeological site, known as ''Cozzo Matrice'', practically the rests of an old fortified village, where some imposing walls dating about 8000 BC, a sacred citadel, a rich necropolis and the remains of an ancient temple dedicated to Demeter, dating more than 2000 years ago.
The important forest and green area named Selva Pergusina (that means "Pergusa's Wood") surrounds a part of the Lake Pergusa Valley, evocating a scenographic panorama.
Pergusa is strongly linked to the myth of the Greek Persephone, Demeter's daughter, which was kidnapped here in the Roman Republic period, by Pluto.

References

★

External links

★ Enna turismo tra archeologia e natura

★ Province of Enna

★ Tourist Agency of Enna

★ ItalianVisits.com

★ Enna Photos