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Stemma di Nicosia

Sicily · Enna

Nicosia

A Byzantine-Norman royal city at 720 meters on four hills, one of Sicily's principal Gallo-Italic centres where the Lombard dialect nkoukkà still survives.

Known for

  • GALLO-ITALIC

    Nkoukkà, the Gallo-Italic dialect of Piedmontese and Ligurian origin brought by Norman-era Lombard settlers, still spoken in the old town.

  • ROYAL CITY

    Made a city of the royal demesne by William II of Sicily, the only royal city of inland eastern Sicily for centuries.

  • CATTEDRALE

    Cattedrale di San Nicolò, fourteenth-century Gothic foundation with wooden ceiling, raised to collegiate status by Leo X in 1521.

  • PAGNOTTA DEL DITTAINO

    The commune lies inside the Pagnotta del Dittaino DOP production zone.

When to visit

Best · May–Oct

  • J10°
  • F12°
  • M12°
  • A16°
  • M21°
  • J28°
  • J32°
  • A30°
  • S26°
  • O21°
  • N16°
  • D12°
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.

The festa: Nicola di Bari, 6 December

Why come

Nicosia sits at 720 meters in the Erei mountains of inland Sicily, on four rocky hills crowned by a Norman castle. The modern town was founded by Byzantine colonists in the sixth century and expanded under Arab and then Norman rule. When the Normans took the city in 1064, Roger I repopulated it with settlers from Piedmont and Liguria, the Lombardi, whose Gallo-Italic dialect still lives in town as nkoukkà.

King William II made Nicosia a royal city. The Cattedrale di San Nicolò, dedicated to Nicholas of Bari, was begun in the early 1300s under Frederick II of Aragon and completed by 1340, in Gothic style with a fourteenth-century wooden ceiling and a bell tower listed as a national monument since 1940. Pope Leo X raised the church to collegiate status in 1521. The Castello Normanno still stands in ruins above the town, anchoring the highest of the four hills.

The Sunday letter

We haven’t written Nicosia’s letter yet.

One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.

How to get there

From Catania (CTA), about 1h 50m by car.

By car from the centre of Palermo 2h 9m.

There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive without a car.

Coming from Palermo?

Every town within reach of Catania airport.

Nicosia — photo 1
Nicosia — photo 2

What to see

  • Cattedrale di San Nicolò

    Gothic cathedral begun under Frederick II of Aragon and completed by 1340, with a fourteenth-century wooden ceiling and a national-monument bell tower.

  • Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore

    Second great church of the town, on one of the four hills, with a marble polyptych by Antonello Gagini.

  • Castello Normanno

    Ruined Norman fortress on the highest of the four hills, built during the eleventh-century conquest of the city.

  • Centro storico medievale

    Old town spread across four hills, with palaces, churches and stone houses on steep alleys; the Lombard quarter still preserves the nkoukkà dialect.

The slow-trip planner

Building a trip? Find where Nicosia fits in a slow Italy circuit.

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We recommend

Where to eat

Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.

  • Al PilèrRistorante

    Al Pilèr holds two Gambero Rosso forks (80/100) and a spot in the Michelin Guide.

Through the year

What happens here

Feasts and festivals that come back year after year. We give the month rather than the date, because the date moves and the month rarely does. Check with the source before you plan a journey around one.

Living here

  • Population 12,686
  • Very remotei
  • Pharmacy in town
  • High school within a 30-minute drive
  • Train station in the comune
  • Nearest airport Catania, 1 h 50 min drive
  • Regional capital Palermo, 2 h 9 min drive

Common questions

What is Nicosia known for?
Nicosia is a Byzantine-Norman royal city at 720 meters on four hills, one of Sicily's principal Gallo-Italic centres where the Lombard dialect nkoukkà still survives.
Where is Nicosia?
Nicosia is a comune in the province of Enna, in Sicily.
What is the nearest airport to Nicosia?
Catania (CTA), about 1h 50m by car.
Can you get to Nicosia without a car?
Yes. There is a railway station in the comune, so you can arrive by train.
How long is the drive from Palermo to Nicosia?
About 2h 9m by car.
When is the best time to visit Nicosia?
Best in May–Oct. July is the warmest month, averaging 32 degrees, and January the wettest, with about 11 rain days.
Is there a sagra or a festival in Nicosia?
Yes. Festa della Montagna a Nicosia and Festa del Cannolo Siciliano. September is when the first of them falls.
Which other towns are like Nicosia?
Randazzo, Brunico and Ariano Irpino.
How many people live in Nicosia?
12,686 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources

The numbers

  • Elevation: 720 m
  • Population: 12,686
  • Surface area: 218.51 km²

These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.

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