Sicily · Caltanissetta
Sutera
A medieval village clinging to the base of a 800-meter monolith in the Nisseno interior, with an Arab quarter and a sanctuary on the summit.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Sutera is on our list
It holds Borghi più belli d'Italia.
Subscribe and you get Sutera's letter the day it comes out.
Visiting
- Best time
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov
- By car
- 1 h 53 min from Palermo
- Population
- 1,144
- J12°
- F13°
- M14°
- A17°
- M23°
- J29°
- J33°
- A32°
- S28°
- O23°
- N17°
- D13°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Sutera sits at 600 meters in the Nisseno interior, under the great limestone block of Monte San Paolino that rises another 220 meters above the village. The name probably comes from the Greek Soter, meaning savior, possibly for the mountain itself or the fortified Byzantine outpost that controlled the inland passes between Agrigento and Palermo. The medieval village is divided into three quarters: Rabato, Rabatello and Giardinello.
Rabato, the Arab quarter, preserves its original lattice of plastered houses, narrow lanes and stairs climbing toward the mountain. The Santuario di San Paolino on the summit, reachable by a steep staircase cut into the rock, holds the relics of the town's co-patron saints, Paolino, Onofrio and Archileone. Sutera is one of the Borghi più belli d'Italia.
About 1,140 people live in the commune, with around 200 inside the historic Rabato itself. In recent years the village has hosted refugee families through Italy's national reception network, SPRAR and now SAI, and slowed its depopulation.
How to get there
From Catania (CTA), about 2 h 14 min by car.
By car from the center of Palermo 1 h 53 min.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Monte San Paolino
Limestone monolith rising to 820 meters, dominating the village and crowned by the patronal sanctuary.
Rabato
Arab-era quarter on the slope of the mountain, with the original lattice of plastered houses, narrow paved lanes and steep stairs.
Santuario di San Paolino
Sanctuary on the summit of Monte San Paolino, reached by a rock-cut staircase and holding the relics of the co-patrons Paolino, Onofrio and Archileone.
Chiesa Madre
Mother church of Sutera at the foot of the rock, the religious center of the village outside the patronal feast.
Living here
Could you live here?
Sutera is at the end of the road.
- A village of 1,144. The nearest town of 5,000 people, Cammarata, is 25 min away: past our 15-minute rule, which makes this the end of the road.
- Caltanissetta, a city of 58,182, is 45 min by car. Inside our 30 to 60 minutes: close for the services, far enough to keep its own life.
The rules come from our series Where to Move in Italy, written from the places we have lived: Part 1, The End of the Road · Part 2, The Small Town · Part 3, The City · Part 4, The Postcard · Part 5, The Other Half. The towns we would pick are in Part 6, The Best Towns.
- Population 1,144, down 19.7% since 2015 (Italy's emptying towns)
- Nearest city Caltanissetta, 45 min drive
- Nearest national health service hospital Mussomeli, 8 km as the crow flies · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €330 to €490 per m² to buy, €1.40 to €2.10 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- In-between
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 99% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 3, low hazard
- Catania airport (CTA), 2 h 14 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Palermo, 1 h 53 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
6% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Tunisia, Romania and the Ivory Coast, against 9% across Italy. There are 409 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 73% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Caltanissetta province ranks 103rd of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Mussomeli, 8 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Caltanissetta, 25 km away. The nearest children's emergency room is in Caltanissetta, 25 km away. The nearest IB school is Gonzaga International School Palermo, 75 km as the crow flies.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 0.86% a year in property tax at the 2025 rate, charged on the cadastral value rather than the price. A main home pays none unless it is in a luxury category. The town adds between 0.5% and 0.7% to your income tax, depending on your income, with nothing due on income under €12,000. 7% pensioner tax: this town qualifies, for someone with a foreign pension who has lived abroad for five years: 7% on foreign income, for ten years.
Information, not tax advice. Confirm with a professional.
What it costs
The average household in Sicily spends about €1,820 a month, €580 of it on food, against about €2,170 across Italy. A family of three pays about €524 a year for water, on the Sicily average.
Climate and risk
It is in climate zone D, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from November 1 to April 15, up to 12 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. The national maps show no residents in a high or medium flood zone. 49% live in a zone rated high or very high for landslides.
These shares cover the whole comune, not any one street. Check an address on IdroGEO.
Moving from abroad? Which visa you need. Sources: ISTAT, the Ministry of Health, ISPRA, the Finance Ministry, the Ministry of Enterprise, Poste Italiane, the comuni, the IB, International Schools Database, Il Sole 24 Ore, Cittadinanzattiva.
Known for
MONTE SAN PAOLINO
Limestone block rising to 820 meters in the Nisseno interior with the patronal sanctuary at the top, the geographic anchor of the village.
RABATO
Arab quarter of plastered houses, narrow lanes and rock-cut stairs, one of the best-preserved medieval districts in inland Sicily.
REFUGEE BORGO
Hosts refugee families through Italy's national reception network, SPRAR and now SAI, slowing the depopulation that emptied the inland Nisseno villages.
Common questions
- What is Sutera known for?
- Sutera is a medieval village clinging to the base of a 800-meter monolith in the Nisseno interior, with an Arab quarter and a sanctuary on the summit.
- Where is Sutera?
- Sutera is a comune in the province of Caltanissetta, in Sicily, at 600 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Sutera?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Catania (CTA), about 2 h 14 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Palermo to Sutera?
- About 1 h 53 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Sutera?
- Best in Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov. July is the warmest month, averaging 33 degrees, and November the wettest, with about 11 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Sutera?
- Santa Cristina Gela, Novara di Sicilia and Castel di Lucio.
- How many people live in Sutera?
- 1,144 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Sutera a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Sutera is at the end of the road: the nearest town of 5,000 people, Cammarata, is 25 min away. The nearest city, Caltanissetta, is 45 min away by car. The nearest national health service hospital is in Mussomeli, 8 km as the crow flies. Full fibre reaches 99% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Recognized as
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 600 m
- Population: 1,144
- Surface area: 35.58 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.
The ranked lists
Lists Sutera appears in
Similar
Towns like Sutera
What all six share with Sutera: high up, between 600 and 1,000 metres
Santa Cristina Gela
Province: Palermo
both inland in Sicily · both under 3,000 people
Novara di Sicilia
Province: Messina
both inland in Sicily · both under 3,000 people
Castel di Lucio
Province: Messina
both inland in Sicily · both under 3,000 people
Calascibetta
Province: Enna
both inland in Sicily
Monte Isola
Province: Brescia
both under 3,000 people
Bleggio Superiore
Province: Trento
both under 3,000 people
The letter
Read a sample letter
Chioggia | Everyone is wrong about this town
It’s not an alternative to Venice
Letters from the towns we visit. Free.
Paid plans, the moving year and the books are on the membership page.