Sicily · Enna
Troina
At 1,121 meters on the Nebrodi ridge, the first capital and first bishopric the Normans set up in Sicily after taking it from the Arabs.
Picked by Peter Benei
Letter to come
Why Troina is on our list
It holds Borghi più belli d'Italia, Città dell'Olio and Comuni Virtuosi.
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Visiting
- Best time
- Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar
- By car
- 1 h 1 min from Catania
- Population
- 8,310
- J7°
- F9°
- M10°
- A13°
- M18°
- J24°
- J28°
- A27°
- S22°
- O18°
- N13°
- D9°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime air temperature, averages for 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
Why come
Troina sits at 1,121 meters on the southern edge of the Nebrodi, one of the highest commune centers in Sicily, with Etna visible to the east on clear days. The area was settled in the seventh millennium BC and the urban core dates to the fourth century BC. In 1061 Roger I took the Saracen castle here and made the town the first political and military base of the Norman conquest of the island.
The Diocese of Troina, established in 1082, was the first Sicilian bishopric founded after centuries of Arab rule. The Chiesa Madre, dedicated to Maria Santissima Assunta, stands at the highest point of the town with its Norman tower still intact, the earliest Norman cathedral built in Sicily. Below the centro storico, the ruins of the Basilian monastery of San Michele Arcangelo, endowed by Count Roger, sit on an outcrop above the Fiume sotto di Troina valley. The Nebrodi Park surrounds the commune on three sides.
How to get there
From Catania (CTA), about 1 h 9 min by car.
By car from the center of Palermo 2 h 29 min.
Coming by train into Catania Centrale? Troina is about 1 h 3 min away by road.
Every town within reach of Catania airport.
First time driving in Italy? Read our complete manual.
What to see
Chiesa Madre (Maria Santissima Assunta)
First Norman cathedral built in Sicily, founded under Roger I after 1061, with its original Norman bell tower still standing at the highest point of the centro storico.
Castello di Troina
Medieval fortress taken from the Saracens by Roger I in 1061 and used as the political and military base of the Norman conquest of Sicily; partial walls and towers survive.
Monastero di San Michele Arcangelo
Ruined Basilian monastery on a rocky outcrop below the town, endowed by Count Roger after the conquest and one of the oldest Norman monastic foundations on the island.
Parco dei Nebrodi
Sicily's largest protected area surrounds the commune; beech and oak forests, San Fratello horses, and ridge trails between Troina and Cesarò.
Belvedere sull'Etna
Eastern viewpoint from the centro storico looking across the Simeto valley to Mount Etna, 40 kilometers away.
Living here
Could you live here?
Troina meets 1 of our 2 rules for a small town.
- 8,310 people, inside our sweet spot of 5,000 to 20,000: a real town, still one community.
- Catania, a city of 298,054, is 1 h 1 min by car. Further than our 30 to 60 minutes, a long way for the hospital visit or the monthly shopping.
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 8,310, down 11.9% since 2015 (Italy's emptying towns)
- Nearest city Catania, 1 h 1 min drive
- A national health service hospital in the comune · how healthcare works in Italy
- Homes in the center: €410 to €610 per m² to buy, €1.50 to €2.20 per m² a month to rent
All the numbers Common questions, designations, lists and sources.
More about living here
- Very remote
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Full fibre reaches 67% of homes
- Primary school in the comune
- Earthquake zone 2, medium hazard
- Catania airport (CTA), 1 h 9 min drive, the nearest with scheduled flights
- Regional capital Palermo, 2 h 29 min drive
If you are moving here
Who lives here
2% of residents are foreign citizens, most often from Romania, Tunisia and Afghanistan, against 9% across Italy. There are 278 people over 65 for every 100 children under 15, against 216 across Italy. 45% of homes have no resident, holiday homes and empty ones counted together, against 27% across Italy. Enna province ranks 87th of 107 in Il Sole 24 Ore's quality of life ranking for 2025.
Health and schools
The nearest emergency room is in Nicosia, 21 km as the crow flies. The nearest major one is in Catania, 54 km away. The nearest IB school is Gonzaga International School Palermo, 116 km as the crow flies.
Information, not medical advice. Confirm with a professional.
Taxes
A home that is not your main one pays 0.76% 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 0.8% to your income tax, with nothing due on income under €15,000. 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 E, on a scale from A, the warmest, to F, the coldest, and heating may run from October 15 to April 15, up to 14 hours a day, unless the mayor changes it. The national maps show no residents in a high or medium flood zone. 21% 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
FIRST NORMAN CAPITAL
Chosen by Roger I in 1061 as the political base of the Norman conquest of Sicily, and the seat of the first Sicilian bishopric founded in 1082.
NEBRODI
Southern gateway to the Parco dei Nebrodi, Sicily's largest natural park, with beech forests and the protected San Fratello horse breed.
OLIO E PANE
Città dell'Olio at altitude; Nebrodi extra virgin oil, mountain bread, and pecorino dei Nebrodi sustain a thin upland economy.
Common questions
- What is Troina known for?
- At 1,121 meters on the Nebrodi ridge, the first capital and first bishopric the Normans set up in Sicily after taking it from the Arabs.
- Where is Troina?
- Troina is a comune in the province of Enna, in Sicily, at 1121 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Troina?
- The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Catania (CTA), about 1 h 9 min by car.
- How long is the drive from Palermo to Troina?
- About 2 h 29 min by car.
- When is the best time to visit Troina?
- Best in Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar. July is the warmest month, averaging 28 degrees, and September the wettest, with about 14 rain days.
- Which other towns are like Troina?
- Cortina d'Ampezzo, Bormio and Innichen.
- How many people live in Troina?
- 8,310 residents, by ISTAT's count on 1 January 2025.
- Is Troina a good place to live?
- By the rules in our Where to Move in Italy series, Troina is a small town that meets 1 of our 2 rules. The nearest city, Catania, is 1 h 1 min away by car. There is a national health service hospital in the comune. Full fibre reaches 67% of homes.
Tags & data designations · numbers · sources
Landscape
The numbers
- Elevation: 1121 m
- Population: 8,310
- Surface area: 168.28 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 Troina appears in
- The prettiest villages within 90 minutes of CataniaNear Cataniawithin 90 minprettiest villages6 towns · smallest 1,076 residents · closest 49 min away
- The prettiest villages inside a nature park in SicilySicilyinside a parkprettiest villages7 towns · smallest 1,664 residents
- The 8 best high-altitude villages in SicilySicilyabove 800 m8 towns · smallest 1,664 residents
- The best mountain towns inside a nature park in SicilySicilymountaininside a park8 towns · smallest 1,664 residents
- The best olive oil towns in SicilySicilyolive oil9 towns · smallest 1,705 residents
- The best mountain towns within two hours of CataniaNear Cataniamountainwithin 2 hours10 towns · smallest 1,705 residents · closest 29 min away
Similar
Towns like Troina
What all six share with Troina: high in the mountains · between 3,000 and 10,000 people · mountain towns above 1,000 metres
The letter
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