Piazza Armerina

Piazza Armerina (Gallo-Italic of Sicily: Ciazza; Sicilian: Chiazza) is a comune in the province of Enna of the autonomous island region of Sicily, southern Italy.

Piazza Armerina Chiazza (Sicilian)
Comune
Comune di Piazza Armerina
View of Piazza Armerina
Coat of arms
Piazza Armerina Location of Piazza Armerina in Italy Show map of Italy Piazza Armerina Piazza Armerina (Sicily) Show map of Sicily
Coordinates: 37°23′N 14°22′E
Country	Italy
Region	Sicily
Province	Enna (EN)
Frazioni	Azzolina, Farrugio, Floristella, Grottacalda, Ileano, Polleri, Santa Croce, Serrafina
Government
• Mayor	Nino Cammarata
Area [1]
• Total	302 km2 (117 sq mi)
Elevation	697 m (2,287 ft)
Population  (2025)[2]
• Total	20,529
• Density	68.0/km2 (176/sq mi)
Demonym	Piazzesi
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	94015
Dialing code	0935
Patron saint	Maria Santissima della Vittoria
Saint day	August 15
Website	Official website

History

The city of Piazza (as it was called before 1862) developed during the Norman domination in Sicily (11th century), when Lombards settled the central and eastern part of Sicily.

The area has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The city flourished during Roman times, as shown by the large mosaics at the patrician Villa Romana del Casale.

Remains, artefacts of old settlements and a necropolis from the 8th century BC were found in the territory of the commune.

Boris Giuliano (1930–1979) was born in Piazza Armerina.

Main sights

Villa Romana del Casale

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Interactive map of Villa Romana del Casale
Criteria	Cultural: i, ii, iii
Reference	832
Inscription	1997 (21st Session)
Area	3.5 ha
Buffer zone	200 ha

Main article: Villa Romana del Casale

Cathedral of Piazza Armerina.

The town is famous chiefly for its monumental Roman villa with its exceptional mosaics in the Villa Romana del Casale, about 3 kilometres (2 miles) to the southwest.

It also has a range of significant architecture dating from medieval through the 18th century. The medieval history of the city is manifest in some of its houses, which show Norman or Gothic architecture. The main landmarks include a range of architectural styles:

• Piazza Armerina Cathedral: church was built atop the 15th-century foundations of a former church, from which the bell tower was taken and reused; completed during 17th and 18th centuries.^[3] Also original to the 15th-century church are the Catalan-Gothic style windows on the left side. The dome dates from 1768. The façade has a notable portal with spiral columns by Leonardo De Luca. The interior, with a single large nave, houses the Madonna della Vittoria (Madonna of the Victory). The Byzantine icon is traditionally associated with the banner donated by the Pope to Roger I of Sicily during the Council of Melfi. The cathedral has an unusual two-sided crucifix by an unknown artist. The Diocesan Museum holds reliquaries, articles of silverware, monstrances and other religious art works.^[4]
• Palazzo Trigona: palace of the wealthy family who commissioned the nearby cathedrachurch.
• San Rocco: church of Fundrò with a carved tufa portal.
• Palazzo di Città (1613), characterized by a fresco ceiling by Salvatore Martorana.
• Aragonese Castle (1392–96). It is square in shape, with square towers.
• San Giovanni Evangelista: 14th-century church with interior frescoes by Guglielmo Borremans and assistants.
• Sant'Anna: 18th century church with Baroque sinuous façade inspired by the buildings of Borromini.
• The church of St. Martin of Tours: church completed in 1163.
• Santa Maria di Gesù: 16th century church now abandoned.
• Garibaldi Theatre.
• Commenda Dei Cavalieri Di Malta (1150) Old Church, run by the Knights of Malta from 1150, now a national monument, at Piazza Umberto 1.

Outside the city is the ancient church of the Priorato di Sant'Andrea (1096), founded by Count Simon of Butera, a nephew of Roger I of Sicily. It has important medieval frescoes.

Demographics

Historical population
Year Pop. ±% 1861 21,716 —     1871 18,279 −15.8% 1881 19,286 +5.5% 1901 24,119 +25.1% 1911 32,427 +34.4% 1921 38,080 +17.4% 1931 25,826 −32.2% 1936 24,527 −5.0%	Year Pop. ±% 1951 26,739 +9.0% 1961 24,887 −6.9% 1971 22,134 −11.1% 1981 21,019 −5.0% 1991 22,355 +6.4% 2001 21,038 −5.9% 2011 22,196 +5.5% 2021 20,733 −6.6%
Source: ISTAT

Culture

Piazza Armerina holds an annual Palio dei Normanni, a re-enactment in costume of the entrance of the Norman Count Roger I to the city. It takes place on 12–14 August.

Language

See also: Lombards of Sicily and Gallo-Italic of Sicily

Piazza Armerina is one of the so-called "Lombard" communes of Sicily, as its dialect differs notably from that of the neighbouring region. This is due to the destruction of the old Piazza by king William I of Sicily, and the subsequent repopulation by William II (according to other scholars, during the slightly later age of Frederick II) with colonists coming from northern Italy (then collectively called "Lombardy"), especially from Monferrato and Piacenza.