Piazza Armerina is south of Enna town and north of Caltagirone at about 721 metres above sea level in the Monti Erei Mountains. This medieval town has lots to offer the visitor, particularly its Roman villa with its well-maintained and wonderful mosaics. The villa is about 5 km from Piazza Armerina in a little valley. Piazza Armerina has a long history, but traits from its Norman era are the most obvious. But it is actually thought that Piazza Armerina was founded by the Lombards from Northern Italy. There is evidence of this in the local dialect, which has traces of Lombard. The medieval section of the town is very interesting and the streets around the fascinating Baroque cathedral are narrow and contain more examples of Baroque architecture, but you can also see some Renaissance architecture here, which is rare for Sicily. The cathedral has its own square, surrounded by Baroque buildings such as Palazzo Trigonal, which still has a medieval air about it. There are also other interesting sights in Piazza Armerina, for example the churches San Rocco (Baroque) and San Giovanni Evangelista with is marvellous frescos. Also worth a visit are Palazzo di Città and the Aragon castle from the 14th century. Every year in the middle of August there is huge medieval jousting contest to honour the memory of the Normans, who drove out the Arabs and took over the town. This big party culminates with various knightly competitions and is always a great tourist magnet.
