Enna.
Enna is in a position of splendid isolation: it is
the highest provincial capital in Italy, in a beautiful
and unusual location. Archaeological finds attest
that the area has been inhabited since prehistoric
times. Later it was an indigenous centre: first Sican
and then Sicel. In the 7th c. BC it began to assimilate
Greek culture through the influence of Gela, and in
the 5th c. BC the town was completely Hellenized.
In the 4th c. BC it was conquered by Dionysius I and
then by Agathocles, tyrants of Syracuse. During the
first Punic war, Enna was occupied first by the Carthaginians
and then by the Romans (258 BC), who declared it a
free municipium. It was at Enna that in 139 BC, under
the Romans, the first Slaves' Revolt in history broke
out, led by the slave Eunus. When at the end ofthe
Roman period the town passed to the Byzantines, tbey
made it a stronghold in their system of defences,
in view of its advantageous strategic position. This
explains why the Arabs were not able to capture it
until 859 BC, and tben only through an act of treachery
. In this period its original name was changed to
Castrogiovanni, which it kept until1927 .The city
flourished under Muslim rule: agriculture and trade
were once again tbriving activities. This continued
under Nornan rule (1087), when Count Roger left a
strong garrison and increased its fortifications.
In the Aragonese period it received particular privileges
and it was here that Frederick II of Aragon assumed
the title of King of Trinacria (1314) and summoned
the first parliament (1324). Testimonies of this age
still remain the Castello di Lombardia and the so-called
Torre di Federico ("Frederick' s tower").
In modern times Castrogiovanni followed the general
vicissitudes of Sicily. In 1926 it was raised to the
status of provincial capital.
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