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Niscemi

Niscemi is a small city and comune in the free municipal consortium of Caltanissetta, Sicily, Italy. It has a population of 24,535 inhabitants.

Etymology
The name Niscemi is derived from the Arabic word نَشَم neshem or its singular form نَشَمَة neshemeh, this being the name of a particular type of tree. == Geography ==
Geography
Territory The town is located on a plateau 332 m above sea level. The municipality covers an area of 9,654 hectares with a population density of 285 inhabitants per square kilometer. Niscemi is situated on a hill nestled in the Erei Mountains and on the slopes of the Iblei Mountains, with a western view of the Maroglio River valley and the Gela Plain. The territory of Niscemi is located in a geological context characterised by Miocene clay hills, covered by a large mantle of Pliocene sands, calcareous tuffs and conglomerates. The Sugherata di Niscemi Nature Reserve is the remnant of a vast wooded area that covers the last foothills of the Iblei Mountains, sloping down towards the coast of the Gela plain. It rises at 330 meters above sea level, on the part of the plateau where the town is located. == History ==
History
Foundation and Norman period Following the Norman conquest, a new town was founded under the name of Nixenum in 1143. Having become a rural fief, the territory underwent radical changes until, in 1324, a branch of the Branciforte family moved from Piacenza in Sicily (in the 13th century) and bought the lands of Nixenum. Niscemi, a simple rural village during the Swabian-Angevin period, was part of the County of Garsiliato, which included the territories of Terranova di Sicilia, present-day Gela. After a complex history, the county was granted in 1393 by the Aragonese King Martin the Younger to Don Nicola Branciforte, Lord of Mazarin, and his successors. A long and intricate historical network connects this event to the founding of Niscemi, officially recognized by the Licentia populandi of June 30, 1626, granted to Donna Giovanna Branciforte on behalf of her son Giuseppe by the Viceroy, Cardinal Giovanni Doria, in exchange for the payment of 400 eleven. This network spans the history of all of Sicily, woven by the most powerful families on the island and leading, as everyone knows, to the repopulation of the region through the policy of large estates and the founding of new cities. The principality of Niscemi was founded in 1627 by the Branciforte family, the city was heavily damaged by the earthquake of 1693 and was completely rebuilt on the same site. Contemporary Age In 1997, a landslide swept away a large part of the Sante Croci neighborhood; 70 homes were destroyed. The church for which the neighborhood is named remained standing on the edge of the chasm but had to be demolished later. 2026 Landslide On January 25, 2026, the town was damaged by another landslide in the same area, spectacular and highly destructive although it caused no casualties: during a storm, a section of the cliff bordering the plateau on which the town center is perched collapsed, destroying some buildings and leaving houses dangerously on the edge of the precipice, while according Italian civil protection authorities have evacuated more than a thousand people within a four-kilometer radius of the disaster. ISPRA's IdroGEO allows the analysis of the landslide through thematic maps, historical data and satellite and ground monitoring systems, used to follow the evolution of the phenomenon. == Monuments and places of interest ==
Monuments and places of interest
The historic center dates back to the second half of the 17th century. Piazza Vittorio Emanuele III is rectangular in shape and overlooks the churches of Santa Maria d'Itria and Addolorata, as well as the Palazzo di Città. Religious architecture Santa Maria d'Itria: mother church of town and it stands in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele III. Rebuilt after the 1693 Val di Noto earthquake. • Church of the Addolorata (18th century) • Church of the Madonna del Bosco (18th century), elliptical plan • Remains of the ancient Nixenum Civil architecture • Belvedere Terrace: formerly known as Tunnu, is a panoramic terrace built in 1803, offering a magnificent view of the Gela plain and the Maroglio River valley. Built in Baroque style at the beginning of the 19th century, it has a rounded shape surrounded by a wrought-iron railing and benches. It represents the final destination of a stroll through the historic center. It was rebuilt in 1921 following damage sustained in a landslide. It was completely destroyed in a landslide in January 2026. In the area below the belvedere, a path dedicated to the Italian aviator Angelo D'Arrigo was recently built. It offers a panoramic view of the Gela plain. ==Society==
Society
Demographic evolution Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) id:barra value:rgb(0.6,0.7,0.8) ImageSize = width:540 height:453 PlotArea = left:50 bottom:50 top:30 right:30 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:29000 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:2000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:100 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo BarData= bar:1861 text:1861 bar:1871 text:1871 bar:1881 text:1881 bar:1901 text:1901 bar:1911 text:1911 bar:1921 text:1921 bar:1931 text:1931 bar:1936 text:1936 bar:1951 text:1951 bar:1961 text:1961 bar:1971 text:1971 bar:1981 text:1981 bar:1991 text:1991 bar:2001 text:2001 bar:2011 text:2011 bar:2021 text:2021 PlotData= color:barra width:20 align:left bar:1861 from: 0 till:9138 bar:1871 from: 0 till:10666 bar:1881 from: 0 till:12110 bar:1901 from: 0 till:14748 bar:1911 from: 0 till:15315 bar:1921 from: 0 till:17230 bar:1931 from: 0 till:15149 bar:1936 from: 0 till:20281 bar:1951 from: 0 till:23928 bar:1961 from: 0 till:24860 bar:1971 from: 0 till:24053 bar:1981 from: 0 till:24585 bar:1991 from: 0 till:26089 bar:2001 from: 0 till:27641 bar:2011 from: 0 till:27975 bar:2021 from: 0 till:25179 PlotData= bar:1861 at:9138 fontsize:XS text: 9138 shift:(-8,5) bar:1871 at:10666 fontsize:XS text: 10666 shift:(-8,5) bar:1881 at:12110 fontsize:XS text: 12110 shift:(-8,5) bar:1901 at:14748 fontsize:XS text: 14748 shift:(-8,5) bar:1911 at:15315 fontsize:XS text: 15315 shift:(-8,5) bar:1921 at:17230 fontsize:XS text: 17230 shift:(-8,5) bar:1931 at:15149 fontsize:XS text: 15149 shift:(-8,5) bar:1936 at:20281 fontsize:XS text: 20281 shift:(-8,5) bar:1951 at:23928 fontsize:XS text: 23928 shift:(-8,5) bar:1961 at:24860 fontsize:XS text: 24860 shift:(-8,5) bar:1971 at:24053 fontsize:XS text: 24053 shift:(-8,5) bar:1981 at:24585 fontsize:XS text: 24585 shift:(-8,5) bar:1991 at:26089 fontsize:XS text: 26089 shift:(-8,5) bar:2001 at:27641 fontsize:XS text: 27641 shift:(-8,5) bar:2011 at:27975 fontsize:XS text: 27975 shift:(-8,5) bar:2021 at:25179 fontsize:XS text: 31062 shift:(-8,5) TextData= fontsize:S pos:(20,20) text:Data from ISTAT Ethnic groups and foreign minorities As of January 1, 2025, there were foreigners residing in the municipality, representing 2.8% of the total population. The following are the largest national groups: • Romania: • Tunisia: • Morocco: == Culture ==
Culture
Education Niscemi has a municipal library, named in memory of Mario Gori, born Mario Antonino Di Pasquale. Since 2006 located in Via IV Novembre in a 19th-century building. It houses approximately 16,000 cataloged volumes as well as a vast newspaper library. The Civic Museum is housed within the former Convent of the Franciscan Friars Minor. It was born from an idea by Totò Ravalli. Its creation is the culmination of 30 years of active research and the collection of thousands of objects, thanks to the synergy between the Municipality of Niscemi, the Lions Club, the Environmental Education Center (CEA), the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage of Caltanissetta, Europe, and the generosity of private citizens. It was inaugurated on October 7, 2018. The private library Angelo Marsiano contains a collection of approximately 4,000 volumes, notes, manuscripts, and documents that the heirs decided to make accessible to the public. The building sits right on the edge of the precipice created by the landslide, with part of it essentially suspended in mid-air: the first 350 books were recovered through a complex operation. Schools The Leonardo da Vinci Upper Secondary School is located in Niscemi. Founded in 1970 as a scientific sixth-form college, in the years that followed it expanded its educational provision by first introducing a language stream, then a socio-psycho-pedagogical stream, and in recent years a technical commercial college and a vocational college for agriculture and the environment, to which the classical sixth-form college was added in 2016. Art The best-known artist in Niscemi was the painter Giuseppe Barone. Originally from Caltagirone but a resident of Niscemi by choice, in 1927 he painted the four medallion-shaped canvases for the Sanctuary of SS. Maria del Bosco, depicting events linked to devotion to the Madonna del Bosco, and, in 1929, a canvas depicting the Madonna, now housed in the Chapel of the Holy Water. Of the paintings, one depicts the town of Niscemi during the earthquake of 1693. There are several local poets, among whom it is worth mentioning Mario Gori, born Mario Antonino Di Pasquale, who was an Italian poet, writer and author of short stories, after whom a main street in the town and a school are named. No less important for his cultural commitment and historical research is Professor Angelo Marsiano, an Italian historian and essayist after whom a school is named. Events • Artichoke Festival is an event that celebrates local identity, bringing together agricultural tradition, culture. It is regional significance held in April, which attracts people from all over the surrounding area. ==World War II==
World War II
During World War II, Niscemi was the location of Ponte Olivo Airfield, a military airfield used by the United States Twelfth Air Force during the Italian campaign. After the war the area was redeveloped and no evidence of the wartime airfield remains. ==American military installation==
American military installation
Today, there is a military radio station for naval communication, U.S. Naval Radio Transmitter Facility (NRTF) Niscemi. Its tallest antenna is a guyed mast, high, situated at 37°7'32"N 14°26'11"E. The United States Navy installation is the focus of ongoing protest by locally based activist groups, who oppose it and demand its removal on grounds of health (danger from electromagnetic radiation), environmental damage and opposition to the use of armed drones in the Middle East, allegedly guided from this base. Allegations of armed drones being operated from this base have never been verified however, as the newly installed MUOS (Mobile User Objective System) was intended as an upgrade to legacy communication equipment, and is not intended to communicate with unmanned flying drones. Niscemi inhabitants say the Berlusconi government did not consult them before granting the US the use of the location. ==See also==
Notable people
• Mario Gori poet, writer, and short story writer in Italian (1926-1970) • Angelo Marsiano Italian historian and essayist (1926-1993) • Alice Mangione Italian sprinter (born 1997) • Simone Cilio Italian film composer (born 1992) == References ==
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