The name of Caltanisetta seems to derive from the Arabic "Qalat-an-Nisa", or "castle of women", but it is during the Norman domination that the city sees its first period of expansion. Under the Bourbons Caltanisetta became the provincial capital. The history of Caltanisetta is closely linked with that of the sulphates present in the area. The activity of the latter made the city the mining hub of Sicily until the first decades of the last century, however, paying a very high price in terms of human lives.
If you have some time to spend in the city you cannot miss the market of the ancient Strata 'a Foglia district, born in 1500 to bring together in one place all the vegetable sellers to whom the same tax was applied, called `` leaf' '(shape ) hence the name of the market.
The week before Easter, on the other hand, is Holy Week, a set of processions and religious events linked together from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.