Between March and April, the heart of Sicily is a never ending rolling green, like an emerald sea rippling in the spring breeze with a young wheat crop swaying on the gentle hillsides as far as the eye can see. Here and there big purple patches of French honeysuckle create a wonderful colour contrast: colours are so lively they look artificial. In June, under a bright blue sky, when the mature ears of wheat dazzle golden yellow, Sicilians know summer is coming. After the harvest, the dramatically when the boundaries of the plots, previously hidden by the wheat, are revealed.

The land is pale yellow with shaggy stubble, black where the stubble has been burnt in order to prepare the soil for tillage, and iron or clay grey where it has been ploughed. In the summertime the feud, seared by the heat and the flames, is barren and desolate and can be disquieting for those who are not used to it. This is the real heart of Sicily:"The estate has always fascinated me, even in torrid summer. I can't explain what I feel in my soul, in front of nature's wild poetry. I feel like I am in days gone by and as if man does no longer exist, or better still, as if he never existed. Then my heart fills with hidden anxiety, in front of these vast solitary estates, sparse with herds of cattle, restless fowl, farmhouses scattered here and there over great distances, infinite horizons, dawns, noons and solemn sunsets, greeted only by the rustling of the wind, among the cardoons white with dust, the melancholy tolling of bells far-away and herders calling out for their bewildered animals to lead them back to the stables for the night".
The landscape we are talking about, described above by the learned Alessio Di Giovanni in La Sicilia newspaper in 1925, refers to the area bordered by the territories of Enna and Caltanissetta, the southern borders of the province of Palermo (i.e. from Lercara Friddi, a town built in 1600 on a grid layout, and Ails, spectacularly clinging to the top of a rocky outcrop) and it almost touches the Agrigento coast, facing the African sea. Here the landscape of the Sicilian estates is gentle and rolling, interspersed with hill towns/villages, some of which were built on these rocky peaks in a remote past in order to defend or control the surrounding territory. The area was originally inhabited by the indigenous population of Sicubans; throughout history various peoples have fought for the domination of the island: Greek, Roman and Byzantine to the east, Phoenician, Carthagenian and Arab to the west, later Norman, Suebian, Angevin, Spanish, until the Bourbon domination defeated by the Garibaldi uprising and the reunification of Italy. Classic civilisation and Arab-Norman domination have left their mark on these inland towns and cities, where classical, Christian, Islam and pre-Hellenic influences merge and create disquieting but fascinating juxtapositions, not only in the architecture but also in the people. Enna, standing along the ridge of the Erei Mountains that border the estate to the east, thanks to its history and geographical location, nature and culture, culminates this extraordinary combination of mixed styles. Enna was called `the navel of Sicily' by Callimachus and is defined as `the terrace with a view of Sicily' by many, and in fact there is a breathtaking panorama of the island at its feet. Enna, the highest capital of province in Italy, stands on a steep hill with a sheer drop to the plain. The Castello di Lombardia is evidence of the Lombard settlement, whose presence is still felt today not so much in the architecture, but rather in the dialect spoken here, which is pure and articulate with closed vowel sounds, musical and quite different from the Sicilian accent.
When Enna, the centre of the island, was conquered by the Saracens, Sicily was divided into three valleys: Val Demone, Val di Noto and Val di Mazara, names that are still used today, despite modern names. Here in Enna, the Greeks established the cult of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, who supervises the inevitable cycle of regeneration and, not so far away, on the green shores of the lago di Pergusa lake, according to the myth, Persephone-Core was raped by Pluto, the god of the underworld. Diodorus Siculo, born in nearby Agira, described these places as follows:


"The clearest evidence that Core was raped in Sicily comes from the fact (at least that is what they say) that the goddesses stayed on this island because they adored it. According to the myth, Core's rape took place in the meadow near Enna. This place, near the city, is the prettiest around for its beautiful violets and wild flowers, worthy of a goddess. It is said that the scent from the flowers in bloom is so strong that it baffles hunting dogs, who fail to follow their trail. This meadow is flat in the middle and waterlogged, raised at the sides, it drops steeply full of crags and precipices. Lying in the middle of the island, it's no wonder it's referred to as the navel of Sicily. Nearby there are sacred woods edged by marshes and a huge cavern with an underground tunnel leading north where Pluto was said to emerge from, with a cart, when he raped Core. The violets and other scented flowers that bloom all year round, oblivious to the seasons, make the place always flowery and enjoyable". Along the edge of lake Pergusa, which has preserved the mythic aura intact, today there is a modern race track, which hosts a busy programme of automobile races from spring to autumn. Opposite Enna, on a twin peak, sparkles Calascibetta with its red stone houses glowing in the afternoon rays. North-east, until the Nebrodi mountains, there is a myriad of unknown hilltop towns and villages, all clinging to the rocky peaks, each one more beautiful than the last, all with a tale to tell: stories of kings, of feudal lords, princes and Saracens, like in the fairy tales. Meet Leonforte, the name says it all (`strong lion, rich from its generous lords, the princes of Branciforti; meet Assoro, with the Valguarnera family Castle, powerful barons, the absolute masters of this area.

Then Gagliano Castelferrato, a little hamlet of Arabic origin built around a gloomy, menacing and unconquerable castle where Frederick II sheltered to escape from palace conspiracies. He remained there for over twelve years, during which time the castle was transformed into a royal and sumptuous residence. Meet Centuripe, extremely prosperous under the Romans, and Nicosia, which under the Normans hosted Lombards and Piedmonts, kings and emperors.

Troina was the first Norman dioceses in Sicily, chosen by king Roger as the residence for himself and his wife Herembergh; lastly, between the rivers Salso and Dittaino, a huge plain, an immense and extremely fertile estate with Regalbuto in the middle, a town that gave its name to an ancient and rich county. To the south of Enna, on the crest of a mountain, stands Aidone, with an Antiqurium displaying archaeological finds from the surrounding area of Morgantina. This very old and mysterious Siculian town has left us remains of temples, sanctuaries, squares, gyms, public buildings, workshops, granary, theatre, elegant houses, evidence of the grandeur of the city in Greek and Roman times. A few km further south is the Villa del Casale in Piazza Armerina, the most extraordinary Roman monument in Sicily, one of the most visited archaeological sites. Built by an unknown Roman landowner, this majestic villa unwinds revealing a succession of splendid mosaic floors throughout the baths, peristyle, basilica, dining room with triclinium, private apartments and guest quarters. The inhabitants of Piazza Armerina speak a peculiar northern dialect, with a Lombard accent: indeed the town, old Plutia, faithful to its Norman king Roger, who had defeated the Saracens, was given the title of piazza d armi for his army who stayed there for many years. Annually, on August 13`"14`" the Palio dei Normanni contest, in Piazza Armerina, pays homage to the beloved Roger, acclaimed as "Sicily's leader and strength"

Continuing the battle for `freeing' the island from the Moors, Roger stormed the heavily armed Arab fortress in Caltagirone. According to one intriguing theory, the name of this town means the "castle of vases", where a hundred furnaces burnt night and day. No other town in Sicily can boast such an ancient tradition of ceramics with such diverse influences (documented in the local Ceramics Museum). Today the traditional style is preserved, but craftsmen are both original and experimental. Multicoloured ceramics decorate churches, buildings, public gardens and streets. Scala del Monte steps, called `a scalazza ; are 142 black lava steps, covered with multicoloured ceramic tiles, that cut the city in two.

The steps are built on three humps between sumptuous 17"-18" century buildings, and link the seat of date, Palazzo Senatorio to the religious see, the main Church of Santa Maria del Monte On July 24`", `a scalazza' is transformed into a magic stage for the S. Giacomo, the patron saint, festival. At 9:30 p.m. sharp, 4,000 decorated paper cones are lit simultaneously and, in a flash, the steps are covered in a glowing mantle.

Caltanissetta probably means "Castle of women", and its old name was Nissa, Sicily's centre of gravity. Here the pastry-making tradition keeps ancient recipes alive: cannileri, cannoli, sfinci pignolata, vucciddati, marmurati, taralli, bersaglieri and nougat reign in "pasticcerie" cake shops alongside the inevitable local Amato liqueur. Local cuisine uses and enhances natural herbs, spices of Arab origins, wild vegetables and it's the fogliamari, wild vegetable gatherers, who conclude the painful Easter triduum carrying the coffin of black Christ on Good Friday

Scattered around the surrounding hills and on rocky peaks, are various towns. For example Pietraperzia, that owes its name to the pre-Hellenic necropolis situated on the crag towards the south of the town;

Mazzarino, with its beautiful palaces built by the noble Branciforte and Lanza families; Butera, high on a rampart between two deep valleys; Mussomeli, with its marvellous castle built by Manfred III Chiaramonte, the founder of the town; Sutera, that is at the foot of the steep rocky Mount S. Paolino that dominates the surrounding sulphur hills;

Cammarata and San Giovanni Gemini blend into one another clinging to a steep crag where the ruined Castello dei Branciforti stands out; lastly, Arab Racalmuto, an "absolutely extraordinary town" as Leonardo Sciascia defined it, where the narrow alleys and courtyards are dominated by the Chiaramonte castle.