Leonforte (''Liunforti'' in sicilian) is an Italian ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' with a population of 14,046 in the

Province of Enna Enna ( it, Provincia di Enna; Sicilian: ''Pruvincia di Enna''; officially ''Libero consorzio comunale di Enna'') is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy. It was created in 1927, out of parts of the Provinces of Caltanise ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. The town is situated 22 km from

Enna Enna ( or ; grc, Ἔννα; la, Henna, less frequently ), known from the Middle Ages until 1926 as Castrogiovanni ( scn, Castrugiuvanni ), is a city and located roughly at the center of Sicily, southern Italy, in the province of Enna, towering ...

, in the centre of the

Erean Mountains The Herean Mountains (also influenced by Italian as ''Erean'') ( scn, Munti Erei; it, Monti Erei; la, Heraei montes) are a mountain chain in central Sicily, southern Italy, mostly located in the central and northern areas of the province of E ...

at 600 metres a.s.l.

History

The ancient settlement of Tabas or Tavaca stood in the approximate location of Leonforte. During the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

period of Sicily, and later under the Muslim

Emirate of Sicily The Emirate of Sicily ( ar, إِمَارَة صِقِلِّيَة, ʾImārat Ṣiqilliya) was an Islamic kingdom that ruled the island of Sicily from 831 to 1091. Its capital was Palermo (Arabic: ''Balarm''), which during this period became a ...

, a

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

was built with a farmhouse in its vicinity. Irrigation systems were introduced and many mills took advantage of the abundance of water. In 1610 Nicolò Placido Branciforti founded a city, naming it ''Leonforte'' in tribute to his family's coat of arms; a lion holding a banner with the motto ''in fortitudine bracchii tui''.

Main sights

*Chiesa Madre (mother church) * Capuchin church and convent (mausoleum that houses the sarcophagus of Princess Caterina Branciforte, who died in 1634, and a painting by

Pietro Novelli Pietro Novelli (March 2, 1603 – August 27, 1647) was an Italian painter of the Baroque period, active mainly in Palermo. Also known as ''il Monrealese'' or ''Pietro "Malta" Novelli'' to distinguish him from his father, Pietro Antonio Novelli I ...

, depicting ''The Election of Matthias to the Apostolate *Church of Madonna del Carmelo *''Granfonte'' (Fountain) *Palazzo Branciforti *Castello di Tavi

Economy

The economy is largely based on agriculture. In the past century Leonforte has always had an agricultural economy with many labourers. This has made the town a stronghold for the political left. There are a few industries located within an industrial zone. Another important activity is construction work. Leonforte has one of the highest unemployment rates of the province, at 22%. Leonforte is adjacent to the road ''Strada Statale 121'' that connects Enna, Palermo, Nissoria, and Paternò. The train station is located 10 km from the centre of Leonforte.

References

Sources

* Giovanni Mazzola, ''Notizie Storiche sulla vetusta Tavaca e sulla Moderna Leonforte'', Tipografia Editrice del Lavoro, 1924 * Domenico Ligresti, ''Leonforte: un paese nuovo,'' in «Archivio Storico per la Sicilia Orientale» a. LXXIV, 1978, I pp. 89–118 {{authority control Municipalities of the Province of Enna