BUTERA

Butera is a town of some 6,000 located in the province of Caltanissetta. It nestles in a rocky area crossed by a broad valley that the Comunelli creek has eroded over times. The city offers a fine panoramic view of the Erei Mountains, the Etna Volcano and the Madonie Mountains.

The earliest settlement in the area likely dates from the Prehistory. The subsequent Hellenic colonization, by hand of the neighboring Gela, is attested to by necropolises discovered in the city surroundings. The city was then conquered by the Arabs and the Normans of Count Roger. In the 14^th century, Butera came under the Santapau family’s rule. One of its members, Ambrogio, became the Prince of the city.

The tour of the town includes the Mother Church, dedicated to Saint Thomas and renowned for a work of art by Filippo Paladino, and the 11^th century Castle, reduced to a poor condition, and only retaining a rectangular tower with two-light windows and sections of the outer walls.