Sicily · Enna
Sperlinga
A sandstone borgo at 750 meters in the Nebrodi foothills where a Norman castle and dwellings are carved into the rock as one continuous mass.
Known for
ROCK VILLAGE
About fifty cave dwellings cut directly into a single sandstone monolith, the most extensive troglodyte settlement in inland Sicily.
THE NORMAN CASTLE
Castle hewn from the same rock as the village, partly cave and partly built, the strategic point of the Nebrodi-Madonie crossing.
VESPERS REFUSAL
Alone in Sicily, Sperlinga refused to join the 1282 uprising against the Angevin French and gave shelter to their garrison.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
The festa: Giovanni Battista, 24 June
Why come
Sperlinga sits at 750 meters on the southern slopes of the Nebrodi, in the inland Enna province with about 670 residents. The name comes from the Latin spelunca, meaning cave. The village is carved directly into a sandstone monolith, with around fifty rupestrian dwellings connected by streets and steps also cut from the rock.
The Norman castle, built between the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries on the highest point of the same monolith, includes stables, prisons and forges all hewn into the stone. Sperlinga is famous for one historical refusal. During the Sicilian Vespers of 1282, when the whole island rose against the Angevin French, Sperlinga alone gave shelter to a French garrison and held out against the rebels.
An inscription over a castle doorway once read quod Siculis placuit sola Sperlinga negavit, what pleased the Sicilians, only Sperlinga denied. The village is listed among the Borghi più belli d'Italia.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Sperlinga’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
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What to see
Castello di Sperlinga
Norman-era castle carved into the sandstone monolith above the village, with stables, forges and prisons cut directly into the rock.
Grotte rupestri
Around fifty cave dwellings hewn from the sandstone mass, inhabited until the last century and connected by rock-cut streets and steps.
Borgo rupestre
Rock village around and beneath the castle, the largest surviving troglodyte settlement in inland Sicily.
Chiesa Madre di Sant'Anna
Eighteenth-century parish church at the foot of the castle rock, the religious center of the village and the venue for the Sant'Anna feast in July.
The slow-trip planner
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Living here
- Population 674
- Very remotei
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Nearest airport Sicily, 1 h 54 min drive
- Regional capital Palermo, 2 h 15 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 750 m
- Population: 674
- Surface area: 59.14 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Close by
More towns near Sperlinga
Nicosia
Province: Enna
A Byzantine-Norman royal city at 720 meters on four hills, one of Sicily's principal Gallo-Italic centres where the Lombard dialect nkoukkà still survives.
Petralia Soprana
Province: Palermo
The highest village in the Madonie at 1,147 meters, RAI Borgo dei Borghi 2018 winner, sitting above 80 kilometers of salt tunnels.
Gangi
Province: Palermo
A Madonie hill town stacked down Monte Marone at 1,011 meters, RAI's Borgo dei Borghi 2014 and the launching pad for the one-euro-house programme.
Calascibetta
Province: Enna
A promontory town at 691 meters facing Enna across a ravine, founded in the ninth century as a Muslim camp to besiege Byzantine Henna.
Geraci Siculo
Province: Palermo
A Madonie ridge village at 1,077 meters, capital of the Ventimiglia marquisate from 1258 and the first marquisate granted in Sicily.
🎨 Borghi più belli d'Italia
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Agira
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Castelmola
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A rock village at 529 meters directly above Taormina, the upper acropolis of ancient Tauromenium with a Norman castle and a 1947 almond-wine bar.
Castiglione di Sicilia
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Castroreale
Province: Messina
A ridge town at 394 meters above the Milazzo plain, rebuilt by Frederick II of Aragon in 1324 as a royal demesne and second in the 2018 Borgo dei Borghi.