The sulphur of Cianciana is unlike any other: it crystallises in hexagonal form, and for that reason samples of it sit in the natural history museums of London, Berlin, Bern, Milan and Washington. The mines closed in the 1960s because the mineral lay too deep.
With sulphur the town had grown to ten thousand people; then they left for England, France, Germany, America, and today fewer than half remain. Cianciana stands at 390 metres, facing south, closed in by the Sicani mountains above the Platani valley; it was founded on 4 October 1646 by the Joppolo family under the name Sant'Antonino di Cianciana. There are 3,517 residents.
Arancina · Pasta alla Norma
Compare hotels, B&Bs and holiday homes on Booking.com for your dates.
Next up: Saint Anthony of Padua, patron celebrated with illuminations and a marching band, Sunday 13 June
Nearest airport: Palermo Falcone-Borsellino, 79 km away
No events match these filters.
📅 Every year, on 13 June, with a procession of the wooden statue after the solemn Mass
Cianciana celebrates Saint Anthony of Padua on 13 June: after the solemn Mass, the saint's wooden statue is carried in procession through the town's streets, decorated with illuminations and accompanied by the marching band.
Saffron rice, ragù with peas and caciocavallo cheese inside a golden crust. Round and feminine in Palermo, pointed and called arancino in Catania: the quarrel is serious.
Read more →Straight-line distances from the town centre. Tap a point to open its page.
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
