Nicosia

This small Sicilian hill town in the province of Enna rises across four rocky hills, with the ruins of a medieval castle visible from below and an unusual concentration of churches for its size — a legacy of its long run as a diocesan seat and a royal demesne town from the 12th century onward. Norman ruler Roger repopulated Nicosia with Lombard settlers whose Gallo-Italic dialect survives among older residents today, and Frederick II later added to its artistic heritage.

• Population12,686
• Nearest water1.4 km
• Nearest mountain11.6 km
• UNESCO within 50 km2