Riesi Between Mining History, Sacred Art and Wine

Mining History at Trabia Tallarita

The Trabia Tallarita museum complex is located on State Road 190, which connects Riesi and Sommatino. It forms part of Riesi’s industrial history. Around 1920, 12 % of the world’s sulfur production was extracted at Trabia Tallarita, and 3,000 miners worked underground. The adjoining museum buildings house the permanent photographic exhibition “Sulfaro e sulfatari” about life in the mine. The sulfur production and the miners’ work are part of the same historic site.

Sacred Art and Churches in Riesi

The Chiesa Maria Santissima del Rosario was completed in 1775. It features a Baroque façade next to an Arabesque-style bell tower with a dome. In this church, these architectural forms stand alongside a precisely known year and give the house of worship a clear architectural focus.

The main altar of the Chiesa Maria Santissima della Catena features a sacred image of the Madonna della Catena. The Chiesa San Giuseppe is known for the fresco “Lo Sposalizio di Maria Vergine e Giuseppe.” Riesi is thus home to both an altarpiece and a fresco associated with specific churches.

Significant religious celebrations take place in the Chiesa Maria Santissima della Catena. These include a festival in honor of the Madonna, which attracts numerous worshippers every year. At the same time, the church is an important place of worship for the local community. Alongside the altarpiece, the church’s religious use is therefore part of its traditional significance in the town.

DOC Wines Bearing the Name Riesi

The “Riesi” DOC designation includes the wine types “Riesi” rosso, “Riesi” Novello, “Riesi” rosato, “Riesi” bianco, “Riesi” spumante, “Riesi” vendemmia tardiva, “Riesi” superiore and “Riesi” superiore riserva. The range therefore includes different Italian wine types under the shared name “Riesi,” without limiting the geographical reference to a single wine.

The production area of the “Riesi” DOC wines covers the entire administrative territory of Riesi. The wine reference thus extends beyond individual wine types to the town’s entire administrative territory.

Archaeological Traces of the Copper Age

The area of Riesi contains Copper Age necropolises in the Contrade Costa di Mandorle, Porco Spino, Birrigiolo and Strazzo. These four place names identify specific areas within the territory of Riesi and complement the later historical and religious themes with an archaeological period. The four sites are located in different Contrade and are consequently spread across several specific areas within the territory of Riesi.

Culture enthusiasts in Riesi can therefore encounter the mining history of Trabia Tallarita, sacred artworks and churches, the “Riesi” DOC designation, and Copper Age necropolises in four Contrade.

More Destinations for Orientation

More destinations for orientation: Delia, Mussomeli, Caltanissetta, Ciolino, Gela, Campofranco, Sommatino, Niscemi

To the higher-level travel overview: Caltanissetta.