Serradifalco
The history of the province of Caltanissetta
The province of Caltanissetta has an ancient history dating back to the Bourbon era, when the Bourbons of Naples divided the region into provinces, creating the province of Caltanissetta. At that time, the province included 40% of what would become the province of Enna and 10% of the territory later assigned to the province of Ragusa. The history of the province was linked to the exploitation of Sicilian sulfur, which was owned by some noble families, but whose concession for exploitation was in the hands of foreign companies. This was a difficult period for local miners who often died due to fires and collapses in the mines. The province was affected by the railway constructions of the Vittorio Emanuele Society with the Palermo-Catania Railway and the Syracuse-Gela-Canicattì Railway completed between 1876 and 1878.
The abolition of the province of Caltanissetta
With the Sicilian special statute of 1946, the Sicilian provinces were abolished, but were reconstituted in 1963. In 1986, they were transformed into "regional provinces", but in 2014, the suppression of the nine regional provinces was provided for, replaced by nine "Free Municipal Consortia" and three metropolitan areas. In compliance with the regional law of 24 March 2014, no. 8, entitled "Establishment of Municipal Free Consortia and Metropolitan Cities" and then regulated by the subsequent regional law no. 15 of 4 August 2015, the regional province of Caltanissetta was abolished and replaced by the Free Municipal Consortium of Caltanissetta.
The municipalities of the province of Caltanissetta
At the time of its abolition, the province of Caltanissetta included 22 municipalities, including Acquaviva Platani, Bompensiere, Butera, Caltanissetta, Campofranco, Delia, Marianopoli, Gela, Mazzarino, Milena, Montedoro, Mussomeli, Niscemi, Resuttano, Riesi, San Cataldo, Santa Caterina Villarmosa, Serradifalco, Sommatino, Sutera, Vallelunga Pratameno, and Villalba.
The administration of the province
The province of Caltanissetta had a president and a provincial council. Among the more recent presidents were Tommaso Gagliano, Pietro Ciaccio, Claudio Fava, Antonello Antinoro, Francesco Palermo, and Giovanni Avanti. With the abolition of the province, the Free Municipal Consortium of Caltanissetta replaced all the functions and competencies of the provincial administration.
Conclusions
The province of Caltanissetta has a long history linked to the exploitation of sulfur and railway construction. After being an important regional province of Sicily, it was abolished in 2015 and replaced by the Free Municipal Consortium of Caltanissetta. This has resulted in a radical change in local administration in the area, but the municipalities located there continue to prosper and develop. The history of the province of Caltanissetta will remain an important testimony to the evolution of Sicily and Italy in the past, present, and future.
