In the mid-1500s, the barony of Fiumesalato passed into the hands of Nicolò Lancillotto Galletti of Palermo, and in 1607 his nephew Nicolò, son of Asdrubale, requested and obtained from the viceroy Marques permission to found a town where there had been a group of scattered houses and a small church dedicated to Saint Cataldo. The new settlement took the name of the district, San Cataldo, and was mainly populated by peasants from nearby Caltanissetta. The layout developed near the regia trazzera—today’s Corso Vittorio Emanuele—following the typical orthogonal grid of the period, while in the upper part, the Madrice quarter, it followed the natural terrain, resulting in a radial street pattern. As the population grew, so did the urban fabric, enriched by various architectural landmarks. Its wealth came from its lands cultivated mainly with wheat, and at the end of the 18th century sulfur mining began in a systematic way. The city of San Cataldo is also famous for its religious events, such as Holy Week, the feast of its patron Saint Cataldo in May, and that of the Crucifix in October.