Way of the Redeemer

Way of the Redeemer

Experience: Churches, Folklore, History

Route: outdoor, loop

Km: 6,6

Duration: 2h and 34’

Difficulty: easy

Terrain: asphalt

Route suitable: on foot

Ascent / Elevation gain: 369

Descent / Elevation loss: 369

2 Minutes of reading

The route begins at the entrance to the Cathedral of Santa Maria La Nova in Caltanissetta.

Take the stairs on the left side to reach Via Mauro Tumminelli; turn left to arrive at the Church of Maria SS. delle Grazie (Collegio di Maria). Enter Corso Vittorio Emanuele and, turning right, you’ll reach the Church of Santa Croce. Continue straight along Via Vespri Siciliani; on the left is the former Church of Santa Maria della Stella. From here, take the upper parallel street, Via del Redentore, and head west. Following the track on the map, you will skirt on the left the Church, Convent, and Parish of Santa Flavia on Via Cardinale Dusmet, which leads to Via San Giovanni Bosco. Here, turn right and continue for about 500 m; cross Via dello Spirito, turn left at the roundabout, and take Via Monte San Giuliano. After about 800 m you will reach the Monument to the Redeemer.

To return to the starting point, go back down the same street, but at the roundabout turn right and go straight until you find, on the left, a side street leading to Via Gabriele Amico Valenti. At the end of this street, take the stairs on the left and descend to Via Raffaele Lambruschini; turn left again and take the stairs on the left to reach the Agostino Lo Piano Steps. Cross Via Salso and, on the left, take more stairs up to the Church of Santa Lucia. From here, take Via Margherita, then turn right up the steps of Via Aiello. About a hundred meters ahead you enter Corso Umberto I, with the Church of Sant’Agata al Collegio. Continuing on, you will find Palazzo del Carmine (the Town Hall) and the contemporary art exhibition center. Reaching Piazza Garibaldi, you’ll find the Cathedral of Santa Maria La Nova, the Triton Fountain, and the Rectorate of San Sebastiano. Cutting right onto Via Camillo Genovese, you’ll reach the side façade of the Cathedral—the point where the route began.

The stages of the itinerary

 
Cathedral of Santa Maria La Nova
Cathedral of Santa Maria La Nova
The main square of Caltanissetta, named after Garibaldi, is dominated by the façade of the Cathedral.
Fountain of the Triton
Fountain of the Triton
In the center of Piazza Garibaldi, which was formerly called Piazza Ferdinandea, once stood a statue dedicated to Ferdinand of Bourbon.
Church of Saint Agatha at the College
Church of Saint Agatha at the College
The 17th-century Jesuit church of Sant’Agata al Collegio stands at the end of Corso Umberto, like an imposing theatrical backdrop.
Monument to the Redeemer
Monument to the Redeemer
At the end of the 19th century, with the fall of the Papal States, the anticlerical laws, the victory of the left, and a wave of strikes, the Catholic Church faced a period of great difficulty.
Palazzo del Carmine – Town Hall
Palazzo del Carmine – Town Hall
The palace, which houses the Town Hall of Caltanissetta, borders one side of Piazza Garibaldi and was built in 1866 on the site of a pre-existing Carmelite convent, from which it takes its name.
Church of Saint Sebastian
Church of Saint Sebastian
In Garibaldi Square, right in front of the Cathedral, stands the Church of San Sebastiano, built at the beginning of the 16th century, but renovated several times over the centuries.
Teatro Regina Margherita
Teatro Regina Margherita
In 1870, the city of Caltanissetta was on its way to becoming the world capital of sulfur, and the local notables felt the need to provide the city with an opera house that could rival those of the island’s main cities.
Contemporary Art Exhibition Center (Former Air-Raid Shelter)
Contemporary Art Exhibition Center (Former Air-Raid Shelter)
Next to the town hall, beneath the street surface, lies a former 1943 air-raid shelter, converted into a Contemporary Art Exhibition Center and inaugurated in 2018.
Former Jesuit College – Municipal Library
Former Jesuit College – Municipal Library
The majestic building on Corso Umberto I, which today houses the “Luciano Scarabelli” Municipal Library, was once the Jesuit College, founded in 1622.
Church of Saint Mary of Grace
Church of Saint Mary of Grace
Also known as the Church of Our Lady of Grace or simply Church of Grace, it is an important religious building located in Caltanissetta.
Church of Santa Croce
Church of Santa Croce
Closing Corso Vittorio Emanuele, the red façade of the Church of Santa Croce stands out.
 

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