Castel di Judica

Castel di Judica (Zip Code 95040) is 158 Km. distant from Agrigento, 86 Km. from Caltanissetta, 52 Km. from Catania, which is the province it belongs to, 59 Km. from Enna, 148 Km. from Messina, 220 Km. from Palermo, 109 Km. from Ragusa, 100 Km. from Siracusa, 319 Km. from Trapani.

The municipality counts 5.262 inhabitants, its surface measures 10.228 hectares, and its population density counts 51 inhabitants per square kilometre. It rises over an internal hilly area, 475 meters above the sea-level.

The Town Hall is located in piazza Marconi, tel. ++39 095-661394 fax. ++39 095-661005.

A charming agricultural center, Castel di Judica boasts a rich cultivation of cereals, citrus fruits, and olives, that can be tasted during the annual Agricultural Exhibit-Market held in the month of May.

Hand made embroideries are characteristic, and they are exhibited every year at the Handcrafts Embroidery Exhibit-Market held in the month of August. Cattle breeding, as well as goat and sheep farms, are flourishing.

The town's original name was Giardinelli meaning "piccoli giardini" (small gardens), because of the numerous citrus plantations that were present throughout the territory. In 1933, the name "Castel di Judica" was proposed and approved, for the vicinity of the homonymous mountain.

The first inhabited center rose during the Greek era, and was then conquered by the Normans. Subsequently, it passed under the jurisdiction of the nearby town of Caltagirone, until it became independent.

Architecturally, the most relevant monument is the Chiesa Madre erected in 1700 and dedicated to the Madonna delle Grazie. The town's surroundings host an important archeological site called Monte Judica, where numerous remains of a Greek installation of the V century B.C. were discovered.