Enna, the ancient Henna, is located in the center of Sicily, towering above the surrounding countryside. It has earned a few nicknames, such as "belvedere" (panoramic viewpoint) or the "ombelico" (navel) of Sicily. The colony of Henna was founded on this high plateau in 664 BC by colonists from Gela eager to exploit the area's agricultural resources. In 397 BC the town fell to Dionysius of Syracuse and it remained in Syracusan hands until the 3rd century BC when it entered the orbit of Roman power. In 859 AD it was the turn of the Saracens, who had to sneak in one by one through a swer to breach the town's hardy defenses.
The name was then altered into Castrogiovanni, by which it was known until 1927, when it was changed back to Enna by Mussolini. Today, the town is still important as an agricultural center.
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