Nestled between Caltanissetta and Canicattì, Delia is a city with a long history and traditions, which rightly fits among the most captivating and fascinating destinations that you can find during your holidays in Sicily.
Petiliana, or Petilia, was the name of the ancient city which later became today's Delia. It was the site of an ancient temple consecrated to the goddess Diana: this would be the origin of the name by which the city is known today, although there are those who would like it to be a toponym of Arab origin. In support of the first thesis, the large incidence of the female name Diana among the girls of the city, once as still today.
The birth of Delia
It is presumably from 1581, and in any case no later than 1600, the deed of foundation of Delia in the modern era: Gaspare Lucchesi, baron of Delia, wanted to make the new municipality official. In 1622 the Mother Church it became a parish by decree of the Bishop of Agrigento, while the following year a descendant of Gaspare Lucchesi, Giuseppe Lucchesi, was named Marquis of Delia.
Delia growth and consolidation
It is in the 1689 that the parish of Delia was erected as Archpriesthood, while the Mother Church was enlarged in 1791, although the central nave was built prior to the XNUMXth century.
In 1698, following the marriage of Maria Lucchesi, the only daughter of the Marquis Nicola Antonio Lucchesi, with the Prince of Palagonia Ferdinando Gravina, Delia passed to this family who held it until the XNUMXth century, when it sold all its rights to the family Darkness.
In 1844 Delia passed from the diocese of Agrigento to that of Caltanissetta, with a bull of Gregory XVI. Around 1650 a population census was carried out: the inhabited center had 288 houses and 1071 inhabitants. In a subsequent census, in 1713, the houses rose to 403, and the inhabitants to 1705. The population peak will be seen between the 30s and 50s of the twentieth century, reaching over 7000 units. Today Delia has approx 4000 inhabitants.
Delia today
With its characteristic shape “to amphitheater”, Delia enjoys its excellent position today, Overview and well connected to the many nearby points of interest. Climate, traditions and much more make it an increasingly popular tourist destination, attracting visitors and travelers from all over the world thanks to delicacies such as the cuddireddra and the rites of Holy Week.
