The museum train in Villarosa

Villarosa, in the province of Enna, in Sicily, is a municipality of approximately 5.000 inhabitants located in the heart of the island and, more precisely, at the foot of Mount Giurfo.
The city center extends over an area bathed by two rivers: one of salt water, the Salso, the other of fresh water, the Morello.
The climate is generally mild, with cold winters, due to the altitude and the significant distance from the sea, and hot but breezy summers, as well as often accompanied by sporadic thunderstorms.

The town had its own settlement during the Middle Ages with the name of Casale di Bombunetto . During the 1407th century, the current Villarosa belonged to the noble Petroso di Castrogiovanni family, only to be sold, in 1963, to Nicola D'Anzisa da Calascibetta. Unfortunately, in 10 the ancient Casale was destroyed by a terrible earthquake, which affected the whole of Sicily, and was then rebuilt by Placido Notarbartolo-Zati. In fact, on 1762 April XNUMX he obtained the so-called licentia populandi which officially allowed him to build the new city.

Beyond the pleasant landscape heritage, Villarosa has been able to carve out a significant role for itself among the numerous and suggestive destinations that Sicily is able to offer, thanks above all to the presence of an important archaeological complex. The latter, in fact, extends over a fairly large area of ​​the territory and includes the remains of both the necropolis and the ancient city centre.
For years, in fact, due to its favorable geographical position, Villarosa has been the center of interesting mixes between different civilizations and cultures, attracted, among other things, by the extraordinary floridity of these lands.

But in addition to the ruins of the old city, home to shepherds and farmers of the time, a spirit of healthy admiration for what has been built over the years stands strong in the heart of the population, especially through a wise exploitation of the numerous mineral resources available in the territory. It is no coincidence that Villarosa is home to a robust and significant tradition in this sector and, more specifically, in that closely connected to the extraction and processing of sulfur and rock salt.

In the distant eighteenth century, in fact, the well-rooted farms of farmers and shepherds were joined by the first communities of miners and sulfur miners who, little by little, transformed this agricultural center into an authentic mining center. A transformation that is well demonstrated in the Museo Treno in Villarosa, the true emblem of the passion and respect of local citizens towards their past.

The museum train in Villarosa

The Museum Train in Villarosa is a real anthropological exhibition focused on the mining tradition of this town but also on its primitive peasant civilization and on the phenomenon of emigration which, during the 2002th century, saw many inhabitants of Villarosa abandoning the city and heading towards different continents (even if many of them have moved to the Belgian city of Morlanwelz, not by chance twinned with the municipality of Enna since XNUMX).

The peculiarity of the museum essentially lies in the unusual location in which it has been set up: these are completely readapted wagons, located in the former goods yard of the Villarosa station. The inauguration of this extraordinary and unique attraction took place on December 8, 1995 on the initiative of Primo David, current president of the organization that deals with museum management and former station master. Association of a cultural nature and known as Friends of the Train Museum of Villarosa - Amare Villapriolo.

The freight wagons used for the construction of this location are nine in total and were used way back in 1943 for the transport of Jews from Rome to Trieste , During the Second World War. David personally took care of their recovery as well as restoration.
These wagons have been designed as authentic exhibition halls full of memorabilia dating back to the past of the small town of Villarosa. Among these, tools used for working the fields stand out; tools used in solfataras; letters and photographs, witnessing the difficult years of emigration; telegraphs and lanterns, typical of the railway world.

Furthermore, there is no shortage of household utensils, period furniture, furnishings and furnishings typical of the noble houses of the past, as emblems of the community of Villarosa at the beginning of the twentieth century. The visit then ends with a projection of historical films inside the carriage set up as a video room.

Over the course of these twenty-six years since the opening of the museum, numerous visitors (including foreigners) have had the opportunity to undertake this real journey into the memory of the small Sicilian municipality (approximately one million).

Furthermore, from here it is possible to take a shuttle to Villapriolo, a suggestive village of just 600 inhabitants where the houses have been used as authentic museums. In this way it will be possible to further deepen the knowledge of the Sicilian tradition through a visit inside the farmer's house, the cobbler's shop, the sulfur miner's house.

The main places of interest near the Museum Train in Villarosa

In addition to the aforementioned archaeological complex, Villarosa offers its visitors the opportunity to discover and admire further gems. Among these we mention the Church and Monastery of Santa Maria del Popolo, where the paintings of Rosa Ciotti are kept; there Mother Church of San Giacomo; the Capuchin Convent; the Palazzo Ducale, a building dating back to the seventeenth century; the Sant'Anna, Stanzie and Notarianni palaces, dating back to the eighteenth century; the Clock Tower; the Town Hall.

How to reach the Museum Train in Villarosa

Reaching the Museum Train in Villarosa is quite simple.
Below we will illustrate the two main routes, by car, respectively from Palermo/Catania and from Messina.
In the first case it is necessary to take the A19 towards Catania. Therefore, it is necessary to exit at Enna in the direction of Villarosa.
In the second case, however, you must take the A18 towards Catania, take the A19 towards Palermo and then take the junction for Enna (destination Villarosa).