The history of Bompensiere, a small town in the province of Caltanissetta, has very ancient origins. Fascinating and intricate, capable of enchanting anyone.
Area of fertile lands, after centuries of transhumant cultivation in the seventeenth century the slope of Mount Marrobio which today houses the town became the object of the attention of the peasants who decided to settle there permanently. The first houses were built in 1627, while it is from 2 May 1628 the arrival of the awaited "licentia populandi", granted by the viceroy Francesco Fernandez de la Curva to don Giovanni Lanza: the new village was expected to have 80 families.
It was built on the Maradona feud, one of the 29 that since 1486 was part of the Barony of Mussomeli. On the death of Don Giovanni Lanza, devoid of legitimate children, his brother Ottavio took over. In 1700”Bompenzeri” had about 200 inhabitants, and in the mid-eighteenth century the Church of the Holy Crucifix, Mother Church as well as the only church present in the area at the time: the chapel in the cemetery will be built much later. In 1868 the municipality was suppressed: Bompensiere became a fraction of the neighboring one Montedoro.
Rebirth of Bompensiere
The spirit of autonomy and identity of the "Nadurisi" did not die out, and so, on the wave of the activism of Father Montalto, parish priest of the Mother Church, in 1911 the Municipality of Bompensiere is reborn, of which Father Montalto himself will become Mayor in 1915. It is the "short century": Bompensiere too will pay the tribute of blood to the two world wars which will soon upset humanity.
Bonpensier today
The second post-war period marks the emigration from Bompensiere: within two decades the population will be less than half, also thanks to the closure of the sulfur mines. Today Bompensiere relives its origins starting from agro-pastoral tradition, transporting it into the XNUMXst century also in tourist dimension, thanks also to the great opportunities offered by the territory, climate and population. A virtuous and sustainable system today is represented by this small centre, which cannot be missing from yours itineraries.
How to get to Bompensiere
Reaching the small town of Bompensiere is simple: just take the sp 23, which connects it to Mussomeli and other nearby localities. Important arteries in the area are also the ss 189 and 122. The highway is also very close A19, which connects Palermo e Catania, with an output at Caltanissetta. The A19 is also the best road for those arriving in Sicily by plane: the closest airports are the Falcone and Borsellino of Palermo, about 145 km, the Vincenzo Bellini of Catania, about 150 km, and the Vincenzo Florio of Trapani, about 185 km.
