CALTANISETTA

caltanisetta, a town and episcopal see of sicily, the capital of a province of the same name, 60 m. s.e. of palermo direct and 83 m. by rail, situated 1930 ft. above sea-level. pop. (1901) 43,303. the town is of saracenic origin, as its name _kalat-al-nisa_, the "ladies' castle," indicates, and some ruins of the old castle (called _pietrarossa_) still exist. otherwise the town contains no buildings of artistic or historical interest, but it commands striking views. it is the centre of the sicilian sulphur industry and the seat of a royal school of mines. two miles east is the interesting norman abbey of s. spirito. caltrop (from the mid. eng. _calketrappe_, probably derived from the lat. _calx_, a heel, and _trappa_, late lat. for a snare), an iron ball, used as an obstacle against cavalry, with four spikes so arranged, that however placed in or on the ground, one spike always points upwards. it is also the botanical name for several species of thistles.