Just 3 kilometers to the south of Lentini in Sicily, the town of Carlentini was founded in 1551. Although it was founded by Giovanni Vega, a viceroy of the time, it is named for Emperor Charles V. Its founding has an unusual footnote; it was settled by people fleeing other areas that had become infested with malaria.

Today, visitors will find Carlentini a pleasant place to visit because of the squarely laid out city plan, with the main road Via Cavour. In Piazza Diaz, in Piano della Matrice, stands the Chiesa Madre. The current structure is not original; it was rebuilt sometime after an earthquake in 1693. Just outside of the town is the Basilica del Murgo, which was constructed starting in 1224. However, the construction was never completed. Also nearby, in the zone of Leontinoi, there is an active archaeological zone, where a scirocco house built inside a cave in the 18th century was designed to give the builders some relief from the Sicilian heat.