 It is located not far from Gela and Caltagirone and 90 km from Catania.The name Niscemi is derived from the Arabic word "نَشَم neshem" or its singular form "نَشَمَة neshemeh", this being the name of a particular type of tree.During World War II, Niscemi was the location of "Ponte Olivo Airfield", a military airfield used by the United States Twelfth Air Force during the Italian campaign.