Gela (Ancient Greek: Γέλα), is an ancient town (among the oldest continually inhabited in southern Italy) and comune in the province of Caltanissetta in the south of Sicily, Italy.

The city is located about 84 kilometres (52 miles) from the city of Caltanissetta, on the Mediterranean Sea.

The city was founded around 688 BC by colonists from Rhodes and Crete, 45 years after the founding of Syracuse.

The city was named after the river Gela.
Under Roman rule, a small settlement still existed, which is mentioned by Virgil, Pliny the Elder, Cicero, and Strabo. Later it was a minor Byzantine center. Under the Arabs, it was known as the “City of Columns”.

The later city was founded in AD 1233 by Frederick II by the name Terranova, by which it remained known until 1928.

The new settlement was west of the ancient Gela, and was provided with a castle and a line of walls.

Renamed Terranova di Sicilia, in 1927 the city was renamed Gela.