A walk in the Madonie Mountains, Sicily

Hilltop villages, wild pigs and steaming volcanoes

 When travellers visit Sicily they usually head for the famous sites in the east of the island such as Taormina and Siracusa.  These are two places we didn't visit, we'll save these for another trip.  However we did see parts of Sicily rarely touched by tourism, villages clinging to the sides of mountains and rare, endangered trees (each numbered and recorded) in a secluded valley, the only place in the world where they grow.

Our walk started in a hilltop town called Petralia Sottana in the Madonie park, just north of the centre of the island. Our route would take us through the heart of the Madonie mountains visiting very remote valleys with some spectacular views.

Views above Petralia Sottana

Two nights in Petralia Sottana, staying at  Il Castillo, allowed us to spend some time exploring the twisty lanes of this small town.  We searched for views between the buildings and were rewarded with some fine scenery with vistas of the surrounding hills and valleys . Il Castillo is a lovely old building and we had a generously sized room over two levels.

The first walk was around Cozzo Ipsi, a 14k circular walk with wide panoramas of the Madonie mountains and views towards Mount Etna in the east. Every time we saw the top of Mount Etna it had a stream of cloud issuing from the top. We walked through an area of pine trees where men and women were cutting logs and laying wooden rain channels in the path.  A few minutes after we passed these workers one of them caught up with us to ask about our walk.  He told us how beautiful and quiet the walk would be and he was absolutely correct.  At the top we met three horses grazing on the grass and all we could hear was the distant sound of cowbells.

The Madonie mountains

Our second walk would take us from Petralia Sottana to Pomieri (11k), where we would be staying at the Hotel Pomieri.  Our luggage was transported for us so all we needed was a day pack and our picnic.  We set off in mist which soon turned to rain, visibility was poor at first but, as we climbed, it finally drifted away and we could look back at Petralia Sottana in the distance.  We picnicked just below an impressive rocky outcrop (the Pizzo di Sant' Otiero) and enjoyed the views.  On our way to Pomieri we  saw an old Roman bridge, some huge chestnut trees, a 600 year old oak tree and  a couple of black Nebrodi wild pigs!

Huge chestnuts

Pizzo di Sant' Otiero

The Hotel Pomieri is in an isolated spot, surrounded by hills and mountains, in a fabulous location.  It is a large mountain lodge with an open fire in the lounge and fairly basic rooms. As we threw open the shutters in our bedroom we came face to face with the hotel cats sitting on the lower roof, after staring at each other curiously for a few moments one of the cats decided to stretch and we realised that we had been accepted!

Cat stretch

Not only are the vistas wonderful during the day, but at night it is extremely dark so star gazing is incredible.

Looking over Pomieri

With two nights at Pomieri we did a circular walk on day three to visit the Vallone degli Angeli ( the valley of the angels).  It is in this valley that the rare Nebrodi Fir trees grow.  To get there involved quite an energetic climb up through a forest to the top of a range of hills, because of the rain the previous day it was muddy and slippery in parts.  We made it up without incident but it was really difficult on the way back down again later in the day.  We had sunshine on our way up then the cloud came down and we moved in and out of visibility.  It was quite eerie in the woods with the mist swirling around.  

Swirling mist

We found the Nebrodi Fir trees, each numbered and fenced off for protection.  There are only 22 specimens that exist and they are all in this small valley.  They are easy to spot as they have criss-crossed branches topped by clusters of candle shaped cones.

Nebrodi Fir

The following morning I was awake at sunrise and saw a spectacular sky from the bedroom window. A bank of clouds in between two peaks was lit by the rising sun and looked wonderful.

Sunrise from Hotel Pomieri

Our walk today was from Pomieri to our next hotel, the Agrituristica Bergi at Castelbuono. This was the longest walk at 18k. We crossed plains, climbed peaks and spotted stags and wild pigs. There was supposed to be super views from one of the peaks - over to the sea and islands, however the clouds descended just as we neared the top of the peak and all we could see was the iron cross marking the summit.

The view from the top - just cloud!

We did get some lovely vistas towards Mount Etna in the morning though.

Mount Etna in the distance

Agrituristica Bergi is a lovely place to stay, it is a family run business, set in 800 sq. metres of gardens, orchards and olive groves and it produces delicious organic products such as marmalade and honey. It would be a lovely place to spend a few days, unfortunately we were only there overnight.  Our next walk took us to the final destination on the walking holiday, namely the Relais Santa Anastasia located in the hills south of Cefalù. This was a 10.5k walk plus we took an extra detour to visit the old town of Castelbuono. We were glad we did, even though it meant an extra climb uphill.  We had some delicious ice cream and coffee and saw two weddings being celebrated.

Wedding in Castelbuono

The Relais Santa Anastasia is a beautiful restored 12th century abbey surrounded by vineyards. It is on the side of a hill with clear views out to sea and has a welcoming swimming pool.  I couldn't wait to take a dip, but only managed 4 lengths because the water was freezing!  

Swimming pool at Relais Santa Anastasia at sunset

This was the end of the walking part of our holiday and the following day we simply took a taxi down to Cefalù to see the town, it's 12th century cathedral and its two beaches.  A car rally was in progress as we arrived and lots of Fiat 500s and Alfa Romeos paraded up the street.  

Car rally in Cefalù

Cefalù is a lovely old town perched under a cliff with a long sandy beach to one side and a castle overlooking the town. Wandering around the narrow streets we found an old fish market and ancient washing troughs. We also came across the perfect place for a cool glass of wine to celebrate the end of our walking trip.

Saluti

The Mountains of Sicily walking holiday was arranged by Inntravel and the details can be seen here. Inntravel provide comprehensive route guides and maps and arrange luggage transfers throughout the walk giving the opportunity for independent walking in this beautiful, unspoilt part of Sicily.