Walking in the Madonie Mountains

We are met at the airport and drive directly to the exquisitely restored medieval hill-town of Gangi, recently voted the most beautiful town in Italy, on the edge of the Madonie Mountains Natural Park. It is the perfect place to begin the Madonie walk.

We stay for two nights at a restored eighteenth-century agriturismo in the valley behind Gangi, with tranquil surroundings and views over the countryside. After dropping our luggage, we drive into Gangi to visit the centro storico, with its mighty stone Baroque townhouses, defensive towers, and intriguing shops and churches.

Evening meal and overnight at the agriturismo.

Our first day’s walking in the Madonie is a fairly gentle start to the week. We begin with a short drive to Gangi Vecchio, then a gradual ascent up to a ridge. For the next couple of hours we contour along the ridge with a few gentle ups and downs, until the picturesque hill-town of Sperlinga comes into view, with beautiful views over to Mount Etna in the distance.

Lunch is in the small village of Sperlinga. Afterwards, there is an opportunity to visit the troglodyte dwellings, a few of them still inhabited, and the Saracen castle hewn out of the rock above the village.

Overnight again at the agriturismo near Gangi.

We begin our second day’s walk with a short drive to the evocative little medieval town of Petralia, with its weather-eroded churches, tiny piazzas, and shuttered houses. From there we contour around the peak of Pizzo Catarineci to the mountain village of Geraci Siculo, where we pause for lunch.

The afternoon trek takes us through the Madonie range on paths with spectacular views over the mountains, and across the sea to the Aeolian Islands on a clear day. We arrive at Porta Mandarini, at 1,200 metres, before being driven the short distance to Pomieri, near Petralia Soprana.

Overnight at a mountain hotel whose restaurant is part of the Slow Food movement, the international movement founded in Italy to support traditional cooking based on local, organic produce. Picnic lunch and dinner included.

A wonderful day of Madonie trekking. There is a fairly strenuous climb at the start of the day, then some level contouring brings us to the spectacular Vallone Madonna degli Angeli, the only place in the world where the fir tree Abies Nebrodensis grows.

For those who would like a further stretch, there is the option to extend the walk to the summit of Monte San Salvatore, at 1,912 metres.

In the afternoon we return to the hotel at Pomieri.

This morning we begin with a short drive to the hanging valley of Piano Battaglia, a traditional picnic spot and meeting point for shepherds moving their flocks in summer, and the start of the walk. From here, at 1,572 metres, the ascent of Pizzo Carbonara, the highest mountain in the Madonie at 1,979 metres, is not too strenuous, and the views are remarkable. On Sicily, only Mount Etna is higher, and the panorama stretches for miles.

Continuing through the Madonie, we pass through a forest of giant thousand-year-old holly trees at Piano Pomo, and may find a traditional thatched shepherd’s hut along the way, before finishing at the mountain refuge, Rifugio Crispi.

From there we transfer to the medieval town of Castelbuono, known for its pastry shops and as the only place in Europe where ‘biblical’ manna is still cultivated. Evening meal and overnight in Castelbuono.

On our final day of walking, we transfer back to the village of Isnello, close to where we finished the previous day, to begin the ascent towards Gratteri. Over the col, there is a short drop down to lunch.

After lunch we transfer to our hotel in the seaside town of Cefalù. In the afternoon, there is a chance to explore this fine Arab-Norman town, including its majestic, fortress-like Norman cathedral, home to the best preserved of all Sicily’s cathedral mosaics, and the Museo Mandralisca, which houses a well-known portrait by the Renaissance artist Antonello da Messina.

Dinner at a seafood restaurant. Overnight in Cefalù.

A free day in Cefalù, to spend as you wish, perhaps climbing to the top of La Rocca for the views, or simply enjoying a swim and an afternoon on the beach.

Transfer to the airport for departure.