|
|
|
AREA: The Madonie AreaThis territory includes 15,000 hectares of woodland where the greatest variety of plants in the Mediterranean can be seen, including some examples that cannot be found in any other part of the world. The Madonie mountain range is divided between the valley of the Pollina river to the east and the northern part of the Valle dell'Imera to the west. To the north, the boundary is a large stretch of coastline, running from Campofelice di Roccella to Pollina, while the southern extreme is characterised by the sulphurous highlands of the Nisseno area. It is no coincidence that some people refer to this area as the botanical garden of the Mediterranean. Indeed, apart from the sea views, this area, while covering only 2% of the region’s overall territory, contains around 50% of the island’s species of flora.
Unique examples, such as the
Nebrodean fir (an old name used in the Madonie region)
flourish alongside other more typical central European
vegetation: holm-oaks, cork trees, holly trees, oak
trees and beech trees. The area is also home to Sicily’s
oldest rock formations, including calciferous
hill-sides, carbon gorges, Karstic dolinas and
vertiginous peaks, all of which create the unmistakeable
skyline and geomorphic structure of the Madonie.
These towns are all important agricultural centers not only thanks to the characteristics of their surrounding countryside but also to the varied and harmonious coexistence of mountainous areas and seaside towns, a perfect of example of the latter being Cefalù.. This area also include: In a context characterized by harsh mountainous area that tower over Sicily’s sea and deep valleys furrowed by torrents, there are still signs of mankind’s millennial presence in the area, and some of the area’s present day activities have been passed down through generations over thousands of years. The area’s underground world is also of great interest and the so-called “Water Paths”, Karstic formations of caves and cavities, are home to a labyrinth of subterranean rivers.
There
are numerous architectonic treasures not only in the towns themselves but also
where you might least expect them, emerging from the countryside and the woods.
One only has to think of the great solitary ruins of the Castello dei
Ventimiglia in Geraci Siculo, or the imposing castle of the Princes of
Ventimiglia in Castelbuono. Signs of man’s millennial presence in the area can
also be found in the grotta of Vecchiuzzo near Petralia Sottana, in some caves
and abysses near Isnello and Gratteri and in the pre-Hellenic archaeological
discoveries of La Rocca, the promontory that dominates Cefalù and its beautiful
Norman Cathedral. The territory is also home to numerous religious buildings,
monasteries, hermitages and rocky churches that are often totally isolated on
the top of mountains. A good example of this is the ex Benedictine convent,
better known as “Gangi Vecchio”, in Gangi. There are also numerous churches
containing works by the famous local artist, “Zoppo di Gangi”.
Accommodation
in the Madonie is to be found all year round. Equipped Forestry Areas
|
