#madonie #parcodellemadonie #madonnadellalto
The Madonie Park, located in Palermo district, is a protected area since 1989. It includes the homonym mountain massif and fifteen little associated villages. It is part of the European Geopark and the global UNESCO Geopark networks. Actually, Madonie Park is one of the most attractive destination for ecological tourism in Sicily.
The trail to “Madonna dell’Alto” sanctuary is one of the most exciting trekking route of the Madonie. Starting from Castellana Sicula, one of the village in the Park, the trail climbs the Monte Alto, one of the highest peak of the mountain range, and ends with the sanctuary, a XIV century hermitage. It is not a difficult hike as the trail is easy without any technical challenges. Anyway is a long walk, about 6 kilometres to reach the top, so take your time. Alternatively, it is possible to reach the mountain peak by off-road car. This is not the same, anyway.
Beginning from Nociazzi hamlet (Castellana Sicula) where a gate closed on nothing marks the starting point, the main trail runs along the sides of the mountain. Other trails start from Petralia Sottana or Polizzi Generosa. The beautiful countryside at the lower altitude changes progressively into forest around one thousand meters. Approaching the top, forest will vanish in sparse vegetation. Peak altitude is 1819 meters above sea level.
The sanctuary is extremely impressive with its ancient stones and simple architecture. Inside it houses a statue of the Madonna dating 1471. Following the tradition, the marble statue came from a shipwreck on the beach of Roccella. The sanctuary opens in July and August. Particularly the 15th of August it is the destination of a religious procession.
Landscapes on Madonie area are spectacular, during the hike and, of course, from the peak marked by a long pole.
As I said, it is a long sloping hike, not difficult but tiresome. I suggest to take the path in spring because weather conditions are better but if you want to visit the sanctuary inside you must go in Summer. In this case, bring a cap and a lot of water with you! A wind jacket could be useful too so don’t forget to put one in your backpack.
Filmed in 2018 with an Eken H8R action cam, an Olympus OM-D EM5 MKII and an i-Phone 7, this short video has been edited with i-Movie on a MacBook Air. Photos are by Francesca Sparatore and her Nikon D3100.
The track “Water Lily “ is by the 126ers and is available from RU-vid Audio Library.
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20 авг 2024