If you are ready to explore one of the oldest and most characteristic villages of the Madonie still little known by hit and run tourism, you can only choose this itinerary, to discover the history and legends of Gratteri.
The meeting is scheduled at Belvedere Ganci Battaglia, where one of our narrators will welcome you and accompany you throughout this fascinating journey. However, before starting our tour, a photo of the Belvedere is customary, to capture a breathtaking view of the Tyrrhenian coast, where, during the clearest days, you can also glimpse the Aeolian Islands.
It is not by chance that Gratteri has been nicknamed the “terrace on the Tyrrhenian”. We will start with a nice walk, from the Ecce Homo bridge to Portella Carruba, so called due to the presence of a carob tree, already mentioned in the 1500s sources. From there, you can admire a bucolic scenery, similar to a crib with lush pastures in front of it the suggestive church of the Convent of the XII century.
In the distance, the entire valley will appear up to Mount San Calogero, which dominates the Gulf of Termini Imerese. Below, we will move to visit the historic environmental museum of the Municipality, recently restored, located on a hill from where you can see what remains of the oldest district, originally called the Terra Vecchia and today Conigliera, with its precipice walls above the “Bocca dell’inferno” (Hell’s mouth).
Walking through the narrow streets of the town, we will cross the entire main street, until we reach the fountain of the Ninfa, located in a villa in front of the Mother Church. We will tell you the story of that stone shell, similar to that of the nearby Grattàra Grotto, which could be considered the Genius Locid of the ancient “cratered” village.
The first church to visit is the parish church of St. Michael the Archangel which houses the miraculous relics of Jerusalem and valuable works of art by the poor. After a small refreshment to let you taste the typical products of the local shops, we will accompany you to the church of San Giacomo, Protector of Gratteri, which houses the beautiful statue of the Apostle, revered with so much devotion by the Gratteresi.
Near the neighbourhood of the same name you will also find the poet’s house and a typical stone architecture for collecting rainwater, “u cabbubbu“. From Vicolo San Giacomo then, we will move to the district of Via Fiume, where we will show you the three mediaeval bridges and an underground cistern, the Fantina well, covered in the second post-war period to make the path suitable for vehicles.
In fact, an underground stream, the Crati, still flows under the Via Fiume. Descending from Pizzo di Pilo, it crosses the town, dividing it in two, the older part from the newer one. From Piazzetta Ponte Silvio we take Salita Orologio which, until the year 1900, bore the name Via dei Saraceni.
