The Magna Via Francigena Trail by Terre di mezzo Editore

Tagliavia Sanctuary 2

Santa Cristina Gela ➜ Corleone 12

2.4

Santa Cristina Gela 10

Sanctuary Tagliavia Corleone

Contrada Rossella

S. Agata

2.3

M. Maganoce

Port.la S. Agata

M. Giuhai

S. Maria della Scala Sön Möria e Skaghos

2.2

Piana degli Albanesi Lake 2.1

Santa Cristina Gela

Santa Cristina Gela ➜ Corleone

Castello Soprano-Torre Saracena

S.Maria del Malopasso

Castello Sottano-Eremo San Bernardo

Corleone

2.9

Cozzo Guardiola

Masseria Rubina

2.8

2.7

Rocca Argenteria

Gole del Drago

Casa Sant’Ippolito

2.6

lìc

Pizzo Nicolosi

Fra

ttin

2.5

Tagliavia Sanctuary

From Santa Cristina Gela to Corleone

CORLEONE

ROCCA ARGENTERIAPIZZO NICOLOSI

200

TAGLIAVIA SANCTUARY

400

SANTA CRISTINA GELA

600

MONTE GIUHAI

800

BELÌCE RIVER FORD

1,000

0m 0 km

DISTANCE:

25.6km

ELEVATION GAIN: UPHILL 784m DOWNHILL 930m

demanding 70% UNPAVED, 30% PAVED

DIFFICULTY: TERRAIN:

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

Bus AST, Palermo–Corleone line, from the central station or Basile car park, Viale delle Scienze, 8 daily rides, Mon–Sat 7 am–7 pm, corlianatrasporti.it. TO CORLEONE:

SERVICES

Presidio Ospedaliero (hospital unit), Ospedale dei Bianchi (hospital), Via Colletto don Giovanni 25, tel. 091-84.50.120; doctor on call after 8 pm All essential services are available in town, in addition to shops and a post office. ACCOMMODATION

Santuario Maria Santissima del Rosario di Tagliavia (sanctuary), Mariana Le Cinque Pietre family, SP 42, tel. 09174.87.674, 392-93.44.857, cinquepietre@gmail.com, €, open all year, option to lunch in the bottega. Accoglienza parrocchiale (parish CORLEONE:

accommodation), Piazza Asilo, tel. 349-54.44.420, dlucaleone@gmail.com, €, open all year, kitchen privileges. Accoglienza La bicicletta rossa (accommodation), Via Aldisio 56, tel. 335-65.29.580, mpollara66@gmail.com, €€, open all year, kitchen privileges. Accoglienza La Quercia sopra la rocca (accommodation), Contrada Sopra la Rocca, tel. 331-34.23.912, info@sicilia-aracsi.it, €€, open all year, kitchen privileges. B&B Il Ficodindia, Via Crispi 146, tel. 328-15.41.421, ilficodindia.bb@gmail. com, €€, Mar–Oct. B&B Leon d’oro, Via Fra Umbertino da Corleone 1, tel. 091-84.64.287, 33845.33.511, info@leondorocorleone.it, €€€, open all year. B&B Al Capriccio, Via Sant’Agostino 39, tel. 091-84.67.938, 336-68.54.71, info@ trattoria-alcapriccio.it, €€€, open all year. B&B Mountain Palace La Schera, (4km along the next stage) C.da Piano di Scala, SS 118km 40.5, tel. 091-84.67.529, laschera@ live.it, €€€, open all year.

Walking along regia trazzera 28 all the way to the exit for Santa Cristina Gela, you will cross the Alto Belìce Corleonese countryside. In many ways this is a harsh and bitter land, a land of ancient grain and abundant memories for others. The “breadbasket of Rome”, the fertile fields of places so dear to Latin poets are quite evident here: the Palermo countryside stretches out before you as far as the eye

Santa Cristina Gela ➜ Corleone

can see; you are immersed in the history and nature of the trail, amidst rows of crops and farmsteads of late ancient and medieval structure. The Magna Via Francigena initially reaches the Tagliavia sanctuary and then the Ficuzza strongholds and Rocca Busambra woods.

Set off from Via Roma, with the Church of Santa Cristina behind you, after enjoying a sumptuous breakfast in one of the cafés on the square. Continue straight ahead for 130m until you reach the crossroads of Via della Santa Croce, then turn right, walk along the entire road until you reach the crossroads of Via Rocco Chinnici where you will find one of the signposts indicating the trail. Continuing straight ahead, you will encounter the red-white striped pickets along the way. These confirm you are going in the right direction and lead to a crossing [2.1 – 0.9km] where you will bear left and then immediately right, then continue straight ahead for approximately 1.7km through fields and properties flanking the Magna Via. The road turns into a path and you will cross a valley that lies at the foot of Piana lake, all the way to the slopes of Mount Giuhai. The path then joins other dirt roads arriving from your left, which flank the slopes of Mount Leardo, crossing through what in Sicilian is called scala – namely a narrow passage that leads across the crests of these peaks. Then walk a further 120m and, approaching the woods, take the path to the left that is marked by a picket. With the woods on your left and fruit orchards on your right, the trail gives you the chance to enjoy (one step at a time) a wonderful view of Lake Piana as it begins to appear on your right. An arrow stands at the path’s crossing, directing you towards the left [2.2 – 3km]. Climbing over stone steps for about 300m, you will reach a small forest track leading through Portella Sant’Agata and also encountering the Itinerarium Rosaliae signpost. After reaching the end of the uphill path [2.3 – 4km], turn left and follow the arrow. The path continues downhill on the right, along the underlying valley, and leads into the direction of the PORTELLA SANT’AGATA archaeological area. The road continues through the fields and to the left of a farmstead, on a straight downhill path as indicated by the signpost, then joins the SP 5 provincial road. Travel down the provincial road for approximately 200m, then turn right at the arrow and turn into the trazzera for about 3km through wheat, grain and fodder fields. You will be catching up with the SP 104 at 8.5km of the stage. Paying attention to the cars that might occasionally run past, follow this road to the right and continue for about 3.4km without turning into any secondary paths. The road heads down this low-traffic provincial road and comes across (first on the left and then on the right) some secondary roads that lead along the Corleone countryside. Our path crosses various campi solari along this stretch, namely fields of solar panels that are the result of policies (sometimes of a speculative nature) substituting farm work with the rent or sale of farmland. You are 13km away from the end of the Corleone stage of the trail when you come upon the last distesa solare flanking both 42

Santa Cristina Gela ➜ Corleone

Itinerarium Rosaliae Itinerarium Rosaliae is a devotional/hiking route that connects the principal places of worship of Santa Rosalia, in the former provinces of Palermo and Agrigento; it begins at the Monte Pellegrino Sanctuary in Palermo and comes to a finish after about 160km, at the Santo Stefano Quisquina Hermitage – a place considered to be the Palermo-born saint’s retreat. Created by the Sicilian Regional Administration and administered by the relevant Department of Rural and Territorial Development, today it is enlivened by activities conducted by Guide Ambientali Escursionistiche who frequently organise activities and guided walks (Giuseppe Adamo, tel. 347-59.63.469, info@quisquins.com). Stages Q1 and Q2 described in this guidebook offer a detour from Cammarata / San Giovanni Gemini to the Quisquina hermitage and back.

sides of the trail; once passed it, you will reach a crossing [2.4 – 12km]. Continue in this direction following the tourist directions for Tagliavia, which will lead you to the Madonna del Rosario Sanctuary. A pine-tree-lined avenue will accompany you towards the place of worship, where you can ask for overnight accommodation, fill your flasks, have something to eat, get your stamp and continue on your hike towards Corleone. After greeting the community and with the church behind you, cross the square, go down the stairs and turn left onto the dirt road heading towards Borgo Saladino that will be reached after 1.2km. After 240m, you will come upon a crossing [2.5 – 14.2km]. Once past it, continue over the main route, turning left into the detour used during winter months or in the case of bad weather. The Via continues straight ahead, flanking the buildings of a military armoury on the right, and soon reaches a ford in the Belìce river. It can be crossed during the summer months when the water is shallow, but take care to avoid ending up with a sodden backpack; in springtime, when the water level is higher, all you need do is remove your shoes and socks to cross the river and resume your hike. Once the stream has been crossed, follow the road for 100m and then turn left [2.6 – 15.6km] as indicated by the arrow. You must walk down a small dirt road for 320m in order to pass the SS 118 state road and then come to a group of dwellings, called Case Scalilli, where it is safe to cross and you turn into a bicycle path flanking the state road. You can do a nature detour at 17.5km and walk 1.6km towards the GOLE DEL DRAGO canyon, then retrace your footsteps back to the Magna Via Francigena trail. Follow the trail as it keeps to the state road on your right, up to the slope of a pile of boulders called ROCCA ARGENTERIA; together with PIZZO NICOLOSI, it is the most eastward extremity of the Bosco della Ficuzza, Rocca Busambra nature reserve. Upon encountering the signpost, turn left and begin the uphill climb leading to the pass. Once you’re beyond the pass, turn onto the path that continues straight downhill for 400m, until you reach another signpost that indicates to turn right [2.7 – 19.2km], and continue going downhill until the end of the path where you will come upon the SS 118 state road. Walk around the car barrier where the arrow will instruct you to continue bearing right and walking the 110m separating 43

Santa Cristina Gela ➜ Corleone

you from the casa cantoniera (roadman’s house) along the state road. Upon reaching it, turn left and walk down the path that branches out for about 370m. At the fork in the road [2.8 – 20.4km], turn into the one on the left, which leads across the Corleone countryside and reaches the northern outskirts of town, after having gone downhill and dealt with one of the most demanding uphill climbs in the entire trail. Continue in this direction, ignoring the secondary roads. Then continue straight ahead towards the state road, which you will leave on your left, then follow the parallel road (less busy) on your right. Walk down this road for 730m, until reaching an arrow that instructs you to turn left [2.9 – 24km] and follow the trail until the entrance to Via Giuseppe Impastato (24.5km) that rises on the left. You have now reached CORLEONE and, once passing Via Impastato, turn into Via Verdi all the way to Corso dei Mille. Hike down the entire road, flanking the town park all the way to the square with a statue of Saint Francis, which marks the end of this stage of your journey.

Winter detour. Having passed Borgo Saladino and reached the crossroads [2.5], turn left and walk down the dirt road for 1.7km until you reach the SP 42 provincial road. Follow the road bearing right for 930m, until you reach the intersection with the SS 118 state road. Walk down this road for approximately 300m, until you reach the pedestrian crossing at Case Scialilli, then resume the regular Magna Via trail.

Places to visit Portella Sant’Agata archaeological site For an extensive period of time, this place was intended for road supervision and as a military outpost: a Byzantine phrurion. It was referred to in letters written by Pope Gregory I as the seat of the oratorium S. Agnes iuxta Panormitanam civitatem, namely a place of worship dedicated to Saint Agnes. Portella Sant’Agata most probably housed a late medieval spitale for the accommodation of wayfarers.

Pizzo Nicolosi and Rocca Argenteria Over the course of centuries, the two strongholds housed settlements that have been well attested to archaeologically. Up until the 3rd century BC, a city delegated for supervising roads and the surrounding territory stood on Pizzo Nicolosi; it was most probably the ancient Pirama, statio of the Roman itinerary from Agrigento to Palermo, a piece of Sicily’s ancient road system that archaeologists are patiently piecing back together.

Gole del Drago It may be reached via a small detour. It is a circular low-mountain basin that measures approximately 100m in spring, swelling and going dry following the summer months. Once upon a time, the entire area was covered in water and filled the fishing pond where King Ferdinand IV of the House of Bourbon spent his leisure time. 44

Santa Cristina Gela ➜ Corleone

TAGLIAVIA SANCTURY.

A place of prayer and rest for pilgrims.

Corleone The city of the one-hundred churches, renowned for events linking it to the Mafia and corruption of its territory, should be described for all its beauty and for the pride that nurtures its best traits. Ruins of the SOPRANO CASTLE from the Arab-Norman period still remain, with its Saracen tower, along with the SOTTANO CASTLE that hosts the Franciscan hermitage of San Bernardo. There are many churches scattered all over the city, symbol of the power of nobility belonging to the Animosa Civitas – as King Alfonso the Magnanimous loved to define it during the 15th century: from the convent and Church of Sant’Agostino, to the Cathedral dedicated to San Martino, then passing through the SS. SALVATORE MONASTERY, a place of prayer and pilgrim accommodation, to the churches dedicated to the city’s patron saints, San Leoluca and San Bernardo, the Corleone-born saint who (prior to rising to the honours of the altar) earnt his nickname Spada di Sicilia for his great dexterity with the sword. The PIPPO RIZZO ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM also deserves a visit: on display is the only milestone in Sicily, called the Aurelio Cotta milestone, indicating the distance from Agrigento along the Roman itinerary (tel. 091-84.64.907, 9:30 am–1 pm / 3:30–7:30 pm, closed Sunday afternoon); then there’s the LABORATORIO DELLA LEGALITÀ, a place that stands as a memorial to the resistance against Mafia mentality, inaugurated in one of the properties confiscated from Bernardo Provenzano (tel. 091-84.67.256, cortile Colletti 3, 9:30 am–12:30 pm / 3:30– 5:30 pm); and CIDMA, CENTRO INTERNAZIONALE DI DOCUMENTAZIONE SULLA MAFIA E DELL’ANTIMAFIA (International Data Centre on Mafia and Anti-Mafia), which on the premises of the former Convent of San Ludovico hosts a path of knowledge and understanding of the Mafia phenomenon and its implications for the town of Corleone, for Sicily and Italy (www.cidmacorleone.it, tel. 091-84.52.42.95, 340-40.25.601, info@cidmacorleone.it, Monday–Friday booking essential). 45