Petralia Sottana and Petralia Soprana: two villages that inspire charm and tranquility

The villages of Petralia Soprana and Petralia Sottana are just a few kilometers from each other and can be visited in an entire day. Surrounded by endless expanses of pastures and bucolic landscapes are definitely perfect places for nature lovers.

Petralia Soprana, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, is the highest village of the Madonie and dominates the surrounding landscape. It is located in the heart of Sicily, in the province of Palermo. A centre of considerable importance during the Greek and Carthaginian domination, Petralia was the first Sicilian city to be dominated by the Romans, called “Petra”, it was one of the cities that supplied the largest quantities of wheat to the Roman Empire.

In the highest part of the village, an Arab-Norman castle immediately attracts the attention of the visitor. The imposing structure has been used as a religious building, the church of S. Maria di Loreto, which is located in Via Belvedere and already from the name of the street you can guess that it is right here, next to the church, which is the most panoramic point of the town. Home to the Madonie Park Authority, Petralia Sottana is the ideal base for exploring it, taking advantage of a series of well-marked geological and natural trails.

For example, from the village you can reach the Vallone Madonna degli Angeli, where there are about twenty Nebrodi firs. The square of Petralia Sottana is dominated by the seventeenth-century Mother Church, that is the Cathedral dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption. Of absolute importance, the statue of the Child Jesus attributed to Antonello Gagini and the baroque altar of the chapel.