Details COMPLETE OFFER n. 4 .
Lenght of stay: 6 days/5 nights
DAY 1 Tuesday
Arrival in the evening in Galati Mamertino
Stay at B&B Al Palmento
Dinner at a typical restaurant with local produce.
Overnight stay and breakfast at Al Palmento B&B
DAY 2 Wednesday Discovering the Nebrodi National Park
After breakfast we will start our tour of the Nebrody Park and discover its incredible natural beauty:
the wonderful Mangalaviti wood, with its beech, maple, yew and holly trees, alternated by meadows and wide clearings, where streams create small moist areas that house orchids and other interesting plants species in spring.
The Biviere Lake, with its 44 acres of water and reeds, makes up for the largest humid area in Sicily and offers a spectacular view of the cone of Etna.
The Maulazzo Lake, an artificial basin, another important water reservoir of the Park.
Lunch in a restaurant with local produce.
Afternoon hike to the Catafurco waterfalls that originate from the Basilio stream: the water thunders down the rocks for almost 30 metres
*The stream might be dry during the summer; in this instance we will visit the Capriolo Area: deer that were once believed to have disappeared due to hunting, here live in semi-captivity
Dinner in a traditional restaurant.
B&B stay at Al Palmento
DAY 3 Thursday The well-known Sicily: its sea
For those who have the opportunity to stay longer in Sicily, you cannot miss a day to the sea.
Not far from Galati Mamertino lies the coastal village of Capo D’Orlando.
We offer private transfer from Galati Mamertino (return trip) and will let you have a day in the sun. We can advise an excellent restaurant where you will be able to taste delicious seafood (not included).
Return to Galati Mamertino in the evening
B&B stay at Al Palmento
Day 4 Friday
Nature and food: the Crasto Rocks and the Milè Castle
This rocky area of great beauty is quite different from the typical landscape of woodlands and pastures that characterise most of the Nebrodi National Park.
Here the limescale rocks and the wind reign: this area is inhabited by the golden eagle and the griffon. The Crasto Rocks are also one of the most panoramic spots in the Nebrodi National Park: when the sky is clear you can admire the Aeolian Islands nestled in the Tyrrhenian Sea.
At the end of our hike, we will move to another fascinating scenery, where history and tradition meet and where several populations followed one another: the Manor Farm of Forte Milè is a farm that includes the remains of a castle dating back to the 13th century, a farmhouse dating back to the 16th century and a chapel. This is the ideal place to taste a genuine cuisine and its local produce.
The farm also offer a series of culinary workshops, to better understand the local delicacies.
Lunch with local produce.
B&B stay at Al Palmento
Day 5 Saturday
Tour of the village of Galati Mamertino, the olive mill museum, the pasta mill and the “Palmento” (wine press) museum;
This tour includes:
Tour of Galati Mamertino by visiting charming areas of the village (the castle remains, the area around the old church of St. Luke), the local churches and their precious works of art.
We will then visit the pasta mill, and later the olive mill museums.
The tour of the churches and works of art:
– The Mother Church, the cathedral: the statue of the Trinity by Antonino Gagini. The Annunciation by Antonino Gagini, (from the old church of the Annunziata). This church boasts a large number of paintings from 1753 by Joseph Tresca. Another important work of art is the 18th-century organ by Annibale Lo Bianco. In the cathedral you will also admire the wooden statue of Saint Sebastian, dating back to the 15th century by Flemish – Rhenish sculptors. This statue later influenced Antonello da Messina’s works.
– In the Church of Saint Catherine your will find the statue of Saint Catherine, from the school of Gagini, and the Crucifix by Frate Umile from Petralìa.
– Finally in Saint Martin Church (nowadays called Rosary Church) lies the most remarkable statue: the Lady of the Snows by Antonello Gagini.
The tour ends at the Palmento museum (this is the only wine press in the area – a stone basin where grapes were crushed by foot) that boasts the tools of a farmer’s everyday life.
In the Palmento museum’s meeting area you will spend the evening by listening to typical Sicilian music, dancing and tasting produce from the Nebrodi National Park (cheese, cured meat and other local produce).
Overnight stay and breakfast at Al Palmento B&B
Day 6 Sunday
History, art, culture
This tour will lead you through a part of the Nebrodi National Park and admire the beautiful landscape. You will also have the chance to visit some villages and discover the local history and culture.
We will first visit San Marco d’Alunzio, a village nestled on top of the hills and facinf the sea.
This village dates back the 5th century BC: this is one of the most fascinating villages in the area of the Nebrodi National Park and boasts numerous historical and cultural remains from past civilisations: the Temple of Hercules from the 4th century BC, the remains of the Norman castle, the baroque facades of the various churches, the museum of Byzantine-Norman art and the museum of the Parish and Sacred Art. We will then stroll along the peculiar and striking alleys of this medieval village with its handicraft workshops.
Lunch in a typical restaurant.
We will then continue to the village of Mirto and to the historical Palazzo Cupane that hosts the Museum of Sicilian custom, fashion and habit. Here you can discover a part of history of the noble and the people’s class and understand the importance of Sicily in silk production.
Our last destination is the village of Frazzanò with the beautiful Fragalà abbey, one of the biggest and most ancient Basilian monastery in Sicily (495 AD).
Departure from Galati Mamertino in the evening