If you are ready to explore one of the oldest and most characteristic villages of the Madonie, still little known by a tourist bite and escape, you can only choose this itinerary, discovering the history and legends of Gratteri.
The meeting is scheduled at the Belvedere Ganci Battaglia, where you will be welcomed by one of our narrators who will accompany you throughout this fascinating route. However, before starting our tour, a photo at the Belvedere is customary to immortalize a breathtaking view of the Tyrrhenian coast, where, during the clearest days, you can see the Aeolian islands.
Not by chance Gratteri has been nicknamed the “terrace on the Tyrrhenian“. We will start with a nice walk, from the bridge of the Ecce Homo to Portella Carruba, so called for the presence of a carob tree, already mentioned in the sources of 1500. From there, you can admire a bucolic scenery, similar to a crib with lush pastures in front of the charming church of the 12th century Convent.
In the distance, you will see the entire valley up to Mount San Calogero, which dominates the gulf of Termini Imerese. Below, we will move to visit the historical museum of the municipality, recently restored, located on a hill where you can see what remains of the oldest district, originally called Terra Vecchia and today Conigliera, with its walls in precipice above the “Mouth of Hell“.
Walking through the streets of the village, we will cross the main course, until you reach the fountain of the Nymph, placed 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 Cave, which could be considered the Genius Loci of the ancient village “of the craters”.
The first church to visit is the parish of San Michele Arcangelo which houses miraculous relics of Jerusalem and valuable works of art from different eras. After a small refreshment to enjoy the typical products of local shops, we will accompany you to the church of San Giacomo, Protector of Gratteri, which preserves the beautiful statue of the Apostle, venerated with great devotion by the Gratteresi.
Near the homonymous neighborhood you will also find the poet’s house and a typical stone architecture for rainwater collection, “u cabbubbu“. From the San Giacomo alley, we will move to the Via Fiume district, where we will show you the three medieval bridges and an underground cistern, the Fantina well, covered in the second post-war period to make the route passable.
Under Via Fiume, in fact, still today flows an underground stream, the Crati, which, coming down from Pizzo di Pilo, crosses the town dividing it in two, the oldest part from the new. From Piazzetta Ponte Silvio we will take Salita Orologio which, until 1900, bore the name of Via dei Saraceni.
In this district you can see a circular house of a body, recently renovated, which still retains a portal with a round arch, typical of the primordial Arab dwellings. This is the last house with original architecture, which today can be called the “Thousand Years House”.
According to the information reported by the Arab historians Bauijan and Inb-Hawqal – then extended by Amari – it would appear that Gratteri, along with Cefalù, Brucato and Marineo were conquered by the Saracens around 835-838. They managed to penetrate the castle of Qratiris, which they called Hottirisch, through an ancient gate to the fortress, still popularly known as Dammuso, certainly one of the most suggestive points of the medieval Gratteri.
From the Saracens’ quarter we will move to the old Bucciria, Petra, Santa – recently rebuilt thanks to studies in progress – and then arrive at the Clock Tower, which, with its 100 bells, is one of the most significant symbols for the locals. Not far away, we will look over the rocky embankment of the stream to let you hear the legendary story of Macigna.
At this point, passing through the old quarters of the Porta Grande, Terra Vecchia and Nostra Donna, we will find ourselves in front of the Vecchia Matrice, built in the first half of the 14th century next to the ancient castle of the princess Ventimiglia. On the high altar today stands the Madonna with Child, a work of the Gaginian school and from the Norman church of the Rosary.
In the ancient apse behind, there are two interesting funerary monuments in mixed marbles inside which rest the remains of Maria Filangeri, wife of Lorenzo Ventimiglia (†1650), and the nephew Gaetano, prince of Belmonte (†1744).
In the right wall you can still see what was an opening, which communicated directly with the rooms of the Barons, inside the outskirts of their castle. We will then show you, the Via Arcarìa, a hidden alley behind a stone watering hole, where there were the prisons at the foot of the ancient fortress known for the dark story of Don Antonio Ventimiglia who imprisoned the bishop of Cefalù, Niccolò De Burellis, found lifeless on his knees and with eyes in the sky.
Our journey will proceed towards the “Scala” where the Promestratensi street begins and leads to the Norman abbey of San Giorgio. From that viewpoint the landscape is like a postcard. Facing the cliff of Carapé, you will know the history of the talismans of women of Scala and that of the Souls of Purgatory, the votive edicoles placed today inside the small church of the Crucifix.
From there, we will take a new road carved entirely in the rock at the end of the twentieth century, called Parisèa, from the tale of the dialect poet Ciccu Di Maria, inspired by a true story. After visiting the churches of San Sebastiano and Sant’Andrea, we will conclude our intense itinerary before the cloister of the Town Hall, once belonging to the Convent of Santa Maria di Gesù, one of the oldest churches in the country, where you will be waiting for a well-deserved refreshment. Get ready for an adventure not to be missed, discovering one of the most beautiful and mysterious villages of the Madonie.
For more details on the excursion and the route map, please visit the following link: eventi.visitgratteri.com