Surrounded by green...
OF DIFFERENT HUES, AT TIMES MORE INTENSE, AT OTHER MORE TENDER, BUT A GENUINE IMMERSION IN AN ENVIRONMENT OF BOUNDLESS BEAUTY!
Polizzi Generosa lies right in the most unspoilt heart of the Madonie, perched on a 917-metre-high mountain of limestone origin that dominates the two broad Imera valleys, with the mountains on one side and the (distant) sea on the other. Heading north, you venture into hazelnut groves, olive groves and orchards, while to the south is an endless expanse of pastureland.
And if you are lucky, you will witness a particular atmospheric phenomenon, which the people of Pula call the "maretta", or a sort of very light whipped cream, made up of low-lying, foamy clouds coming in from the sea: the effect is very special because the spires and bell towers seem to be suspended between heaven and earth.
The highest peaks are Pizzo Carbonara (1979 metres), Monte San Salvatore (1912 metres), Monte Ferro (1906 metres), the dolomitic Serre della Quacella (1869 metres), then down towards the high pastures, Piano Cervi and Monte dei Cervi; where many of the nivalora (or snow merchants) lived until fairly recently, supplying monasteries and noblemen in this part of Sicily with snow during the summer (the others were on Mount Etna and the Erei); we then move on to the beech forests, opening up to the Mediterranean scrub, myrtles, wild olive trees, heather and broom.
Read MoreBut the entire Madonie Park (established in 1989) is a museum of Sicilian flora, as more than half of the 2,600 species present on the island can be found here.
Starting with the famous and now rare Sicilian fir – along the path through the Vallone Madonna degli Angeli a few kilometres from the village of Polizzi, which can also be reached with the guidance of trained hikers - followed by the Madonie violets, the Sicilian milkvetch, Sicilian feather grass and numerous colourful specimens of wild orchids native to the region.
There are also many varieties of mushrooms: the Ferula and the chef's favourite Basilisk.
Among the paths, dips and plateaus which were once home to deer, chamois and even wolves and eagle owls, you may still spot martens, fallow deer, foxes, porcupines, hares and wild rabbits, as well as small hedgehogs.
Birdlife includes kestrels, buzzards, owls, golden eagles, peregrine falcons and woodpeckers.
However, the entire region of Polizzi Generosa is a true paradise, with some parts making you feel like you have left Sicily behind.
Cattle, goats and sheep are reared; cereals, hazelnuts and olives grown, along with the famous 'badda' bean, now a highly sought-after product and Slow Food-certified.
And if you want to find a different route – for walkers, cyclists and horse riders - you can head north of the town centre, aiming for the mills. There are plenty of them, located naturally close to watercourses, some dating back as far as the 12th century. There is also "Flomaria molendinorum', the ancient Valley of the Mills.
Many mills have watchtowers next to them, which were also built to guard farms and communication routes, such as the 15th-century Donna Laura Tower - guarding the ancient road to Termini - which was part of the Jesuit possessions.
Slightly further lies the Torre Tonda in the Santa Venere district, which protected the agricultural estates of the Hospitaller Knights.
