Petralia Sottana - Madonie Park - Sicily

#petraliasottana #madonie #sicily
Petralia Sottana, district of Palermo, Sicily. On the south slopes of Madonie Mountains, this small and enchanting town is located in a strategic position over the Imera River valley. Its intricate network of alleys develops among the ancient stone buildings in a mystical middle age atmosphere. Its surroundings, a mix among countryside and mountains, offer a spectacular biodiversity and an uncommon example of Man/Nature symbiosis.
The site has been inhabited since the third millennium B.C.. In the nearby “Vecchiuzzo” cave archeologists found several prehistorical testimonies. The following history of the settlement has been marked by the various dominations (Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, etc). In 1258 A.C. for the first time some documents reported the separation between Petralia Sottana and Soprana, even if the two villages were always under the same barony along the entire feudal period.
A part from its past and the environmental beauties, Petralia Sottana is an attraction itself thank to the well preserved old town, a treasure of historical buildings, monuments, churches, all concentrated in a small aerea. Walking along the alleys to discover its hidden wonders, far from other crowded locations in Sicily, is a relaxing experience. Fountains (the town is famous for its drinking waters), sundials, ancient portals, the old measures plaque, are there to be found by curious travelers. Petralia Sottana is also famous for the sculptural masterpieces of Gagini’s workshop and the artworks of Giuseppe Salerno, a great painter called “Zoppo di Gangi”, distributed in the various churches and sanctuaries. And don’t forget to visit The Collisani Museum with its geological section dedicated to the Madonie Park (the town is the administration seat of the park) and an interesting archeological exhibition.
Petralia Sottana is a perfect “base camp” to explore the Madonie Park. Some trails start directly from the town as the “Sentiero della Pace” or the trek to Madonna dell’Alto Sanctuary, others start from Piano Battaglia, an hamlet of Petralia Sottana among the highest mountains. There is plenty of accommodation to overnight and several excellent restaurants to taste the delicious “madonita “gastronomy. So you’ll have only the spoiled for choice.
Footage was filmed in 2019 but this short video has been edited in 2020. For the shooting, I used my Olympus OM-D EM5 MKII and a GoPro Hero 7. Photos are by Francesca Sparatore with her Nikon D3100. Post-production and editing has been realized with I-Movie.
The track “Metamorphosis” is by Quincas Moreira and is available on KZbin Audio Library.
More information? Leave a message in the comment section or contact me through the following links:
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Instagram / andy_1803_di_stefano

[@autotraveler121]

Your wonderful films inspire a personal acquaintance with the beautiful and amazing Sicily.

[@andreadistefanoMS]

Thank you Pavel!

[@deepwordsquotes]

very nice views... thank you andrea...

[@andreadistefanoMS]

Thank you Nedim!

[@AimlesslyDrifting]

Loved the feel of this entire town!

[@andreadistefanoMS]

Thanks! Glad you liked!

[@HaswellTravelled]

Beautiful! I so much enjoy old towns of Europe. I look forward to returning some year. We were briefly in Palermo and Monreale as a cruise port stop a number of years ago. Well done, my friend 👍. Thanks for sharing and enjoy your day 😀.

[@andreadistefanoMS]

Thank you for your comment! It would be great to meet you in Sicily. I am sure you would be surprised by the incredible variety it offers to the curious visitor. Have a nice week!

[@Traveler_Greg]

Beautiful views from Sicily. Great music. Best regards and thanks for sharing. 👍

[@andreadistefanoMS]

Thank you very much! All the best for you!

[@CreativeGinge]

Wow how very beautiful! Loved looking around the town! Thanks for showing us around- Jo

[@andreadistefanoMS]

Thank you, this is authentic Sicily.

[@ross_around_the_World]

Lovely images of magic Sicily. Thanks for that.

[@andreadistefanoMS]

Thank you. This is a ray of sun in this dark period. Nice week end!

[@antoninoragazzo9055]

Bravo! La musica si adatta benissimo allo stato deprimente di quel paese, dove non c'e' assolutamente niente!!😢 lo provano tanti emigrati di Petralia Sottana + Soprana, come tanti dei miei parenti + Genitori!!!😢😢😢

[@andreadistefanoMS]

Grazie per la testimonianza, Antonino, e per aver guardato il video!

[@pamitnenuk3508]

Indah sekali

[@andreadistefanoMS]

Thank you very much!

[@sonialimasantossantos5256]

Ola amigo aquí estamos juntos lindo video 🥰🤗👍👈

[@andreadistefanoMS]

Ola amiga!!! Evviva!

[@sonialimasantossantos5256]

@@andreadistefanoMS ola 🥰👈

[@nickh9791]

Beautiful pics. We are visiting both Petralia towns in June and are very excited

[@andreadistefanoMS]

Hi Nick! I am sure you will love it! Don’t forget to visit Piano Battaglia and the town of Gangi too! Thank you for visiting the channel!

[@nickh9791]

@@andreadistefanoMS we are visiting Gangi too and will see about Piano Battaglia. Thanks for the recommendation! Grazie mille

[@costiniucmircea]

very nice views. !

[@andreadistefanoMS]

Thank you Mircea!

[@eunicedacosta416]

Bellissima Petralia ,sei in mio cuore

[@andreadistefanoMS]

Petralia è veramente un incanto! Ciao Eunice!

Lovely village 🌳 good video

[@andreadistefanoMS]

Thank you Ricardo!

[@Scubabeat]

Beautiful images Andrea! Love to come to Sicily one day!

[@andreadistefanoMS]

It will be great from you. I ‘ll be glad to meet you in Sicily! Thank you very much!

[@Jma82-photo-travel-drone]

Amazing footage ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@andreadistefanoMS]

Thank you very much for your comment!

[@Jma82-photo-travel-drone]

@@andreadistefanoMS Keep it up the amazing work, if you not see this yet check out through this website my instagram and tik tok you might like 👇www.jma82.com/gallery/

[@KingTolentino]

i would love to go to a place like this.... there's something cinematic to the old town and cities :D

[@andreadistefanoMS]

Hi King! Yes, these little villages are often so mysterious... Thanks for watching!

[@ruthok1]

@@andreadistefanoMS I heard that they are only 2500 inhabitants. Is it true ?

[@andreadistefanoMS]

@@ruthok1 I don’t know exactly the number of inhabitants but moreover it is true. This is a small village on the mountains.

[@virginiacw4417]

My grandfather was born and raised in this beautiful district of Palermo and came to U.S. in 1909 at the age of 16. Thank you for sharing!

[@andreadistefanoMS]

I am glad my video reminded you your grandfather and your roots. Really, it’s not the first time that happens but each time I feel happy as it gives a sense to what I am doing! Nice to meet you on KZbin. You should come in Sicily, if you already didn’t, I am sure you will love it! Thank you for your comment.

[@virginiacw4417]

@@andreadistefanoMS Thank you for your reply, Andrea. It's on my bucket list to visit beautiful Sicily some day.

[@andreadistefanoMS]

@@virginiacw4417 Let me know if you decide. I'll be happy to meet you!

[@garywalcott9670]

@@andreadistefanoMS You're very kind. Will absolutely let you know! Take care.

[@sergiovideosergio]

Bellissimi scatti, complimenti a Francesca per le foto e a te per il bel montaggio :) like

[@andreadistefanoMS]

Grazie Sergio! Giro immediatamente i complimenti alla fotografa, li merita! Buon fine settimana!

[@penamerahproduction]

Nice place....

[@BH-br4ee]

I hope it's possible for Americans to retire here.

[@andreadistefanoMS]

Why not? It’s easy to be happy in Sicily, people are friendly, weather is fine and Madonie mountains are wonderful. Petralia Sottana has all you may need to stay well. Thank you for watching and commenting. I hope you like the channel, it is full of suggestions to visit and live in Sicily.

[@antoninoragazzo9055]

Yes, but you would soon die of the absolute boredom! 😢 cause it's in the middle of nowhere!😢 believe me, cause I was Born there!!!😢😢😢