Arrival in Alia and Marcato Bianco
After a hot summer, today we finally set off again for a weekend heading toward two small villages in the province of Palermo.
We leave at almost dawn with our eyes still heavy with sleep but with great enthusiasm for this new adventure, and after about three hours of travel and a coffee break, we arrive in Alia.
Alia rises on the south-western slope of the Madonie mountains, between the valleys of the Torto river and the Feudi, known as the “Garden City” or land of “ghiuttena” (ittena), meaning stone benches typical of rural areas.
Waiting for us is Vincenzo, chef of the family agriturismo and expert of the territory, who welcomes us together with his loyal friends—two puppies weighing 91 kg each, eager for cuddles despite their size: in this case, appearances can be deceiving.
After a few chats and another coffee to recover from the journey, we begin our visit with Vincenzo, starting from what he calls a small “village,” since it cannot really be considered a town, nor even a proper hamlet.
Here we are in “Marcato Bianco,” a hamlet of Castronuovo di Sicilia, inhabited by very few families, all related to each other, where the bar is a vending machine located on the main street. There is no bakery, no supermarket, but everything is still within reach and the inhabitants are truly happy with this lifestyle.
In this “village” of just a few souls, everything is homemade as it once was: from bread to pasta, from vegetable growing to cheese-making, to local meat production, where everything—as Vincenzo says—is zero-kilometer!
We start our tour by visiting the dairy of Mrs. Filippa, a family-run cheese factory where we watch the making of fresh ricotta and tuma cheese, along with an explanation of the production process. Of course, we couldn’t resist tasting these freshly made products, and it is truly hard to describe how good they were. We can only say that their authenticity managed to touch all our senses! But to truly believe it, you will have to go and experience it yourself!
Between a chat and a stir of ricotta, Filippa also brings other homemade cheeses to the table: a primosale and a pecorino coated in black pepper, whose preservation technique we will keep secret.
We feel so much at home that it is hard to leave, but other places are waiting for us, so after saying goodbye to Filippa and her children, we head back to the car. Before leaving, however, we quickly visit the ancient small church dedicated to the Most Holy Crucifix.
Grotte della Gurfa
Next, we move on to the Grotte della Gurfa, a true monument of rock-cut funerary architecture, where humans created a series of spaces carved directly into the rock.
The caves date back to the Bronze Age, with Arab settlements from which the name derives, as they brought wheat, vines, and olive trees—still among the main crops today. Immersed in greenery, even from afar the many openings regularly arranged on two levels of the reddish, pitted rock face create a striking impression. For centuries they were used as granaries by farmers, and in 2010 this site was recorded as a “place of heroes” linked to the myth of Daedalus and Minos, king of Crete.
Inside the caves, one can visit a first chamber known as the “torture room”, where a macabre ritual took place: the bravest had to be lowered with ropes through a hole carved in the rock and remain seated among the dead and tortured people, then try to climb back up to the upper rooms. Those who succeeded were celebrated and revered by the people. This represented a kind of simulation of the passage from the world of the dead to the world of the living. Being inside this room and hearing its story is chilling!
Continuing, we enter the “bell-shaped cave,” defined as the largest temple of light in the Mediterranean. A special atmosphere is created here thanks to two openings—one on the roof and one on a wall of the cave—through which a beam of sunlight enters: every year, at the spring equinox, a ray of sun hits a precise corner, illuminating anyone standing in a specific point.
Equally important are the summer solstice, one of the most significant moments for ancient farming communities, marking the rebirth of nature—at noon the sun enters through the upper opening and hits the center of the chamber—and the winter solstice, when the sun enters through the small hole and lights up the wall. These were important moments for ancient populations to mark the seasons and guide sowing and harvesting.
We go up to the upper level and reach the room known as the barter room: here a special natural acoustics occurs, but only for male voices, which echo as if they were music. We also tried, but nothing happened! While Vincenzo’s voice echoed all the way outside the caves, ours remained trapped inside the room. Incredible!
Lunch in Alia and panoramas
We return to the agriturismo for a Sicilian-style lunch, served under a lush pergola of plants, where we enjoy the company of Vincenzo’s family and many cats roaming freely in the courtyard. To complete the picture, an unexpected friend of the family joins us for lunch, gladly accepting the invitation to stay.
Between laughter and conversation, Vincenzo says: “You don’t mind if he joins us, right? As my grandfather used to say ‘A tavula è trazzera’ (“The table is a shortcut.” In Sicilian tradition, a trazzera is a country path, a shortcut. The proverb teaches that at the table it is easier to get closer, build relationships, get to know each other, and bridge distances). Of course, we immediately said it wasn’t a problem, because this is exactly the kind of hospitality we love!
We begin lunch with cheeses, salami, black and white olives, a delicious caponata made by Vincenzo’s father, and we try to get the traditional recipes. We continue with a grill of pork and lamb ribs and a side of tomato, onion, and mountain caper salad. Everything is incredibly good and we are completely full (as always), but we cannot resist the freshly made ricotta cannolo. It is sublime!!!
After lunch, before continuing our tour, we take a walk around the agriturismo, immersed in a peaceful and relaxing setting, perfect for those who want to experience nature and authentic Sicilian life.
In the afternoon, Vincenzo takes us to the center of Alia and up to the upper part of the town called “Rabatello” (meaning upper part), from where we walk through the countryside until we reach the hills, where a breathtaking panorama opens up: from here you can see the Sicani mountains, Mount Etna, and on clear days even the Aeolian Islands. In this corner of paradise, you feel like the masters of the world and just want to lie down and enjoy the breeze, silence, and natural scents.
Sant’Ambrogio and Pollina
Despite everything, the working day is not over yet, so we get back in the car to reach Sant’Ambrogio, a few kilometers from Cefalù. After about an hour on the road, we arrive at the village: just enough time to settle in, have a quick aperitif, and go straight to bed to recover our energy.
The next morning we wake up early for a special breakfast overlooking the northern coast of Sicily. The village of Sant’Ambrogio is located on a hill just 5 km from Cefalù, very close to the sea and easily reachable on foot via a staircase starting right from the village.
After breakfast and a few photos, we meet Giovanna, our host, who invited us to discover this place she deeply cares about.
The visit begins, and we are joined by Carmelina, a friend of Giovanna’s, Australian-born but of Sicilian origin, an expert in this land she loves and has called home for over 15 years.
We wander through well-kept alleys and narrow streets, small gardens carefully cultivated with cherry tomatoes, pumpkins, vines, olive trees, and other vegetables, until we reach a small path leading to a rocky ridge from which we admire a breathtaking view of the entire coast: the sea on one side and the Madonie mountains on the other.
In the village, it is easy to meet elderly people sitting outside their homes. During our walk, we see a group of women chatting in front of their houses. We stop to talk with them, asking for stories from their youth, and it is wonderful to see how life here flows so differently from ours. Suddenly, a Sicilian saying comes up: “Cu va a ‘menzu a vià su ‘nsi vagna nun si ni va” (who goes to the river and doesn’t get wet cannot leave), born from the habit of girls in the past splashing each other while doing laundry at the communal washhouse.
We say goodbye and move on to the family olive mill of Giovanna, where we are taken back in time. Here she tells us the story of how her great-grandfather, grandfather, uncles, and father worked in this place for years, where everything has remained intact: from olive milling machines to old tools.
Photos and books tell the story of the production process, from the olive bud to ripening, harvesting, milling, and tasting this precious and versatile product.
After a few historical notes, we enjoy a rich tasting of local products accompanied by olive oil tasting: couscous with seasonal vegetables, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, aged cheese, and smoked caciotta with jams.
After the mill closed, the family stopped producing oil themselves, so Giovanna offers us three different olive oils from trusted producers.
But the highlight of the day is the chance to create our own personal blend, flavoring excellent extra virgin olive oil with spices and aromatic herbs, to take home in a glass jar. We love this experience and are sure others will too!
After finishing at the mill, we visit Pollina, known for the production of manna.
Manna is a sugary substance, a Slow Food presidium, obtained from the hardened sap that flows during summer from incisions made on the trunk and branches of certain ash trees. Manna has many beneficial properties: it is used as a sweetener, in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and also supports gastrointestinal well-being.
It would have been wonderful to witness the harvest, but the season is already advanced, so we will have to wait until next summer.
A walk through the narrow streets of Pollina reveals a stunning panorama, especially from its open-air amphitheater with stone steps overlooking the mountains, creating a majestic natural stage, especially at sunset.
This is also the gathering place of the “comari”, the local women who enjoy summer evenings here in good company.
Time flies, and it is already time to say goodbye. Tired but satisfied with all the discoveries of this weekend, we thank Giovanna for her wonderful hospitality, promising to meet again soon.
Our weekend has been intense and full of new experiences and encounters, but it is not over yet! Before heading home, one last stop awaits us in Terrasini for the tourism fair for Sicilian operators. Let’s go!
We are ready to live a new experience … and you?
