Sicily: The Madonie Natural Park 2021
A fascinating horse trekking that includes six days of horseback riding in the territory of the Madonie Regional Park, which welcomes within its approximately 40 thousand hectares of surface, more than 70% of the entire biodiversity of the island.
Guaranteed departure dates with a minimum of one person departing
PARTICIPANTS: MIN 2 MAX 10
Pick-up from the airport and transfer to Casalvecchio Geraci, an ancient restored nineteenth-century farmhouse, nestled in the green hills of the Rainò river valley. Exquisite organic dinner based on 0 km products and overnight stay in a farmhouse.
Breakfast, assignment of the horses and departure from Casalvecchio around 8, we begin to descend the valley of the Rainò river, a tributary of the Pollina, which marks the eastern limit of the Madonie from a geographical point of view and which is characterized by its wild beauty, full of hiding places for the famous Mauritian bandits, who dictated the law here between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Picnic in nature and climb towards the medieval town of San Mauro Castelverde at more than 1000 meters high, overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. Dinner based on typical local products and overnight stay in a 16th century monastery converted into a hotel.
Breakfast and departure around 8 am. Descent towards Castelbuono, the largest village in the Madonie with about 10 thousand inhabitants, the ancient seat of the barons of Ventimiglia, who from here reigned for centuries over the entire territory crossed by this trek. Picnic near the village. In the afternoon, walk towards the territory of Cefalù through very wild and scenic areas, covered with woods and Mediterranean scrub, passing through the vineyard of Santa Anastasia. Dinner and overnight at Turismo Rurale Cefalù, equipped with a swimming pool with sea view.
Breakfast and departure around 8:30. You first cross an area covered with Mediterranean scrub with breathtaking views of the Tyrrhenian coast and after a couple of hours you arrive at the sanctuary of Gibilmanna, seat of the Madonna patron and protector of the diocese of Cefalù. We visit the sanctuary that houses one of the most beautiful works by Gagini, a great Sicilian sculptor of the Renaissance and continue towards the medieval village of Gratteri, where you can have a picnic. In the afternoon continue through the San Giorgio wood, rich in holm oaks and oaks, passing by the ruins of the abbey of San Giorgio (12th century) to the Madonna del Pedale (17th century) and finally reaching the Casena Mongerrati farmhouse, equipped with swimming pool, near Collesano, an ancient town of Arab origin (Qal'atas-sirat). Hearty dinner and overnight stay in a farmhouse.
Breakfast and departure from Casena Mongerrati around 9 am and crossing the Mungerrati forest populated by corks, holm oaks and oaks. Continue in the direction of Piano Zucchi, near which the picnic is consumed, under the imposing limestone massif of Carbonara. We then pass by Piano Cervi, immersed in dense forests of holm oaks that slowly turn into beech trees and finally arrive at Piano Battaglia, a famous ski resort at an altitude of 1600 meters. Dinner and overnight at the Marini Refuge.
Breakfast and departure from Rifugio Marini around 8:30. Visit of the Battaglietta, a karst ighiottitoio where the melting waters of the snow flow through underground tunnels to Cefalù. Passage from Vallone Madonna degli Angeli to admire the last surviving specimens of the Nebrodi fir (abies nebrodensis) symbol of the Park in nature. Passage from the Madonna dell'Alto Sanctuary (1819 m) where on days of good visibility you can admire a large part of the island and descent to our Terravecchia farmhouse in the territory of Castellana Sicula, equipped with a swimming pool projected towards the enchanting internal Sicily. Dinner and overnight.
Breakfast and departure from Terravecchia around 9am. This day is spent on the southern slopes of the Madonie, famous since ancient times for their productivity in fodder and wheat, the island's first agricultural resource once nicknamed "Rome's granary "as well as the main food base. Passage from Petralia Soprana, nominated in 2018 "Most beautiful village in Italy" and return in the afternoon to our base, Casalvecchio Geraci farmhouse, after having crossed the trazzere immersed in pleasant panoramic views. Organic dinner based on 0 km products and overnight stay.
Breakfast and transfer to the airport.
Tariff per person, starting from:
| Departure | Double | Supplement single |
|---|---|---|
| From 10 April 2021 to 13 November 2021 | € 1,810 | € 330 |
Notes
(B / L / D): B = breakfast; L = lunch; D = Dinner
Guaranteed departure dates with a minimum of one person departing:
Difficulty level: From ° to °°°°°
DURATION: 8 DAYS / 7 NIGHTS
DIFFICULTY: °°°° (INTERMEDIATE / ADVANCED)
ACCOMMODATION: farmhouses and B&B
EQUIPMENT: English saddles with sheepskin for comfort. On request American saddles
HORSES: Sicilian, well trained and accustomed to the territory
GAIT: FROM 6 TO 8 H PER DAY IN THE SADDLE – It requires familiarity and mastery of the horse in the open spaces at the three gaits. The terrains are varied and there is the possibility of covering long stretches at a stretch or gallop.
MINIMUM AGE : 16 years
MAXIMUM WEIGHT : 90 Kg
TYPE : itinerant trekking with overnight stay in a farmhouse
ACCOMMODATION:
Overnight stays in clean and comfortable farmhouses and B & Bs.
Authentic Sicilian cuisine dinners based on local products. A typical evening meal includes: variety of antipasti, pasta, meat, dessert, wine, water and digestive. Picnic lunches are brought from the support machine (with tables, chairs and cutlery) and include: fresh bread, salad, cheeses, olives, cold cuts, Sicilian specialties, wines or other drinks, on request, coffee or tea.
Note: The itinerary described above is to be considered indicative. It may be subject to variations due to weather conditions or circumstances beyond our control. It is possible to live the experience in the Park even in a reduced version having 4 or 5 nights available.
The tariff includes
The tariff does not include
Duration: 8 days / 7 nights
from € 1.810 - Voli esclusi
Duration: 6 days / 5 nights
from € 1.600 - Voli esclusi
Premio Turismo responsabile Italiano 2011
