The Nebrodi Ridge

Few people associate Sicily with deep forests and high-altitude pastures, yet the Nebrodi are exactly that: the island's largest wooded area, a mountain chain running parallel to the Tyrrhenian coast of Messina. While the flow of tourists pours onto the beaches and the famous hotspots like Etna or the Aeolian Islands, up here an almost Nordic calm reigns. It is a landscape of beech woods, oaks, rolling ridges and silence, populated by Sanfratellano horses grazing freely and by raptors wheeling over the crests.

The ridge

The backbone of the park is the long chain followed along the so-called Nebrodi Ridge, a crest route that crosses the heart of the protected area. You don't need to walk the whole of it to grasp its spirit: you can savour it in stretches, setting out from the villages that dot it. One of the most beloved spots is Lake Biviere di Cesarò, a high-altitude sheet of water framed by meadows and by Monte Soro, the highest peak of the massif, cloaked in one of the finest beech forests in the South. The lake is an oasis for waterbirds and a perfect vantage point: on clear days the gaze reaches all the way to Etna, which closes the horizon like a suspended volcano.

Pastures and villages

Other memorable views are the pastures around Floresta, among the highest municipalities in Sicily, and the centuries-old beech woods surrounding Monte Soro. From the foothill villages such as San Fratello, Cesarò, Floresta and Mistretta, trails and forest tracks climb high through woods and clearings, where it is not unusual to come across herds of horses and the black pigs of the Nebrodi at pasture. The constant feeling is that of a plateau that is alive yet forgotten, where pastoralism still sets the rhythm.

How to get there

To get there, a car is almost indispensable. You climb up from the Tyrrhenian coast, around Sant'Agata di Militello or Capo d'Orlando, ascending towards the inland villages on roads that wind their way up through the woods. Public transport reaches the main villages but with sparse frequencies, of little use to those wanting to move between the trails. Once at altitude you proceed on foot along the forest tracks, generally wide and with an even surface.

The overall difficulty is modest compared to high mountains: most of the routes follow dirt roads and mule tracks with moderate gradients, suitable even for less expert walkers, provided they are fit enough for distances that can grow long. The elevation changes are gentle, but the crest stages are long and without shelter, so they must be gauged against your own legs and the hours of daylight. The trail network is extensive and in places the signage is not continuous, so an up-to-date map or the support of a park guide helps with orientation.

When to go

The best time is late spring, between May and June, when the beech woods are a brilliant green, the meadows bloom and the days are long; or October, with the woods ablaze in yellow and red and the crisp air offering the widest panoramas. Summer at altitude is pleasant, but the days can be hot in the lower parts, while winter brings snow and fog. Even in the best periods the Nebrodi remain little frequented: Sicilian tourism looks elsewhere, and that is their greatest asset.

A practical tip: stock up on water in the villages before climbing, because at altitude reliable sources are few and refreshment points almost nonexistent. Keep your distance from the horses and grazing animals, which are wild and must be respected without getting too close. And treat yourself to a stop in one of the mountain villages at the end of the day: it is there, in front of a plate of local produce, that you understand why this green corner of Sicily deserves far more than the oblivion in which it has remained.