Petralia Sottana is a village certified by the Italian Touring Club with the Orange Flag. Situated on a spur of the southern slope of the Madonie Mountains, it has ancient origins and is one of the most wooded areas in the interior. Medieval in its ancient quarters, it is scenic resort and excursion site. The town is located within the Madonie Regional Park, and the Park Authority is headquartered here, a base center for hiking on numerous trails that intersect ridges and valleys, passing through the most significant places in the area and offering the visitor glimpses of landscapes of intact beauty. Narrow alleys, arcades, long stairways and picturesque fountains, from which excellent spring water flows copiously, characterize the streets of the historic center. Its characteristic urban structure with unmistakable aesthetics, develops around the core of the primitive castle and mother church, making the town characteristic in its “nativity” form. The numerous architectural emergencies-churches, palaces and monuments-preserve valuable art treasures within them and blend homogeneously with the surrounding houses. The historic center is home to the Urban Geological Trail, the first in Europe, which guides visitors through a widespread museum. Among the many churches of note are the 17th-century Mother Church, which incorporates an earlier building (a late Gothic portal from the 16th century is preserved), and the Church of the Holy Trinity. Petralia Sottana is the municipality that has the largest part of its territory falling within a park area with as many as 5891 hectares and numerous UNESCO Geopark Madonie geosites. From an environmental and naturalistic point of view, with an area of great value rich in monuments of nature, the locality is a base center for hiking. The trail plan, which is constantly being expanded, includes routes of varying difficulty; bicycle touring and equestrian trails are also available.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.bandierearancioni.it/borgo/petralia-sottana
