In one Italian village, houses, stairways and bell towers follow the mountain ridge as if they are trying to reach the sky. You enter, start climbing, and on clear days can see as far as Mount Etna and Sicily’s interior.
The “vertical” village with views of Mount Etna
Named Borgo dei Borghi in 2018, Petralia Soprana sits on a Madonie ridge at 1,147 metres above sea level and appears to climb the rock face. The settlement has a neatly layered appearance, with rooftops in sequence, stone façades and bell towers rising as points of reference.
The description of a “vertical village” is the key to understanding this urban setting, which constantly draws the eye upwards. The air is crisp, winters can bring snow, and summer evenings are cooler. It is a side of Sicily that feels firmly mountain-based, far from the sea but full of light.
What to see: squares, churches and viewpoints
It helps to think of time in Petralia Soprana as a series of short stops rather than one linear route.
Piazza Duomo and the Mother Church
The heart of Petralia Soprana beats in Piazza Duomo, where the Mother Church of Saints Peter and Paul faces onto the square. Its façade has two bell towers dating from different periods. Inside are works and decorations connected to the Sicilian artistic traditions of the Madonie area.
Santa Maria di Loreto and the towers
Climbing towards the upper part of the village brings you to the Church of Santa Maria di Loreto, whose towers dominate Petralia Soprana’s outline. The view opens out across the surrounding mountains and, on the clearest days, reaches Mount Etna.
Its position says a great deal about the relationship between architecture and terrain here. The buildings do not interrupt the mountain; they follow it. It is one of the places where Petralia Soprana’s vertical character is most immediately felt.
Piazza del Popolo and Palazzo Pottino
A little lower down, Piazza del Popolo is the civic heart of the village. It is home to the war memorial by Antonio Ugo, bringing a piece of public memory into the square. Nearby, Palazzo Pottino recalls the area’s noble past and adds another important layer to the village’s story.
The viewpoints and lanes
The rest of the visit unfolds along stone lanes, small squares, arches and stairways leading to a network of viewpoints. Each lookout gives a slightly different take on the scenery, with the nearby Madonie and more distant peaks in view.
Medieval origins and the Madonie scenery
Petralia Soprana’s history reveals itself step by step. Its name changed from Petra Sicula to Batraliah in the Arab period, then to Petra Heliae under the Normans, reflecting the eras that left visible marks here.
During Norman rule, Roger strengthened the town walls. Their defensive role can still be sensed at Porta Serij, a medieval gateway that recalls the former perimeter.
In the surrounding area, further details complete the picture of productive inland Sicily. Two places give a sense of what lies beyond the village:
- Villa Sgadari: an 18th-century residence now linked to the Park’s cultural activities, helping explain the relationship between the landscape and local communities.
- Raffo mining area: a landscape shaped by rock-salt extraction, reflecting the inland economy and its industrial heritage.
Original article featured on Turisti per caso: Il borgo più verticale d’Italia: vicoli, scale e case sembrano arrampicarsi sulla montagna
