Sicily -- June 25 -- Madonie Mountains

This was our designated day for our trip through the Madonie Mountains (remember our failed trip to Castelbruno?). This time we had the benefit of my tour book that was in the wayward suitcase and a new map which set us back 7 Euro (only to discover that it was virtually the same as the one Jeancarlo at Calanica gave us for free, though to be fair, the one we bought was MUCH easier to read and I credit it with our successful trip).



We took our time and had a late breakfast around 9 AM. We set off at 10AM in our trusty automatic/manual hybrid Fiat Punto. We began our day at the church at Gibilmanna -- about a 20 minute drive from Cefalu. There were only a few Italians there, so it was virtually deserted. The church was small and absolutely stunning inside. I was put off from lingering too long by the man inside who was cleaning the pews in a very OCD-way. He had a book that he would put on the floor between each pew and kneeler to ensure they were spaced exactly right (the kneelers were not anchored to the floor).










There is a statue of the Madonna and Child that was confirmed to have caused two miracles, and I must say that it was incredible to look at. I wish I had not felt so unwelcome to admire the church.




Outside there was a nice view of the mountians and we ventured behind the church to find the cobblestoned grounds and brown stone buildings to be incredibly beautiful and serene.



Then, we ventured on in the Punto to Polizzi Generosa where we sought to find some "spectacular vantage point" referred to vaguely in my Fodors guide. Of course, Fodors provided no maps of the town which is literally perched on the edge of a mountain, seeming to defy gravity.






We found our way to a large bus parking lot, which I promptly declared must be the vantage point (I really didn't fancy the idea of driving further up narrow cobblestone streets). But, Sweetie was certain this could not be it. We returned to the car and drove about 75 yards further up the "normal" road where we then hit road construction. So, we parked and then just started walking UP.



A police car passed us on one of those ever-present "steep single lane cobblestone roads" and gave us a slightly dirty look. Something told me that we were the only tourists in the town that day.




We reached a plaza where there was a suspect-looking group of men sitting on shaded tables outside a store of some sort fronted with one of those beaded curtains that Americans used to hang in the 70s. I might add that we were a bit hungry, but I sure did not feeling like seeing if that was a restaurant. Actually, on this trip, I was amazed by how little food I could actually live off of. We did not have a proper lunch most days and I was completely unaffected by this. Perhaps it was those huge dinners that kept me going. Or the bag of Sicilian breadsticks that was always at my side...





Anyway, we started wandering the streets (in record-high temperatures, reaching over 100 F) of town looking for the vantage point. We tried to ask a police officer for directions (I think he was the one who gave us a dirty look earlier) but he didn't speak English and even though I sputtered out the plaza's name in Spanish, he just pointed vaguely AWAY from him. Anyway, we followed his "directions" but came up empty-handed. So, we ventured back into the first plaza we had entered and followed signs to a restuarant, figuring we could eat and ask for directions. Well, the restaurant was closed from June 15-July 15...



So, this left us with one option. To approach the men sitting in front of the place with the beaded curtains.


We approached them, and one led us inside. It turned out to be a gelatto shop/bakery-with-the-yummiest-looking-Sicilian-desserts-I-have-ever-seen. And the owner prompty pulled out a MAP (it might as well have been a winning lottery ticket, I was so excited) of the town and informed us that the plaza we were looking for actually had another name (hence the difficulty in finding it). He gave us flawless directions, we got a gelatto, and off we went on foot to find the plaza.



It was clear across town (ie: a ten minute walk) and did have rather spectacular views. (See photo)





By this point, we had been traveling for several hours and had been drinking lots of water given the heat. My only concern was to find a bathroom. We ventured into another beaded-entrance cafe and Sweetie got a sandwich and I got my bathroom (it was clean at least, but another one of those Italian toilets without a seat...). The cafe had an interesting selection of artwork on the walls (a poster with a list of "Why beer is better than women," for example). The lady working there was kind enough to wait until we finished before closing the shop for the afternoon. After this brief stop, all was well again.




Polizzi Generosa was an absolutely lovely town and turned out to be our favorite in the Madonie. It is also the hometown of Mario Dolce of Dolce and Gabbana.





Next, off we set to the next stop. Petralia Soprana, the highest village in the Madonie. We found the church referred to in my Fodors guide without too much frustration (well, finding a place to park was a bit frustrating, but again, walking clear across the city only took about 5 minutes). The views from behind it were stunning. It was too hazy to see Mt. Etna, but it was gorgeous nonetheless and well worth it. (See photo)






We set off back toward Cefalu, taking a slightly different route for a change of scenery. Sweetie noticed "the only cloud today." But then he also noticed that it didn't "look very natural." No, it didn't. Because it was smoke. From a fire. A forest fire. And there we were, in the middle of the Madonie Mountains, far from civilization. I monitored the "cloud" every single time it entered back into view as we twisted around and through the mountains.


Eventually, we twisted toward a few more "clouds." I was less than pleased with this development: "Hey, isn't that mountain with all the smoke on it precisely where we are going?"



It was. We eventually ended up skirting along the side of a mountain close to Cefalu and large portions of the valley below us were engulfed in flames. There was a firefighting plane flying over the inferno. Sweetie wondered, "Our road doesn't go down that way, does it?" Hmmm....looking at the map, I didn't think so.



And indeed, we didn't have to go into the flames to get home. When we arrived back at Calanica, however, I thought the smoke still looked a little too close for comfort (see photo).



Over dinner that night, we were able to watch the firefighting plane come in just above our bungalow and swoop down into the Mediterranean right before our eyes to refill. It was exciting!



Overnight, there was some excitement we could have done without. The fires continued to rage, and were moving over the top of the hillside near us. Ash was falling at Calanica. On our thatched roof bungalow. We ended up taking turns holding vigil until about 4:30AM when we crashed. But, we had to get up again at 6AM for our Mt. Etna and Taormina tour....