CAI scale and safety in the Madonie: T, E, EE, EEA, EAI

The Italian Alpine Club (CAI) grades trails as T (tourist), E (hiking), EE (for experienced hikers) and EEA (via ferrata), plus EAI for snowshoe routes. This is the classification the CAI approved on 20 November 2021. In the Madonie almost all the trails on our pages are E. In an emergency call 112.

At a glance

• T: cart tracks, mule tracks, obvious paths, gentle gradients.
• E: most trails, with steep sections and easy passages on rock.
• EE: rough ground, steep or slippery slopes, exposed sections.
• EEA: via ferrata routes, with harness, via ferrata set and helmet.
• EAI: snowshoe outings, on three levels.
• Emergency: 112, asking for medical rescue in a mountain environment. The operator passes the call to 118, which alerts the mountain rescue.

The CAI scale in a table

Grade	Name	Example in the Madonie
T	tourist	Rocca di Cefalù
E	hiking	Pizzo Carbonara, Bosco di Castelbuono
EE	experienced hikers	Monte Quacella
EEA	via ferrata	none on this site
EAI	snow-covered terrain	snowshoe routes at Piano Battaglia

The examples come from our trail pages: the Rocca di Cefalù is T, Pizzo Carbonara and the Bosco di Castelbuono are E, Monte Quacella is EE. All trails are under Trails and walks.

T, tourist

For the CAI these are routes on cart tracks, mule tracks or obvious paths, with no doubts about direction, gentle gradients and modest height gain. You need basic hiking knowledge and some walking fitness. Suitable clothing and shoes are still required.

In the Madonie the climb to the Rocca di Cefalù is T, on steps and paved path between medieval walls.

E, hiking

This is the most common category. For the CAI these are mule tracks, paths and sometimes faint tracks over varied ground: pasture, woodland floor, debris, scree. They are usually waymarked, may have steep sections and easy, non-exposed passages on rock where you use your hands for balance. They may cross flat stretches of lingering snow.

You need a sense of direction, hiking experience and fitness, with particular attention to footwear.

E does not mean easy for everyone. The Pizzo Carbonara loop is E, but according to our trail page it is about 7 km in 2 hours 30 without stops, on a karst plateau where landmarks disappear in fog.

EE, for experienced hikers

The CAI describes routes that are almost always waymarked but cross rough or treacherous ground: steep or slippery slopes of grass, small rocks, often unstable debris. They may have exposed sections, traverses, ledges and rock passages with slight technical difficulty. Proper via ferrata routes are excluded.

You need excellent experience, route-finding skills, a sure foot, no fear of heights and good fitness.

In the Madonie Monte Quacella is EE: steep slopes and scree, with a path that is hard to see in places. In fog or on wet ground choose another walk.

EEA, via ferrata

These are routes with rock sections fitted with cables, chains, ladders and rungs. They require certified protective equipment (harness, via ferrata set, helmet) and adequate technical skills.

The CAI splits them into five grades: F (easy), PD (moderately difficult), D (difficult), MD (very difficult) and ED (extremely difficult). None of the trails we have published in the Madonie is a via ferrata.

EAI, with snowshoes

This is the grade for snowshoe outings, on slopes up to 25 degrees. The CAI divides it into three levels:

• EAI-F (easy): average slope under 10 degrees, height gain usually within 400 metres, no steep slopes above. Avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe are recommended.
• EAI-PD (moderate): slopes between 10 and 15 degrees, with sections near slopes that can release avalanches. Transceiver, shovel and probe are essential, together with the ability to read the snow bulletin.
• EAI-D (difficult): slopes up to 25 degrees. Besides transceiver, shovel and probe, ice axe and crampons may be needed.

In winter the Madonie also have an avalanche bulletin: Meteomont covers the Sicilian mountains and comes out every day at 2 pm. For snow at Piano Battaglia read our guide to Piano Battaglia in winter and our page on safety on snow.

What the grade does not tell you

The CAI says it plainly: grading difficulty by objective criteria is impossible, because everyone perceives it through their own experience. The grade is about the terrain. It does not take into account the weather, the time you set off or how fit you feel that day.

A real case. On 2 September 2023 a group left their campervans at the Battaglietta and in the late afternoon climbed Pizzo Carbonara, planning to come down in the dark. On the descent, on a steep off-trail section, a 65-year-old hiker fell and suffered a head injury. He was recovered by the Madonie team of the mountain rescue (BlogSicilia).

The trail was an E. The difficulty came from the timing and from leaving the path.

How to read CAI trail markings

According to the CAI handbook on trail signage, there are two kinds of signs:

• Vertical signs: the signposts at the start of the trail and at main junctions. The arrow-shaped sign shows the destination and the indicative walking time for an average hiker; it has a red tip and a red-white-red tail. The place sign gives the name and altitude of where you are.
• Painted marks: white-red or red-white-red paint marks on stones and trees, confirming you are on the right path. The red-white-red ones may contain the trail number.

CAI trails have a three-digit number: the first digit is the sector, the other two the trail. The Pizzo Carbonara loop, for example, is marked as 551 on OpenStreetMap, with the CAI section of Petralia Sottana as maintainer.

If you find the sign “Sentiero per escursionisti esperti” (trail for experienced hikers) at the start, the route has mountaineering features: exposed, partly equipped, or very long in wild terrain.

Typical risks in the Madonie

The Madonie almost reach 2,000 metres: Pizzo Carbonara is 1,979, Pizzo Antenna Grande 1,977, Monte San Salvatore 1,912 (Ente Parco delle Madonie). These are the risks that matter most here.

• Fog: on the Pizzo Carbonara plateau landmarks disappear quickly. If visibility drops, go back along the way you came.
• No water on the trails: outside the tourist areas the park has no water points, refreshments or toilets (Ente Parco delle Madonie).
• Cold and wind up high: the park reminds visitors that at higher altitudes the weather can change and the temperature drop quickly.
• Rocks and cliffs: rock erodes and material can fall. Do not stop below cliffs (Ente Parco delle Madonie).
• Caves: entering is forbidden, except for those signposted as points of interest and only along the marked route.
• Monumental trees: in September 2026 the Ente Parco asked visitors not to linger at the foot of large trees, because dry or heavy branches can fall even without wind. During weather alerts entering the woods is forbidden.
• Wildlife control: the Ente Parco publishes “danger zone” notices for days of wildlife control with firearms, from dawn to dusk, naming the areas involved. On 14 October 2026, for example, the notice covered five areas of Petralia Sottana. Check the notices section of the park website.
• Animals: the park estimates between 1,500 and 3,000 wild pigs (wild boar and crosses with feral pigs) in the protected area. If you meet wild or grazing animals, do not approach them.
• Weather alerts and fires: with an orange or red alert from the regional Civil Protection, specific guidelines apply to anyone out on the land. When there is a fire risk, the park asks people not to go hiking.

What to bring

The park recommends closed, comfortable hiking shoes: no heels, wedges, flip-flops or beach sandals. For the rest, this is our minimum list for an E trail:

1. Water: at least 2 litres each for a walk like Pizzo Carbonara.
2. Layers, a windproof jacket and a warm layer, even in summer.
3. A map downloaded to your phone, because it is easy to take the wrong forest track at junctions.
4. A charged phone and, if you can, a power bank.
5. A head torch, if there is any chance of getting back late.

Before you go, check the mountain forecast and tell someone where you are going.

What to do in an accident

The European emergency number 112 is active in Sicily. The control centre for western Sicily, which answers for the provinces of Palermo, Trapani and Agrigento, opened on 21 May 2019 (Regional School Office for Sicily).

For an accident on a trail, call 112 and say you need medical rescue in a mountain or rough environment. The operator follows the procedure for mountain areas and passes the call to the 118 control centre, which alerts the National Alpine and Cave Rescue Corps (CNSAS). This is the procedure given by the Sicilian Alpine and Cave Rescue.

The CNSAS and the CAI also offer GeoResQ, a free app that sends an alarm to the mountain rescue with your position and route.

An example of how a rescue goes in the Madonie. In May 2024 a 63-year-old hiker coming down from Pizzo Carbonara broke an ankle near Pizzo Scalonazzo. Two companions walked down to the Rifugio Marini and called the mountain rescue from there, which sent two teams from Petralia Sottana. They carried her on a stretcher for about a kilometre to the Piano Battaglia road (BlogSicilia).

Rules of the Parco delle Madonie

In June 2026 the Ente Parco published its list of prohibitions. In the park it is forbidden to:

• pick, damage or take away plants or parts of them;
• hunt or bring in weapons;
• capture or disturb wild animals;
• light fires;
• camp or bivouac;
• leave litter;
• enter caves that are not signposted;
• climb over or lean on fences;
• walk through woods that have burned;
• park outside car parks.

Many areas of the park, even without fences, are private and may be closed to walkers. To learn about the area before you go there is the Travel info section.