Piano Battaglia in winter: roads, chains and parking

Which roads lead to Piano Battaglia?

Three, all provincial roads run by the Metropolitan City of Palermo.

• SP 54 from Petralia Sottana: the climb from the south side.
• SP 119 from Polizzi Generosa to the Portella Colla pass, then on to the plateau. Careful: a landslide keeps it blocked, and work had not started by June 2026. In April 2026, local news reported, anyone leaving from Polizzi had to take the longer way via Petralia Sottana.
• SP 9 from the coast: from Campofelice di Roccella towards Collesano and Piano Zucchi, where it joins the SP 54.

When it snows, the Metropolitan City’s snowploughs work on these roads and on the plateau car parks first. At the end of December 2024, for example, the SP 54 and SP 119 were reopened after clearing.

Do you need chains?

With snow or ice, yes: to drive up to Piano Battaglia you need winter tyres or chains on board. The operator and civil protection repeated it at the reopening on 29 March 2026.

In the 2019-20 snow plan the metropolitan civil protection ran checks at the Portella Colla junction and at the SP 54 junction in Petralia Sottana. It also recommended a four-wheel-drive car where possible.

On state roads the ANAS order applies. In winter 2025-26 the obligation to carry chains or use winter tyres covered the SS 120 dell’Etna e delle Madonie from km 25 to km 137.440, the SS 286 di Castelbuono from km 15 to km 42.380 and the SS 643 di Polizzi from km 0 to km 15, from 7 am on 1 December 2025 to 8 pm on 31 March 2026 (order no. 357/2025/PA). On the A19 motorway between Scillato and Mulinello it ran from 15 November 2025 to 15 March 2026. The rule applies where there is a sign, and ANAS warns that with snow or ice it can also apply outside those dates. All roads and periods are on the roads page.

The 2026-27 order is not out yet. We will update it as soon as ANAS publishes it.

Coaches and parking

In the 2024-25 season Piano Battaglia had a limit on tourist coaches, set by the municipality for days of heavy traffic. Parking is in areas near the plateau and along the access roads.

On snowy weekends the Metropolitan City estimates 7,000-9,000 people a day. There is only one way to avoid queues on the way up: leave early, or pick a weekday.

Before you leave

• read Palermo Energia’s notices: if the lifts are closed you know before you get in the car;
• check the Piano Battaglia weather and the webcams;
• keep the tank full and the chains where you can find them, with gloves and a torch.