Trail 552 from Piano Sempria to Piano Battaglia

CAI trail 552 links Piano Sempria, above Castelbuono, to Piano Battaglia, through the forest on the north side of the Madonie and the Battaglietta sinkhole. It is about 8 km: uphill from Piano Sempria, the page calculates about 3 hours 30 minutes of walking without stops. It is a hiking trail, best from spring to autumn.

It is a traverse, so plan your return first. If you walk it downhill, from Piano Battaglia, your day is lighter.

Why walk the 552

Because it is the finest way to pass on foot from Castelbuono’s world to Piano Battaglia’s. In a few hours you cross all the Madonie forests, one after another.

The Cefalù Madonie tourist district lists what you meet as you gain height: impressive holm oaks, giant chestnuts, Turkey oaks, stately sessile oaks. In the undergrowth rockrose, broom, heather, ferns, butcher’s broom and holly. Higher up, the beech wood.

What you see along the way

From Piano Sempria, a clearing at about 1,300 metres dominated by large oaks, maples and beeches, the path climbs into the forest. Next to it stands the Rifugio Crispi of the Club Alpino Siciliano.

The climb continues among beeches, small clearings and small sinkholes up to the entrance of Valle Chiusa. Near the edge of the beech wood the district points out a very fine centuries-old maple.

The last section crosses the large Battaglietta sinkhole. With a short detour you see the swallow hole, called “zubbiu” in the Madonie dialect: a small cave where the water disappears into the limestone. The Park has made it a stop on its geological trail about the karst landforms of Piano Battaglia. Look at it from outside: the Park rules forbid entering natural caves.

Who it is for

The 552 is graded E. There are no technical passages, just a long, steady climb through the forest. It suits people who walk regularly and can follow waymarks at junctions: the trails to Monte Ferro and the Vallone di Zottafonda also start from the Battaglietta.

Downhill, from Piano Battaglia to Piano Sempria, it also suits fit children.

When to go

May to October. In summer the forest is cool even in the hottest hours. October and November are the months of colour, which we cover in our article on beech woods in autumn.

In winter the upper part is often covered in snow. Check the weather at Piano Sempria and at Piano Battaglia before you go.

How to get to the two ends

Piano Sempria. From Castelbuono take the provincial road to San Guglielmo, pass the Eremo di Liccia and follow the municipal road to the Rifugio Crispi, as the Park describes.

Piano Battaglia. You drive up from Petralia Sottana on the SP54 or from Isnello via Piano Zucchi. The trail starts at the Battaglietta locality, at about 1,630 metres, where the ring road car park ends. For road conditions see the page on Madonie roads.

Where to sleep and eat

On the Castelbuono side the base is the town: accommodation in where to stay in Castelbuono, restaurants in where to eat in Castelbuono. On the Piano Battaglia side there is the Rifugio Giuliano Marini.

At Piano Sempria there is the Rifugio Crispi: ask the Club Alpino Siciliano whether it is open before counting on it.

Combine it with

• From Piano Sempria a short walk leads to the giant hollies of Piano Pomo.
• From Piano Battaglia starts the loop to Pizzo Carbonara, the highest peak in the Madonie.
• At the end of October Castelbuono holds the Funghi Fest.

Tips

• Carry water for the whole route: do not count on finding any along the path.
• With a weather warning for strong wind or storms, do not enter the forest: the Park forbids it because of the risk of falling branches.
• For track, profile and waymarks there is the technical page on sentierisiciliani.it, in the box alongside.