Trail 565 from Case la Pazza to Piano Sempria

CAI trail 565 runs from Case la Pazza, in the Vallone Faguara below Piano Battaglia, to Piano Sempria, above Castelbuono, passing the giant hollies of Piano Pomo. It is about 7 km and 2 hours 30 minutes of walking without stops. It is the trail of the màrcati, the shepherds’ shelters, best done from spring to autumn, with one rule to know about the golden eagle.

It is a traverse: arrange your return before you set off.

Why walk the 565

To see the Madonie of the shepherds, which usually stays out of the postcards. The Cefalù Madonie tourist district links this trail to the theme of the màrcati: pens and buildings where flocks spend the warm season.

The first are Case la Pazza themselves. Here, the district writes, shepherds still make Madonie provola and salted ricotta flavoured with basilisco.

What you see along the way

Just below the start, before the Vallone Faguara ford, grey dolomitic breccias from the Upper Triassic, about 220 million years old, crop out. With a magnifying glass you find fossil bivalves. The gentle hills further down are much younger clays, about 20 million years old.

Along the valley, willows and poplars give shade and you hear the river birds. Then a climb leads to the Balzo Canna pass, below Pizzo Canna, 1,428 metres.

After a steep, stony drop you reach the trough of contrada Frattasella and two more màrcati, one seasonal and one permanent, at Gudieri. From here the path becomes almost flat, lined by monumental holm oaks.

A viewpoint over the Vicaretto and Gimmeti woods has a birdwatching hide. Further on, at Portella Gangitani, a detour of a few kilometres leads to the Raimondo màrcato and the Pozzo Minnonica, a karst shaft explored to about 57 metres.

At the Acqua du Piraniu you stop to drink next to a maple of exceptional size. Then Piano Pomo, with its giant hollies, and finally Piano Sempria.

Two rules to respect

The golden eagle. The Pizzo Canna area is one of the golden eagle nesting sites monitored by the Park. From 1 February to 30 July hiking is forbidden on the stretch of the 565 at the foot of Pizzo Canna: follow a variant that stays outside the strict protection zone.

The hollies. You do not walk into the giant holly stand at Piano Pomo, because branches and trunks can give way. Admire them from the edge.

Who it is for and when to go

The 565 is graded E. It suits people who walk regularly and have a steady step: the ford and the steep stretch towards Frattasella need care.

The simplest period is August to November, when the eagle restriction does not apply. In spring and early summer you can walk it with the variant. Check the weather at Piano Sempria before you go.

How to get to the start

Case la Pazza is in the Vallone Faguara, below the SP54 between Piano Battaglia and Petralia Sottana: in this area the trail crosses stage V16 of the Sentiero Italia CAI. The “Directions to the start” button on the page leads you to the exact point. For road conditions see the page on Madonie roads.

At the finish, Piano Sempria is reached by car from Castelbuono: provincial road to San Guglielmo, Eremo di Liccia, then the municipal road to the Rifugio Crispi.

Where to sleep and eat

On the Piano Battaglia side there is the Rifugio Giuliano Marini, or Petralia Sottana: where to stay in Petralia Sottana. On the finishing side the base is Castelbuono: where to stay in Castelbuono and where to eat in Castelbuono.

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

Combine it with

• The short walk to the giant hollies of Piano Pomo, for those who want to see them without the whole traverse.
• Trail 552 Battaglietta - Piano Sempria, which reaches the same clearing from Piano Battaglia.
• Stage V16 of the Sentiero Italia, which passes through the Vallone Faguara.

For track, profile and waymarks of the 565 there is the technical page on sentierisiciliani.it, in the box alongside.