Pizzo Carbonara from Piano Battaglia

Pizzo Carbonara, 1,979 metres, is the highest peak in the Madonie and the second highest in Sicily after Etna. The classic way up is the CAI 551 loop from Piano Battaglia: about 7 km, 2 hours 30 minutes of walking without stops, just under 400 metres of ascent. Go between May and October, in good visibility.

On paper it is an easy half day. In practice the weather decides: the summit sits on a karst plateau where, in fog, every sinkhole looks like the last one.

Why climb Pizzo Carbonara

For a landscape you will not find anywhere else in Sicily. The massif is shaped like a huge limestone dome: steep walls on the sides and, on top, high plateaus pitted with sinkholes, mountain pastures and clumps of beech.

The Park compares this plateau to the Karst. Once you walk on it you see why: pale rock breaking through in slabs, grassy hollows, no tall tree to steer by.

And for the view. On clear days you look at Etna to the east and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north.

What you see on the loop

From Piano Battaglia you climb a stony slope to Pizzo Scalonazzo. Here there is a curiosity the Park mentions in its description: a small grave with a headstone for Argo, a dog.

Then the plateau, the summit and the descent towards the Piano della Principessa, full of sinkholes and green terraces. The last stretch goes back to Piano Battaglia through the beeches of the former Faggeta Madonie nature reserve.

In spring, look down. The Park lists peony, Bivona’s clover and basilisco, a yellow umbellifer that smells of aniseed. Rarer are Gussone’s star and the Nebrodi thrift. Endemic plants of the area include the Nebrodi violet, the Nebrodi alyssum and Gasparrini’s spurge.

How hard is it, and who is it for

CAI grades the 551 as E, a standard hiking trail. The Park calls it very demanding and lists it as EE, because fog can make reaching the summit unsafe.

Both are true. You need little stamina and a lot of route finding. It suits people who have done some mountain hikes and can follow a track on their phone. If it is your first outing, pick a clear day and a companion who knows the area.

When to go

May to October for the normal ascent. Late spring brings the flowers, October and November the colours of the beech woods (we cover them in our article on beech woods in autumn).

In winter snow covers the plateau and the climb becomes a real winter outing. Before you go, check the weather on Pizzo Carbonara and at Piano Battaglia, and read the guide to snowshoeing in the Madonie.

How to get to Piano Battaglia

You need a car: there is no reliable public transport. From Petralia Sottana take the SP54, about 18 km. From Isnello you go through Piano Zucchi on the SP9 and SP54, about 24 km.

The third road, the SP119 from Polizzi Generosa, has been closed since February 2026 after a landslide near the Portella Colla junction. From Polizzi you therefore go via Petralia Sottana, on the SS643, SS120 and SP54. Check the page on Madonie roads before you set off.

Where to sleep and eat

At Piano Battaglia there is the Rifugio Giuliano Marini, owned by CAI Palermo and run privately: staying there lets you start in the best morning light. You will find more places in where to stay in Petralia Sottana, the nearest village and home of the Park authority.

For dinner, drive down to the village: the list is in where to eat in Petralia Sottana.

Safety tips

• With fog or low cloud on the plateau, turn back. People really do get lost here.
• Download the track before you leave and keep your phone charged.
• Carry water for the whole loop, a warm layer and a windproof jacket: at almost 2,000 metres it is cool even in August.
• Do not leave the path among the sinkholes: the ground is sharp rock and an ankle twists in a second.

For the GPX track, profile and waymarks of the 551 there is the technical page on sentierisiciliani.it, in the box alongside. If you want a longer climb from the Castelbuono side, see the Battaglietta - Piano Sempria trail.