# Sentiero Italia CAI, Piano Battaglia to Petralia Sottana > Sentiero Italia CAI, stage V16 from Piano Battaglia to Petralia Sottana: what you see, water, the Tropea hut, the Ponte di San Brancato, getting back and tips. - Page: https://www.lemadonie.it/en/trails/sentiero-italia-cai-from-piano-battaglia-to-petralia-sottana/ - Updated: 2026-10-19 - Other languages: [Italiano](https://www.lemadonie.it/sentieri/sentiero-italia-battaglia-petralia.md) · [Español](https://www.lemadonie.it/es/senderos/sentiero-italia-cai-de-piano-battaglia-a-petralia-sottana.md) · [Français](https://www.lemadonie.it/fr/sentiers/sentiero-italia-cai-de-piano-battaglia-a-petralia-sottana.md) · [Deutsch](https://www.lemadonie.it/de/wanderwege/sentiero-italia-cai-von-piano-battaglia-nach-petralia-sottana.md) ## At a glance | | | |---|---| | CAI difficulty | E (Hiking trail) | | Distance | about 14 km | | Time | about 4 h 30 (Approximate values, breaks excluded) | | Start | Piano Battaglia (37.87582, 14.02449) | | Route | Point to point | | Best seasons | Spring, Summer, Autumn | | Villages nearby | [Petralia Sottana](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/villages/petralia-sottana/) | ## Along the way - Stage V16 of the Sentiero Italia CAI in Sicily - The Vallone Faguara and the beech woods of Portella Mele - The F. Tropea hut of CAI Petralia - The Sant'Otiero geosite and the Ponte di San Brancato - Arrival in the old town of Petralia Sottana Stage V16 of the Sentiero Italia CAI goes down from Piano Battaglia to Petralia Sottana: about 14 km and 4 hours 30 minutes of walking without stops, mostly downhill, on paths and cart tracks with red and white waymarks. You start at the Rifugio Marini and finish in the old town of the village that is home to the Madonie Park authority. The best months are in spring and autumn. It is a traverse: arrange your return before you set off. ## Why walk this stage Because in one day you cross every band of the Madonie: from the high plateaus to the beech woods, then pastures and stone bridges, down to the houses of Petralia Sottana. And because you walk a piece of the Sentiero Italia CAI, the trail that crosses the whole of Italy. In Sicily it runs from Trapani to Messina: V16 is one of the stages that works well as a day hike, because both ends can be reached by car. ## What you see along the way From the Rifugio Marini the path crosses the SP54 and drops into the **Vallone Faguara**, down to the houses of the same name. Lower down it meets the path to Piano Pomo and then climbs again. Halfway you find the **F. Tropea hut** of CAI Petralia: unstaffed, 10 camp beds, a kitchen and a fireplace. You ask the section for the key, at the number given on the CAI sheet. From there a cart track climbs to **Portella Mele**, at about 1,500 metres, where you enter the beech woods. Then the long descent towards Petralia begins. The last kilometres are the richest in history. You pass below the rocks of **Sant'Otiero**, a geosite: the Park explains that this was the quarry of "lumachella" stone from which, around 1633, the 12 columns of the Chiesa Madre of Petralia Sottana were cut. Further down you cross the **Ponte di San Brancato**, a humpback bridge in Romanesque style. Next to it an inscription on the rock recalls Baron Balestrini who, according to the Park, raised money to repair it in 1831 by charging a toll to those crossing. You enter the village past the hospital. ## Who it is for CAI grades the stage E, a hiking route. There are no exposed sections. The effort is the descent, which is hard on the knees: poles help. It suits anyone who regularly walks a few hours. If you want a longer, higher version, the summer variant V16V goes via the Madonna dell'Alto sanctuary: CAI recommends it from spring to autumn, without snow, and it adds about 4 hours. We describe it on the [Sentiero della Pace](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/trails/sentiero-della-pace-path-of-peace/) page. ## When to go Spring and autumn. In summer start at dawn, because the last stretch is low and in the sun. In winter the upper part can be snowbound: check the [weather at Piano Battaglia](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/weather/piano-battaglia/) and in [Petralia Sottana](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/weather/petralia-sottana/). On 1 May, the Park writes, part of these paths hosts the Traversata delle Madonie, a mountain running race from Piano Battaglia to Petralia Sottana. ## How to organise start and return Piano Battaglia is reached from Petralia Sottana on the SP54, about 18 km. The easiest option is to leave one car at the finish and drive up in another to the start. For road conditions see the page on [Madonie roads](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/roads/). ## Water, sleeping and eating The CAI sheet lists three water points: at the start, at Faguara after about 3 km and near the Petralia Sottana hospital. The night before you can sleep at the [Rifugio Giuliano Marini](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/where-to-stay/rifugio-giuliano-marini-petralia-sottana/), a Sentiero Italia stage point. At the finish you have the whole village: [where to stay in Petralia Sottana](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/villages/petralia-sottana/where-to-stay/) and [where to eat in Petralia Sottana](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/villages/petralia-sottana/where-to-eat/). If you arrive on 18 June there is the [feast of San Calogero](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/events/festa-di-san-calogero-petralia-sottana/); on the first Sunday after mid-August, the [Ballo della Cordella](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/events/ballo-della-cordella-ribbon-dance-and-wedding-procession/). The [Petralia Sottana page](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/villages/petralia-sottana/) tells you about the village. ## Tips - Download the track: there are waymarks, but at junctions between cart tracks a check on your phone avoids mistakes. - In autumn the Park publishes "danger zone" notices for wildlife control with firearms, including at Sant'Otiero and other areas of Petralia Sottana: check the news on the Park website before you go. - Bring a warm layer: at the start you are at almost 1,600 metres. ## Frequently asked questions ### How long is the Sentiero Italia stage from Piano Battaglia to Petralia Sottana? Stage V16 is about 14 km and the page calculates about 4 hours 30 minutes of walking, not counting stops. You go down a lot: the Sentieri Siciliani guide, based on the CAI stage sheet, gives over 1,000 metres of descent. Allow a relaxed full day. ### Is stage V16 difficult? CAI grades it E, a hiking route. There are no exposed passages, but the long descent is hard on the knees and there is also a climb halfway, towards the Tropea hut and Portella Mele. With a little training anyone who walks regularly can do it. ### Where can you find water along the way? The CAI stage sheet lists three water points: at the start, in the Faguara area after about 3 km and near the Petralia Sottana hospital, almost at the finish. Fill your bottles well at Piano Battaglia, especially in summer. ### How do you get back to Piano Battaglia after the traverse? It is a one-way route, so plan the return beforehand. The simplest solution is to leave one car in Petralia Sottana and another at Piano Battaglia, about 18 km apart on the SP54. There is no reliable public transport between the two points. ### Can you do it with children? With fit teenagers, on a cool day, it works: the path is wide and well marked. For small children 14 km is too much. As an alternative you can walk just the first stretch from Piano Battaglia and turn back, or the last one, from the Ponte di San Brancato to Petralia Sottana, which the Park considers almost a tourist walk. ### When is the best time for stage V16? Spring and autumn, when it is cool and the woods have their best colours. In summer start early: the last stretch towards Petralia Sottana is low and hot. In winter the upper part can be under snow. ### Where do you sleep at Piano Battaglia and in Petralia Sottana? The stage starts at the Rifugio Giuliano Marini, owned by CAI Palermo and run privately, a Sentiero Italia stage point. At the finish, in the centre of Petralia Sottana, the CAI sheet mentions hotels and B&Bs. Halfway there is the F. Tropea hut of CAI Petralia, unstaffed, with 10 camp beds. ## Sources - [CAI, Sentiero Italia CAI, scheda tappa SI V16](https://sentieroitalia.cai.it/track/si-v16/) - [CAI, Sentiero Italia CAI, variante SI V16V per Madonna dell'Alto](https://sentieroitalia.cai.it/track/si-v16v/) - [OpenStreetMap, relazione 8433478 (Sentiero Italia, tappa V16)](https://www.openstreetmap.org/relation/8433478) - [Ente Parco delle Madonie, Sentiero della Pace (Ponte di San Brancato e Sant'Otiero)](https://www.parcodellemadonie.it/sentiero-delle-pace/) - [Sentieri Siciliani, Il Sentiero Italia in Sicilia](https://www.sentierisiciliani.it/it/guide/sentiero-italia-in-sicilia) - [Ente Parco delle Madonie, news e avvisi (zone di controllo della fauna)](https://www.parcodellemadonie.it/) --- Markdown version of the page https://www.lemadonie.it/en/trails/sentiero-italia-cai-from-piano-battaglia-to-petralia-sottana/, from Le Madonie (lemadonie.it), an independent guide to the Madonie. Facts with source and date of check.