Madonie travel info

To organise a trip to the Madonie you need three things: a car, because the villages are far apart and linked by mountain roads; mountain forecasts, because there are more than 1,500 metres of height difference between Cefalù and Piano Battaglia; and, in winter, chains or winter tyres. From Palermo to Cefalù it is about 70 km, to Petralia Sottana about 105 km.

What is in this section?

Practical guides: getting there, getting around, when to go, weather and snow, mountain safety, maps and apps, park rules. The list above marks those already online, and some already have a dedicated page.

How do you get to the Madonie?

From two motorways. The A20 Messina-Palermo leads to Cefalù and the seaward side; the A19 Palermo-Catania to Polizzi Generosa, the two Petralias and Gangi. Distances and times calculated on OpenStreetMap, the roads to Piano Battaglia and notices of closures and roadworks are on the roads page.

In winter, on the roads listed in the ANAS order, you must carry chains or fit winter tyres from 15 November to 15 April. The details for the high plains are in the guide to winter roads to Piano Battaglia.

What is the weather like up high?

Different from the coast. Hour-by-hour forecasts for plains, peaks and villages, calculated at the altitude of each point, are on the Madonie weather page, with Piano Battaglia and Pizzo Carbonara. When it snows, lifts and roads are in the snow section.

When should you go?

• Spring: plains in flower and streams running full.
• Summer: cool up high and festivals in the villages.
• Autumn: copper beech woods, mushrooms and food festivals. See autumn colours in the Madonie.
• Winter: snow at Piano Battaglia, when there is some.

What should you know about safety?

The emergency number is 112. The CAI difficulty scale, waymarks and what to put in your rucksack are in the article on mountain safety. To find your way there is the Madonie map, with villages and trailheads.