Culture
Castles of the Madonie: where they are and how to visit
The castles of the Madonie town by town: Castelbuono with its museum, the ruins of Geraci, Collesano, Caltavuturo, Isnello, Pollina and the Rocca di Cefalù.
Castelbuono · 423 m a.s.l.
Things to do in Castelbuono
In Castelbuono your day splits in two. In town you have the Ventimiglia castle with the Museo Civico and the Palatine Chapel, the Matrice Vecchia on Piazza Margherita, the Fontana della Venere Ciprea and the manna shops. Outside town there are the woods: from Piano Sempria starts the Castelbuono woods loop, among holm oaks, downy oaks and hollies.
With a full day, combine the two: museum in the morning, woods or Gole di Tiberio in the afternoon. When there is snow, Piano Battaglia is about 36 km away. Below you will find the guides, trails and experiences linked to the town.
For Castelbuono we have 30 guides, 6 trails and 7 itineraries.
What to see in town
- Ventimiglia Castle and the Museo Civico
- Cappella Palatina di Sant'Anna with the Serpotta stuccoes
- Matrice Vecchia on Piazza Margherita
- Matrice Nuova
- Fontana della Venere Ciprea
- Chiesa di San Francesco and the Ventimiglia mausoleum
- Museo Naturalistico Francesco Minà Palumbo
- Castelbuono woods and Piano Sempria
Guides
Culture
Churches of the Madonie: Cefalù Cathedral and the Gagini
Churches to see in the Madonie: Cefalù's Norman cathedral, mother churches with Gagini marbles, the Last Judgement of Gangi, the Polizzi triptych, Gibilmanna.
Things to do
Climbing in the Madonie: Passo Scuro and other crags
Climbing in the Madonie: the Passo Scuro crag at Castelbuono, the CAI routes at Petralia Sottana, Collesano and Caltavuturo, courses, rules and safety.
Info
Getting around the Madonie: distances, roads and buses
Getting around the Madonie: driving distances and times between the 16 towns, the roads to know, the buses from Cefalù and how to manage without a car.
Nature
Gole di Tiberio, caves and waterfalls of the Madonie
Gole di Tiberio, Grotta Grattara, Abisso del Vento, Abisso del Gatto and Scopalacqua falls: where they are, how to visit and what is banned in the Madonie.
Things to do
Hiking in the Madonie: areas, seasons, CAI grades and guides
Hiking in the Madonie Park: where to walk, the right season, the CAI difficulty scale, the Sentiero Italia, hiking guides, the CAI and the Park rules.
Culture
History of the Madonie: from prehistoric caves to today
The history of the Madonie: prehistoric caves, Greeks and Romans, Arabs, Normans, the Ventimiglia county, the early modern age, the Park and depopulation.
Things to do
Horse riding in the Madonie: bridle paths and riding centres
Horse rides and treks in the Madonie: the Park's bridle paths on the old royal drove roads, riding centres listed by the Park authority, seasons and rules.
Info
How to get to the Madonie: plane, train, bus and car
How to reach the Madonie from Palermo, Catania and the airports: trains to Cefalù, buses to Castelbuono and Gangi, motorways, with checked timetables.
Nature
Madonie beech woods: ancient trees and autumn colours
Madonie woods: beech forests up to 1,900 m, holm oaks, cork oaks, giant hollies and trees 800 years old. Where they are, how to tell them apart and when to go.
Food
Madonie desserts: testa di turco, sfoglio and more
Madonie desserts town by town: Castelbuono's testa di turco, Polizzi's sfoglio, manna panettone, Gratteri's biscuits, and where to buy them.
Culture
Madonie festivals and traditions: calendar and rituals
Madonie traditions month by month: Holy Week, the Miracula of Gangi, Sant'Anna, the Ballo della Cordella, the Giostra dei Ventimiglia and nativity scenes.
Nature
Madonie flora: endemic plants, orchids and when they flower
Madonie flora: about 1,500 species and 170 endemics, over half of Sicily's plants. Endemic plants, orchids, peonies, where to see them and when they flower.
Food
Madonie food festival calendar, season by season
Madonie food festival (sagre) calendar by season: usual periods, villages and what you eat, from Scillato oranges to Polizzi hazelnuts and mushrooms.
Food
Madonie manna: what it is, how it's made, where to buy it
Madonie manna is the sap of ash trees cut by hand around Castelbuono and Pollina: Slow Food Presidium, summer harvest, grades, uses and where to buy it.
Food
Madonie mushrooms and truffles: seasons, rules and dishes
Mushrooms in the Madonie: when to find them, the rare basilisk mushroom, Park and Region rules on permits and limits, truffles and where to eat them in autumn.
Info
Madonie Park rules: zones, bans and what you can do
The rules of the Madonie Park: zones A, B, C and D, official bans, camping, fires, mushrooms, dogs, drones and cars, with sources from the Ente Parco.
Nature
Madonie Park: towns, protection zones, rules and what to see
Madonie Park (Parco delle Madonie): 39,679 hectares and 15 towns between Cefalù and the Petralias, founded in 1989. Zones, rules, sights and how to get there.
Nature
Madonie plateaus: Piano Battaglia, Piano Zucchi and more
The plateaus of the Madonie: Piano Battaglia at 1,572 m, Piano Zucchi, Piano Sempria, Piano Cervi, Piano Pomo and Piano Catarineci. Heights, access, what to do.
Food
Madonie recipes: sfoglio of Polizzi, vastedda and more
Documented Madonie recipes step by step: Castelbuono's testa di turco, Polizzi's sfoglio, Gratteri's vastedda fritta and taralle, bread and broad beans.
Nature
Madonie wildlife: golden eagles, vultures and fallow deer
Madonie wildlife: golden eagles, griffon vultures back after 70 years, Egyptian vultures, fallow deer, porcupines and the Parnassius apollo siciliae butterfly.
Info
Maps, GPX tracks and apps for the Madonie
Finding your way in the Madonie: CAI waymarks, the Ente Parco trail map, OpenStreetMap, offline apps, GPX tracks and what to do when there is no signal.
Things to do
Mountain biking in the Madonie: forest roads and touring
MTB and e-bikes in the Madonie: where to ride around Piano Battaglia and Piano Zucchi, the CAI scale, the Ciclovia dei Parchi, bike hire and Park rules.
Culture
Museums of the Madonie: what to see town by town
Museums of the Madonie: the Mandralisca in Cefalù, the Museo Civico in Castelbuono castle, Minà Palumbo, the Targa Florio, salt sculptures and rural life.
Food
Olive oil and wine of the Madonie: PDO, wineries, mills
Madonie olive oil and wine: Val di Mazara PDO and Sicilia PGI oil, the Nebba olive of Scillato, the Contea di Sclafani DOC, a Castelbuono winery and festivals.
Info
Safety in the Madonie: emergency numbers, rescue and risks
Safety in the Madonie: 112 and mountain rescue, 1515 for fires, hospitals, warnings to check, typical risks and what to carry on a hike in the Park.
Culture
Targa Florio: history of the race and the Madonie circuit
The Targa Florio was born in 1906 on the roads of the Madonie: history of the race, its three circuits, Floriopoli, the Collesano museum and today's events.
Things to do
The Madonie with kids: adventure parks, stars and snow
What to do in the Madonie with children: Parco Avventura Madonie, Pollina Adventure, GAL Hassin, picnic areas, easy trails and sledging, with 2026 prices.
Food
What to eat in the Madonie: typical dishes and produce
What to eat in the Madonie and in which town: cheese, badda beans, mushrooms, manna and desserts, a seasonal food calendar and which type of place to choose.
Info
When to go to the Madonie: season by season, month by month
When to visit the Madonie: spring and autumn for hiking, cool summers full of festivals, winter for snow. What to do in the Madonie month by month.
Trails from Castelbuono
Hiking trail Piano Sempria · Out and back
Bosco di Castelbuono: Piano Sempria and giant hollies
Hiking trail Piano Sempria · Point to point
Trail 552 from Piano Sempria to Piano Battaglia
- Distance
- about 8 km
- Time
- about 3 h 30
For experienced hikers Piano Battaglia · Point to point
Trail 555, the west flank of Pizzo Carbonara
- Distance
- about 7 km
- Time
- about 2 h 30
Hiking trail Case la Pazza · Point to point
Trail 565 from Case la Pazza to Piano Sempria
- Distance
- about 7 km
- Time
- about 2 h 30
Geraci Siculo · Point to point
Via dei Frati, stage 7: from Geraci Siculo to Castelbuono
- Distance
- about 21 km
- Time
- about 6 h 30
Castelbuono · Point to point
Via dei Frati, stage 8: Castelbuono to Cefalù
- Distance
- about 26 km
- Time
- about 8 h 30
Itineraries through here
3 days
A Madonie road trip: 16 villages by car in 3 days
Madonie road trip: a 262 km loop from Cefalù in 3 days, 16 villages from the sea to the Petralias. Roads, distances, driving times, stops, where to stay.
3 days
The Madonie with children: a 3-day family itinerary
The Madonie with children in 3 days: the Rocca di Cefalù, the Gole di Tiberio, Castelbuono castle and the Parco Avventura. Short stages, distances and tips.
3 days
The Madonie in winter: snow, nativity scenes and villages
A long snow weekend in Sicily: 3 days in the Madonie based in Petralia Sottana, with Piano Battaglia, nativity scenes and villages. Roads, chains, times.
1 day
Sea and mountains: Cefalù to Piano Battaglia in one day
Sea and mountains in one day from Cefalù: morning at Piano Battaglia, 1,600 metres, afternoon on the beach. A 106 km loop, times, walks, winter version.
7 days
A week in the Madonie: a 7-day itinerary
The Madonie in 7 days with 2 bases, Castelbuono and Petralia Sottana: 10 towns, Pizzo Carbonara, the Abies and the Gole di Tiberio. Stops, km, driving times.
1 day
The Madonie in one day from Palermo: a road trip itinerary
The Madonie in one day from Palermo: a 250 km loop through Polizzi Generosa, Piano Battaglia and Castelbuono. Driving times, a hike, a shorter loop from Cefalù.
2 days
A weekend in the Madonie: 2 days around Castelbuono
A weekend in the Madonie with one base, Castelbuono: the Piano Sempria woods, the Gole di Tiberio and Pollina. Distances, driving times, where to stay.
In nearby villages
Villages within 15 km of Castelbuono as the crow flies, nearest first:
- Things to do in Isnello 41 entries · 7.1 km
- Things to do in Pollina 20 entries · 8.5 km
- Things to do in San Mauro Castelverde 15 entries · 9.1 km
- Things to do in Geraci Siculo 25 entries · 9.8 km
Frequently asked questions
- What is there to see in Castelbuono?
- What to see in the village: Ventimiglia Castle and the Museo Civico, Cappella Palatina di Sant'Anna with the Serpotta stuccoes, Matrice Vecchia on Piazza Margherita, Matrice Nuova and Fontana della Venere Ciprea. For Castelbuono we have 30 guides, 6 trails and 7 itineraries.
- What is there to do near Castelbuono?
- Within 15 km as the crow flies: Isnello (41 entries, 7.1 km), Pollina (20 entries, 8.5 km), San Mauro Castelverde (15 entries, 9.1 km) and Geraci Siculo (25 entries, 9.8 km).