Geraci Siculo

Geraci Siculo is a town of 1,636 people (ISTAT estimate at 1 January 2026) at 1,077 metres, on the rocky back of a hill in the heart of the Madonie Park (Parco delle Madonie), in the province of Palermo. It was the first capital of the Ventimiglia family, before the move to Castelbuono. You come for the castle ruins with the chapel of Sant’Anna, for the Salto del Ventimiglia, for churches full of Gagini marbles and for the Giostra dei Ventimiglia in August.

You can see the centre in two or three hours. From the rock, on clear days, you can see the Aeolian Islands.

Geraci Siculo at a glance

The key facts, with sources listed at the bottom of the page.

Where	Central Madonie, province of Palermo, inside the Madonie Park
Altitude	1,077 m; the castle stands above 1,100 m
Population	1,636 (ISTAT estimate at 1 January 2026)
From Cefalù	44 km, about 50 minutes (SS113, SS286)
From Palermo	114 km, about 1 hour 40 minutes
From Catania	145 km, about 2 hours
Patron saint	San Bartolomeo, feast on 23 and 24 August
Don’t miss	Castle and chapel of Sant’Anna, Salto del Ventimiglia, mother church, bevaio

A short history

The area was inhabited in prehistoric times. The name comes from the Greek Jerax, vulture, after the birds of prey that lived on the rock. The Romans made it an important settlement; in 840 the Arabs arrived and enlarged the castle.

After the Norman conquest Geraci became a county, entrusted by Roger I to his nephew Serlo. In 1258 Enrico Ventimiglia married the heiress of the county and became count. From then on Geraci’s fate was tied to the Ventimiglia: the county grew to include the two Petralias, Collesano, Gratteri and Isnello, administered justice and minted its own coins.

In 1338 the castle was taken by the king’s troops and Francesco I Ventimiglia died: tradition says he leapt on horseback into the ravine rather than be captured. In the 15th century the Ventimiglia became marquises of Geraci and moved their residence to Castelbuono, taking the relic of Saint Anne with them: from 1454, according to the historian Orazio Cancila.

The move ended Geraci’s days as a capital, but the town kept its medieval layout: narrow, winding streets, alleys and courtyards.

What to see in Geraci Siculo

The Ventimiglia castle and the chapel of Sant’Anna

The castle stands at the highest point of the town, on a sandstone rock. From here the roads to Catania and Messina and the coast as far as the Aeolian Islands were controlled. Ruins remain: the cut-off corners of the towers, the arrow slits, the cisterns. The plan is triangular and follows the shape of the rock; in 2004 the Palermo heritage authority carried out a first excavation campaign here.

Among the ruins stands the chapel of Sant’Anna, the only building still intact, with a small trefoil-arched window. The saint’s relics were kept here before the move to Castelbuono. The other castles in the area are in the guide to the castles of the Madonie.

The area is always open and entry is free. For a guided visit, book on +39 0921 643607 (Balarm).

The Salto del Ventimiglia

Just below the castle, near the church of San Giuliano, is a viewpoint with a glass and steel walkway that sticks out about three metres from the rock face. It opened in 2014 at the spot where, according to tradition, Francesco I Ventimiglia threw himself into the void in 1338. If you suffer from vertigo, look from behind.

The mother church of Santa Maria Maggiore

It was consecrated in 1495, but its portal dates from the mid 14th century. Inside are an alabaster-like marble baptismal font from the Gagini workshop, from the mid 16th century, marble statues from the same workshop, a wooden choir from 1650 and a late 16th-century Annunciation attributed to Jacopo da Empoli.

In the crypt is the Museo Ecclesiastico Parrocchiale, with silverware, vestments and a 14th-century monstrance of Tuscan goldwork. The phone number given by the Borghi più belli d’Italia association is +39 0921 643529.

The Bevaio della Santissima Trinità

This is the large drinking trough from which Via Biscucco climbs to the castle, built for the marquis Simone Ventimiglia: twenty metres long, with two stone side fountains with four spouts and a central basin, decorated with the family’s coats of arms. In the Fascist period it was lowered so that animals could drink from it.

The other churches

• Santa Maria La Porta, from 1496, with a polychrome marble triptych from the Gagini workshop on the high altar and a Madonna and Child attributed to Domenico Gagini (1475).
• San Bartolomeo, on the northern edge of town, with a mid 16th-century marble polyptych and the wooden statue of the patron saint.
• Santo Stefano, from the late 18th century, oval in plan, with a bell tower of different-coloured stones and a canvas attributed to Giuseppe Salerno (1609).
• San Giacomo, near the castle, with a 14th-century fresco found on a pillar and a 14th-century wooden crucifix.
• Santa Maria della Cava, outside town, of Norman foundation (1090), with a pointed portal and remains of medieval frescoes.

The former Capuchin convent

The convent, begun in 1689, houses the MUSeBArch cultural centre, with the friars’ old library, the town archive and the Madonie ethnographic museum. It also holds a 1596 printed copy of Frederick II’s treatise on falconry, De arte venandi cum avibus. Phone number given by the Borghi più belli d’Italia association: +39 0921 643042.

Things to do in and around Geraci Siculo

• The Ventimiglia castles tour. Castelbuono is 22 km away, Gangi 14 km: follow our Ventimiglia castles itinerary.
• Walk in the woods. Around the town there is a cork oak wood, beech woods such as Cixè, and the Gonato canyon, on the Castelbuono side, home of the Egyptian vulture. For autumn colours, read our guide to beech woods in autumn.
• Gangi and the Petralias. Gangi is 15 minutes away, Petralia Soprana 13 km.
• Piano Battaglia. About 33 km and 37 minutes via Petralia Sottana, with the Pizzo Carbonara loop.
• Castelbuono. 25 minutes along the SS286: read the page on Castelbuono.

More ideas on things to do in Geraci Siculo.

Half a day in Geraci Siculo

1. Bevaio della Santissima Trinità, where the climb to the castle starts.
2. Via Biscucco up to the castle and the chapel of Sant’Anna; on a clear day look for the Aeolian Islands on the horizon.
3. Salto del Ventimiglia, just below, and the church of San Giuliano.
4. Mother church of Santa Maria Maggiore with the treasury in the crypt, then Santa Maria La Porta.
5. Lunch with pittrina ca fasola if you find it, then on towards Gangi or Castelbuono.

What to eat in Geraci Siculo

In the mountains around Geraci there are still marcati, the enclosures where shepherds pen their animals and make cheese.

• Pittrina ca fasola. Castrato in sauce with the green “fagiola”, a bean that grows only here.
• Maccarruna, homemade pasta like thick bucatini, with castrato ragù.
• Sasizunedda ca addauro. Meatballs wrapped in bay leaves.
• Cheeses. Ricotta, caciocavallo, primosale filled with anchovies and grilled, tuma with anchovies or with sugar. One of the producers of the Slow Food Presidium for provola delle Madonie is a Geraci farm. The other cheeses of the area are in the guide to Madonie cheeses.
• Sweets. Almond serafineddi and vuccunetta, shortcrust cassate filled with pumpkin jam or dried figs.

To pick a table, see where to eat in Geraci Siculo. Other produce is in food of the Madonie.

Festivals and events in Geraci Siculo

The periods below are the usual ones. Dates and programmes for the year are on each event page.

Period	Event
3 May	Feast of the Santissimo Crocifisso
Late May, three days	Festa della Transumanza
Mid July	Vucciria Beer Festival
Third Sunday of July, every seven years	Cavalcata dei Pastori, ’a Carvaccata
First weekend of August	Giostra dei Ventimiglia
Second Sunday of August	Feast of San Giacomo
23-24 August	Feast of San Bartolomeo

For the Santissimo Crocifisso, the feast closest to local hearts, the procession is slow and many devotees walk barefoot carrying a candle. The full calendar is on events in Geraci Siculo.

When to go to Geraci Siculo

At over a thousand metres, winters are cold and summers cool.

• Spring: the Crocifisso on 3 May and the Transumanza in late May. Wild orchids flower between March and May.
• Summer: the liveliest time, with the Giostra dei Ventimiglia and the feasts of San Giacomo and San Bartolomeo. Evenings are cool even in August.
• Autumn: the beech woods around the town change colour, and there are few people.
• Winter: cold and sometimes snow. The town is quiet and the air is often clear.

Before you leave, check the Geraci Siculo weather.

How to get to Geraci Siculo

You need a car. We calculated the distances with OSRM on OpenStreetMap data, without traffic.

From	Distance	Time	Road
Cefalù	44 km	49 min	SS113, SS286 via Castelbuono
Palermo	114 km	1 h 41 min	A19 Tremonzelli exit, SS120, SS286
Catania	145 km	1 h 58 min	A19, SS120, SS286
Castelbuono	22 km	25 min	SS286
Gangi	14 km	15 min	SS286, SS120

From Castelbuono the SS286 climbs through woods and the cork oak forest. In winter, the ANAS 2025/2026 order listed the SS286 from km 15 to km 42 among the roads where snow chains on board or winter tyres were required from 1 December to 31 March. Current rules and alerts are in our guide to driving in the Madonie.

Where to stay and where to eat

Geraci has few beds; Gangi, Castelbuono and the Petralias are close. The updated lists, with a source for each listing, are on where to stay in Geraci Siculo and where to eat in Geraci Siculo. For walks, see trails near Geraci Siculo.