Cassaro – Ferla – Anapo Valley
In 2014 Ferla was admitted to the ANCI Club of “The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy.” The majestic Baroque style of the old town, entirely rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake, is based on innovative architecture. In 1933, Italy recognized the Church of St. Anthony as a “national monument,” and wonder arouses the imposing basilica dedicated to St. Sebastian, patron saint of the town with its external sculptural complex set inside a “baroque macchinetta” ,the work of artist Michelangelo Di Giacomo. A visit to the Holistic Center pays homage to the philosophy of slow living, which has made this village a model for experimenting with a holistic approach to the environment since 2015. A workshop with recycling materials will be held here to give guests a complete tourism experience that engages their senses and souls. Cassaro is the city of oil and Easter rites, par excellence. The matrix of the name may derive from the Arabic Kars, meaning castle or fortress, in fact the site was located in an area of great strategic importance, near the once navigable river, the Anapo. After the 1693 earthquake, a regular checkerboard layout was planned and religious monuments and palaces were built by the aristocracy, including the Church of St. Anthony Abbot and the Church of St. Sebastian. The civic ” Museo Visivo e Documentaristico dell’Altopiano Ibleo Siracusano” is housed in the 18th-century Palazzo Carfì. Of considerable value are the exhibition rooms that put on display vestments and sacred objects, the vestments of Bishop Luigi Bordonaro stand out, including a missal from the 16th century.Another room is dedicated to the almost 100-year history of the “Banda Musicale di Cassaro”.The link with the land is strong and bears fruit in the production of an extra virgin olive oil with DOP, Monti Iblei. It will be tasted in the tantalizing delicacies, called m’panate, tasty typical flatbreads, filled with vegetables and cheese. The R.N.O Pantalica – Valle dell’Anapo is certainly one of the most striking places in the Iblean area. The millenary presence of man, the very rich vegetation present, the Anapo and Calcinara rivers that flow gently inside the valley, and the ancient route of the Siracusa – Vizzini railway create a unique place of extraordinary beauty, where one still grasps the atmosphere of myth.
PROGRAM
h.9.00 arrival in Ferla and view of historic center
h.10.30 workshop at the holistic center
h.12.30 tasting typical products
h.13.45 transfer to Cassaro
h.14.00 arrival in Cassaro, visit the visual museum of the Hyblaean Plateau
h.15.30 transfer to the Anapo Valley (Bridge Dam)
h.16.00 start hiking in the Anapo Valley (direction Palazzolo)
h.18.00 end of hike
FEATURES
ITINERARY OF NATURALISTIC, ETHNOANTHROPOLOGICAL INTEREST
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: 2/10 SUITABLE FOR EVERYONE
EQUIPMENT: HIKING OR RUNNING SHOES, HAT, WATER
COSTS
Cost per person for each Tour:
x groups of 5 to 7: 88.00€ +VAT
x groups of 8 to 15 with accompanying person: 77.00€ +IVA
x groups of 16 to 20 with accompanying person: 66.00€ +IVA
x groups of 20 and up with accompanying person: 60.50€ +IVA
