Centuripe

The Balcony of Sicily

Seen from above, the town of Centuripe is shaped like a star. If you climb to its highest point at the Castello di Corradino, you can enjoy spectacular views of Mount Etna. It is no coincidence that this inland village is called the Balcony of Sicily.

Its alleyways are filled with historic atmosphere. Founded by the Sicels in the 8th century BC, then destroyed and rebuilt several times, its current structure dates from the 16th century. Centuripe enjoyed its heyday in Roman times, and many traces of this remain: the baths from the imperial age in the Bagni quarter, the ruins of the Customs House that were originally a Roman tomb, the Temple of the Augustals and the Castle of Corradino, a former imperial mausoleum used as the base for a medieval tower.

The Museo Archeologico contains many artefacts and tells the story of the town’s long history. Don’t miss the fascinating churches: the 17th-century Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception with its Baroque stuccoes, the Church of the Crucifix with its majolica bell tower and the Church of Saint Augustine, which houses a 16th-century painting of the Madonna delle Grazie.

Not far from the centre is the ancient village of Carcaci, abandoned in the 19th century and now inhabited only by peacocks.