Monte della Madonna

The symbol of Capo d 'Orlando

Just 100 metres high, Monte Madonna offers an incredible view of the bay of San Gregorio, Capo Calavà and the Ponente coastline, even showing the outline of the Aeolian Islands in the distance, if the day permits. The mountain is covered in typical Mediterranean scrub vegetation, in a landscape that smells of myrtle, nepitella, fennel, caper, acanthus and rosemary.

On the summit is the Sanctuary of Maria Santissima and what remains of the ancient castle named after the paladin Orlando. Its construction dates back to the medieval period, but it assumed greater importance from 1598 onwards when legend says that St Cono appeared to the keepers of the tower to leave them the simulacrum of the Madonna as a gift. It was precisely that statue, first taken to Naso, that was later brought back with an impressive procession to the promontory in the newly completed sanctuary. Over the centuries, the building has suffered extensive damage, caused by earthquakes and landslides. Since the beginning of the nineteenth century, the remains of the Castle, like the Sanctuary and the entire Mount, have been the property of the Episcopal Curia of Patti.