Collesano

Inland from Cefalù, on the immediate foothills of the Madonie Mountains, Collesano retains its period appearance around the remains of the Norman castle, with narrow streets connected by alleys and stairways that converge on Piazza Garibaldi. The latter leads to Corso Vittorio Emanuele, which is overlooked by a spectacular staircase of the Chiesa Madre ("Mother Church"), originally from the late 15th century though with a 20th-century façade. A Gothic-Catalan doorway is notable on the right flank, while inside there are statues from the circle of the 15th–16th century sculptor Antonello Gagini, 16th–17th century paintings, and a grandiose carved wooden apparatus culminating in a mid-16th century cross painted on both sides. In Collesano, there is an information point of the Madonie Park (in Viale Vincenzo Florio) and a museum, set up in a municipal building on Corso Vittorio Emanuele, documenting the history of the Targa Florio, one of the first motor races ever organised in the world.