Sperlinga

Sperlinga is a rocky village between the Nebrodi and Madonie Mountains that probably dates back to prehistoric times. However, the village as we know it today is full of characteristic dwellings that are now uninhabited and used as tiny museums, containing and jealously guarding all the peasant tools.

There are many reasons why Sperlinga is a popular destination: the breathtaking panorama, the pure air, the castle, but above all the history and culture that still live on in this small village of only 700 inhabitants. Sperlinga represents an unconventional destination that you will never find from a tour operator, rich in flora, fauna and very long paths with fascinating trails.

If you love to eat and drink genuine food, the place is full of masserias despite being inhabited by only 700 people. Yet it has a rock castle of Norman origin, which is its main attraction. It is possible to visit, at a cost of 5 euro, its interiors that include storerooms, prisons, rainwater cisterns, a church and much more.

The name of this village comes from the Greek and means “Spelonca”, i.e. cave. Many buildings in this small village are in fact dug into the rock: like the ancient Byzantine necropolises, later used as dwellings until the 1960s. It is still possible to visit them today: some have been converted to warehouses, others have become museums.

Another peculiarity of the place is the fact that Gallo-Italic is spoken here, a complex dialect that is difficult for the inhabitants of Sicily themselves to understand, except in the following places, where it spread in the same way: Aidone, Nicosia, Piazza Armerina, Fondachelli-Fantina, Montalbano Elicona, Novara di Sicilia and Sanfratello.