Collesano: Madonie Forest, Churches and Targa Florio

Forest Trail and Madonie Landscape

Collesano combines an accessible nature trail with an unusually concentrated cultural heritage. The SENTIERO CASE RASCATE – LA VIA DEI CASTAGNETI runs through the Parco delle Madonie from Collesano, passing through a cork oak and oak forest to the Case Rascata. The trail is classified as easy and is accessible to everyone, including people without trekking experience. It therefore offers a clearly described way to discover the Madonie landscape along a straightforward route.

The access route can be followed from the town centre: it runs along Via Isnello, then along the SP 109 towards Isnello, and finally along Provincial Road 128. Collesano also has an information point for the Parco delle Madonie on Viale Vincenzo Florio. Orientation within the town itself is shaped by its historic streetscape: narrow streets, lanes and steps converge on Piazza Garibaldi.

Between the Targa Florio and the Ceramic Tradition

Collesano is the meeting point of the three Madonie racing circuits: Grande, Medio and Piccolo. The Museo Targa Florio is housed in a municipal building on Corso Vittorio Emanuele and documents the history of the Targa Florio. The exhibition presents documents, memorabilia, photographs, helmets, racing suits and shoes. It also includes an extensive photographic collection in a 200-square-metre exhibition space.

Another side of the town can be seen on Via Polizzi. There is a scenic staircase there covered entirely in ceramics. Its colours and motifs are typical of Collesano's tradition. The old Fornaci near the Bagherino district are also part of the local ceramic history and are known as “stazzuna”. The pottery kilns associated with the “stazzuna”, as well as the processing, firing and glazing of clay, date back to a 17th-century tradition.

Churches and Works of Art in the Town Centre

The religious buildings reveal several periods of the town's history. Santa Maria la Vecchia is Collesano's oldest church and houses a 16th-century Madonna by Gagini. The Chiesa di San Giacomo was built towards the end of the 15th century; it contains a 16th-century wooden statue of the Apostle James.

The Chiesa di Santa Maria di Gesù preserves a wooden crucifix from 1635, regarded as a documented work by Frate Umile di Petralia. A 17th-century cloister adjoins the church. Collesano's Chiesa Madre was also built towards the end of the 15th century and contains statues from the circle of the sculptor Antonello Gagini. The Chiesa del Collegio contains a depiction of the dead Christ in an urn.

The Basilica di Santa Maria la Nuova contains works by Zoppo di Gangi and Pietro Novelli. The cultural and craft topics mentioned encompass works of art, architectural history and the local ceramic tradition.

Festivals and Further Destinations

The local event heritage includes the Collesano Cheese Festival. The municipality describes it as the 17th Sagra del Formaggio. During the Collesano Cheese Festival, the historic centre becomes a village of culinary delights for two consecutive days. For further destination ideas, you can also view Gangi, Altofonte, Belmonte Mezzagno, Vicari, Prizzi, Carini, San Cipirello and Terrasini.

For the higher-level travel overview: Palermo.