| Petralia Soprana | ||
 | ||
| State | Italy | |
|---|---|---|
| Region | Sicily | |
| Territory | Madonie | |
| Altitude | 1,147 m a.s.l. | |
| Surface | 56.1 km² | |
| Inhabitants | 3.153 (2019) | |
| Name inhabitants | Sopranesi | |
| Prefix tel | 39 0921 | |
| POSTAL CODE | 90023 | |
| Time zone | UTC 1 | |
| Patron | Saints Peter and Paul | |
Position
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| Institutional website | ||
Petralia Soprana is a city of the metropolitan city of Palermo in Sicily. It is part of the Madonie park and it is one of the most beautiful villages in Italy.
To know
Geographical notes
The town is located on the southern side of the chain of Madonie. The territory is crossed by the Salso river and is between an altitude of 1,657 meters (Pizzo Corvo) and 600 meters, and is covered by woods, Mediterranean scrub, pastures, arable land and tree crops.
Background
Diodorus Siculus reports that in 254 BC, during the First Punic War, after the conquest of Palermo they handed over the town to the consuls Aulus Attilio and Gneo Cornelio, passing under the Roman domination. The city was a major supplier of grain to Rome and was inserted between civitates decumanae, that is, among the cities subject to the annual tithing tax in kind.
In the 9th century, during the reign of the Aghlabids it was called Batraliah. After the conquest by the Normans of Ruggero, count of Altavilla, which took place in 1062, the town was fortified, and took on the aspect it still retains in the 21st century, with the castle, towers and ramparts, and "Latinized", with the construction of several churches. Roger assigned it to his nephew Serlone.
In a document dated 1258, Petra "inferior" (Petralia Sottana) and Petra "superior" (Petralia Soprana) appear for the first time, originally almost certainly a single community.
In 1258 it became part of the patrimony of the Ventimiglia counts of Geraci Siculo, to then pass to the county of Collesano, of the heritage of the Centelles, Cardona, Moncada and Alvarez of Toledo, until the abolition of feudality in 1817.
How to orient yourself
Petralia Soprana: full screen map.Fractions
Acquamara, Borgo Aiello, Borgo Pala, Cipampini, Cozzo Bianco, Fasanò, Gioiotti, Gulini, Lodico, Lucia, Madonnuzza, Miranti, Pellizzara, Pianello, Pira, Raffo, Sabatini, Saccù, Salaci, Salinella, San Giovanni, SS. Trinità, Scarcini, Scarpella, Serra di Lio, Stretti, Verdi I, Verdi II, Villa Letizia
How to get
By car
Palermo - Messina
Palermo - Catania
Etna and Madonie
by Alimena
Palermo - Messina
Palermo - Catania
Etna and Madonie
by AlimenaComing from Palermo take the A19 and then the A20 exit Tremonzelli and follow the SS120 direction Castellana Sicula pass it and continue to Petralia.
Coming from Catania on the A20 exit a Irosa follow the SP11 until Vizzini district and here take the SS290 northbound (Fasano) and at the crossroads of the Madonnuzza cross it and go up towards Petralia Soprana.
By bus
The country is connected via SAIS bus from and for Palermo.
How to get around
By public transport
There are three lines of public transport.
What see
- 1 Church of Saints Peter and Paul (Mother Church), Piazza Duomo. Rebuilt in the 14th century at the behest of the Ventimiglia family, with a Latin cross plan and three naves. It has two bell towers on the façade, one from the fifteenth century and the other from the eighteenth century, connected by a portico of 18 columns made by the Librizzi brothers of Petralia Sottana. In 1998 a bell weighing 18 quintals ("Union bell") was inserted in the eighteenth-century bell tower (completed only after the war). Inside are preserved seventeenth-century paintings including the Deposition attributed to the so-called Spagnoletto, the statues of the Patron Saints the apostles Peter and Paul and the first Crucifix attributed to Friar Umile da Petralia.
- 2 municipal building (Municipality of Petralia Soprana), Piazza del Popolo, 1.
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- 3 Church of Santa Maria di Loreto, Loreto Square, 1. Ancient Arab fortress transformed into a church by the Discalced Carmelites and rebuilt in 1750 with a Greek cross plan and late Baroque facade and two bell towers with majolica spire. The interior features stuccoes by Serpotta, the precious statues of Saints Cosma and Damiano and the sixteenth-century polychrome statue of San sebastiano and the polyptych of the Gaginiana school, a Renaissance work with the very delicate statue of the Madonna of Loreto in the center. The church with its imposing mass with three apses and the colored cusps dominate the surrounding area and is visible from kilometers away making it one of the most important artistic monuments of the Madonie.
- 4 Church of the SS Salvatore. The church has an elliptical plan with eight pillars supporting the dome. Most likely in the Arab period it was a mosque and was consecrated to Christian rites by Count Roger.
- 5 Convent of the Reformed Friars Minor and Church of Santa Maria del Gesù, Via G. Lio Litterio Sgadari. Built on the outskirts of the town in 1611, the bas-reliefs on the facade are of considerable artistic importance.
- Church of the Pinta (Santa Maria ad Nives).
- Church of San Teodoro. Built in the Norman age. The interiors, like several churches in the town, were redone in the late Baroque style in the 18th century.
- 6 The comet (sculpture). Sculpture by Vincenzo Gennaro, located in a belvedere from which you can enjoy an exceptional view.
- 7 [link not working]SottoSale Museum of Contemporary Art (MACSS), way of the rock salt, ☎ 39 366 387 8751, @[email protected].
5 €. 
Sat 9: 00-14: 00. Contemporary art museum housed inside a salt mine. The visits are guided and reservations are required at the number indicated. - 8 Villa Sgadari. Outside the city center and with its own park, restored in 2010.
- 9 Church of the Purgative Souls, Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, 4.
- 10 Fountain of the Quattro Cannoli, Piazza Quattro Cannoli. It is a small fountain with four cannoli for the water outlet in a beautiful square.
- 11 Piazza San Michele. Medieval square with a small church and a fountain.
5 €. 
Sat 9: 00-14: 00. Contemporary art museum housed inside a salt mine. The visits are guided and reservations are required at the number indicated.
- 12 Piazza del Popolo. It is the main square of the city, in the center it houses a bronze monument by Antonio Ugo, dedicated to the fallen of all wars, and several buildings overlook it, including the town hall, with medieval battlements crowning the facade, and palace Pottino, which belonged to the baronial family who owned the town, which preserves frescoes with local landscape motifs. One of the buildings in the square preserves several writings praising the monarchy, probably linked to the 1946 referendum that made Italy a democracy.
Events and parties
- At carnivalata (Carnival party). At carnival.
- A calata a tila (The descent of the canvas). Saturday of Holy Week.
- U 'ncuontru. Easter. Between the risen Jesus and Our Lady of Sorrows
- Feast of the Apostles Peter and Paul (patrons of the city). 25-29 June.
- Wheat festival. August.
- Feast of the Holy Savior. August 6.
- Baronial wedding serenade. Night of August 14th.
- Carousel of standard bearers. August.
- Salt Festival and International Folklore Gathering. August.
- Festival of lentils. August.
- Feast of SS Cosma and Damiano. September 27.
- High altitude concert in the Madonie Park. October.
- A pistata ra racina (The crushed grapes). October.
- A nuvena (The novena). December. Traditional song music performed by young people in the streets of the center and in the hamlets during the Christmas period.
What to do
- 1 Panoramic point, via Belvedere. From this point you can admire a magnificent panorama in a southerly direction. It is a hill just outside the city.
Shopping
How to have fun
Where to eat
Where stay
Average prices
- 1 Petra residence hotel, Via Errante, 5, Petralia Soprana, ☎ 39 0921 681321. 85 € (September 2015). Good hotel in a very central location in Petralia Soprana. Characteristic, obtained from the original building of the historic center, atmosphere of a village of other times. Good starting point for any itinerary to visit the central area of the Madonie.
Safety
How to keep in touch
Around
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Petralia Soprana
Commons contains images or other files on Petralia Soprana
