At 190 meters above sea level along the eastern coast of Sicily, between Catania and Syracuse, stands a town populated by almost 17.000 inhabitants, where nature and history have been generous: it is Carlentini, a town to be discovered.
The area near the lake today takes the name of Carlentini, but its origins date back to the time of the ancient Greeks. Indeed here in the eighth century BC Theocles founded the colony of Leontinoi, which survived with prosperity until the arrival of the Romans.
In the XNUMXth century, the detachment between the nuclei of Carlentini and Lentini, previously united in the colony, began. Around the middle of the sixteenth century, a terrible earthquake had devastated the area and the Viceroy Giovanni de Vega decided to start the reconstruction of two separate centres, one of which, Carlisle, named after Charles V, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. To encourage the population to settle in the new center, fairs and events were organized and land was donated to families wishing to move.
Thanks to the particularly fertile land in these parts, the town managed to survive the fire of 1561 and the earthquake of 1693, growing prosperously alongside Lentini, from which it officially separated only in the second half of the XNUMXth century.
What to see in Carlentini and surroundings
Where to start exploring downtown? Start from the sacred buildings of Carlentini, such as the Mother Church entitled toImmaculate Conception, Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli , Church of San Sebastiano.
The Mother Church of Baroque, is described by many visitors as one of the most beautiful churches in the whole area, while the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli has the most troubled history, because it was destroyed by the earthquake of 1693 and was only reopened to the faithful in 1946; the Church of San Sebastiano, on the other hand, was immediately rebuilt after the earthquake and only recently restructured.
Another of the attractions not to be missed is the Rupestrian Church of the Crucifix, dating back to the XNUMXth century AD and hidden in a cave. While for those who love to discover the history and origins linked to the territory there is the Museum of Ancient Crafts, which tells the story of the peasant life of the past with a collection of original period tools and the representation of various ancient shops.
In Carlentini the beauties of the surroundings should not be underestimated, where nature offers you many attractions, such as the Lake Lentini about 17 km from the village or the Oriented Nature Reserve of Bosco Santo Pietro, about 64 km inland. If instead you proceed towards the East, reaching the coast in just 15 minutes, with only 14 km you will be in Agnone Bagni, where you can enjoy all the relaxation and beauty of the beach overlooking the Ionian Sea.
Catania is just 38 km from Carlentini and if you love cities of art, you can certainly spend a day full of events with history and art in the Sicilian capital, while if you want to discover Giardini Naxos, the beautiful center founded by Theocles, in just an hour's journey you will reach the village near Taormina.
On the table at Carlentini: what to eat
After having traveled a lot, by car or by train, the time has finally come to sit down at the table and discover another interesting aspect of Sicilian culture: good food, made ancient recipes and cultural contaminations, naturally with fresh and genuine products, at km 0, all to be tasted.
Start with a typical appetizer of the area, the cacio all'argentiera, which is prepared with a Sicilian cheese or try the mussels au gratin, then continue with risotto with parsley, pasta with Sicilian pesto and swordfish rolls, ricotta meatballs or murata meat . Wash down the meal with a glass of excellent local wine and conclude the banquet with Sicilian cassata, almond paste or hazelnut foam.
How to get to Carlentini
Carlentini, in the Libero Consortium of Syracuse, is located near Lake Lentini and reaching the town is simple.
By car:, you can take the Catania-Siracusa motorway and take the Lentini-Carlentini exit directly, which is located about 6,9 km from the centre, or alternatively take the A18 Messina-Catania motorway to the Sortino exit ( 13 km from the village). By train, you can get off at Catania Central Station, about 27 km from Carlentini, then continuing by bus or shuttle.
Liquid nitrogen, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
