The Sicilian town of Ficarra does not go unnoticed. This municipality is known because it was used as the perfect backdrop for Il Gattopardo, a historic book written by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa.
Here's what you need to know about a municipality full of charm and characteristic features, for a beauty without time or limits.
The importance of Ficarra for the Leopard
As previously mentioned, the locality of Ficarra is closely linked to Leopard by Tomasi di Lampedusa. The town in province of Messina it gave inspiration to the well-known writer, who left Palermo during the Second World War to hide in these parts. All this to reach their cousins, who had instead taken refuge in Capo d'Orlando. A few months of stay in the village were enough to give maximum inspiration from Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, which created some of its main characters thanks to a fleeting but indelible experience. From the administrator Don Onofrio Rotolo to Baron Malvica, passing through the organist Don Ciccio Tumeo, highly characteristic figures emerged from Tomasi's pen.
The unmissable beauties of Ficarra
The town of Ficarra offers a national cultural heritage truly priceless. Just move a little from the square to go to Palazzo Milio and admire the Local Mother Church, called Sanctuary of the Annunziata. So, we get on the old one prison fortress to overlook the valley, then taking a look at thehome of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. Don't miss the history either convent of the hundred arches, with a villa leading towards the Aeolian Islands. Each palace contains a history to be discovered and is designed in an ancient stone, just as you need to take a look at Carmel Church.
The uncontaminated nature of Ficarra
The town of Ficarra is also popular with the public thanks to a natural heritage of considerable importance. Since ancient times, olive trees have mainly been cultivated in these parts, with the oil appreciated throughout Sicily thanks to its intoxicating taste. The fallen fruits could be collected by citizens thanks to the authorization of the nobles, but only before the arrival of autumn. The the inhabited center is dotted with olive trees existing for several centuries and can be reached via a route with a notable naturalistic impact. Each natural beauty is associated with a character inherent to the world of the Leopard, including the olive trees named after Tomasi di Lampedusa and Agata Giovanna Piccolo.
A timeless culinary tradition
Ficarra offers citizens and tourists a culinary tradition full of surprises. The proximity to Capo d'Orlando helps to make the location even more interesting in this respect. Besides oil, hazelnuts and mushrooms also catch people's attention.
Le Minuta olives they give shape to a delicious extra virgin olive oil perfect for the Mediterranean diet. The hazelnuts of late summer allow you to create different typical dishes with satisfactory results. The mushrooms they are in turn very widespread, whether they are eggs or porcini mushrooms, and inevitable in most local restaurants.
Ficarra, where the Leopard took its first steps
Overall, the Messina town of Ficarra has a lot to offer to anyone who intends to experience it, even for a few days.
There are numerous salient features of a town that does not go unnoticed.
There is nothing left to do but discover a world full of surprises, in order to learn about the origins and the history of the Leopard.
