The town of Floresta is able to make a long series of very interesting ideas available to its visitors.
The locality is part of the metropolitan city of Messina and is known because it represents the highest altitude municipality in all of Sicily.
Here's what you absolutely need to know about a place that is truly full of surprises for anyone who intends to discover it.
General information on the town of Floresta
Floresta stands within the Nebrodi Park, at a height of 1275 meters. According to the latest demographic balance, it has 463 inhabitants to be precise. A very low population, which however is balanced by a significant amount of tourists on an annual basis. This is due to an astonishing charm, due to a landscape heritage of inestimable value.
Halfway between the Tyrrhenian and Ionian seas, it overlooks the Etna volcano and includes a very large forest, immersed in the Nebrodi Park.
The origins of Floresta
Know a Floresta what to see takes on an even more interesting meaning if we think about its origins. To tell the truth, there are not many certainties regarding its ancient history, but the place was used by the Romans to supply their ships with timber. During the'medieval age, the site fell into conditions of substantial abandonment due to a rather cold and snowy climate, due precisely to its altitude.
The sixteenth century was a very important historical period, given that Frederick of Aragon made Floresta a feudal garrison. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, King Philip II of Spain elected Antonio Quintana Degna as Marquess of the local forest. Over the following decades, the place was characterized by a well-rooted diffusion of cereal products, thanks also to special water mills.
From the nineteenth century to the present day
Over the centuries, the Floresta area underwent considerable development. The small village obtained the status of municipality, with the consequent construction of an urban agglomeration. The streets named after the kings Vittorio Emanuele and Umberto I were the first social and then commercial hubs of the locality, without forgetting the mother church dedicated to Sant'Anna.
Currently, the town of Messina continues to be based on an economy characterized by cattle breeding. They are made cheese of remarkable quality, among which provolone e fresh ricotta. Furthermore, the place showcases a strong artisan heritage, due to the diffusion of the noble rush art.
What to see in Floresta
What to see in Floresta? For every tourist, there is an embarrassment of choice. Religious architecture occupies a leading role thanks to the churches dedicated to Sant'Anna and St. Anthony from Padua, but the town does not live on this alone.
There is no shortage of folkloristic elements and festivals of considerable importance, especially on the days dedicated to Sant'Antonio, Sant'Anna and San Giuseppe.
Also, the iconics are to be admired pastoral shelters, conceived with the aid of dry stones. These compositions seem to fit perfectly into the surrounding landscape, without neglecting a forest with an out of the ordinary charm. Furthermore, numerous snowfalls have given Floresta an ethereal and exciting aspect.
Floresta, so much beauty in a tiny town
Despite an area of only 31 square kilometres, the locality of Floresta can hold truly unique surprises for anyone who shows the intention of discovering it. There is nothing left to do but plan aexcursion around here and live a very different experience compared to the wear and tear of everyday life.
© Image by Municipality of Floresta, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
