The Sicilian people are known throughout the world for their hospitality, an evident characteristic in the relationships that exist between Sicilians, but which is also understood by the special tourist welcome offered to those coming from the mainland.
For Sicilians, welcoming guests and making them feel at ease is almost a matter of honor and this civic sense takes us back to a legend born in Catenanuova, the river of milk.
This ancient story tells of how a knight, who wanted to welcome the king and queen visiting his area at all costs, meditates on a plan to show his hospitality. To attract his sovereigns, he studied a strange device that created a river of milk, but let's discover all the details of this fascinating story.
Fiume di latte in Catenanuova: the farm that hosted illustrious people
The story begins first of all from the location and this legend starts from Catenanuova.
In the province of Enna, not far from Catania, lies the small agricultural center of Catenanuova. A few kilometers from the city center there is the Cuba district, where it is possible to see a small farmhouse, which in ancient times was used by travelers and traders to stop during the journey they made to negotiate throughout the island.
A rather modest farmhouse which, however, apparently, based on the plaque placed under the balcony, would have hosted illustrious people in past centuries such as the German writer Wolfgang Goethe, the painter Christophorus Kneip and even in 1714 the king and queen who appear in the legend of the milk river.
River of milk in Catenanuova: a knight with a curious stratagem in mind
According to popular tales, in 1714 the King Vittorio Amedeo II of Savoy and his wife, the queen Anne of Orleans, they were embarking on a journey which included Sicily among the various stops. To return to Piedmont, the royal family would have had to cross the entire northern part of the island and then make a long journey that would have taken them from Palermo to Messina.
So far there would be nothing strange, but in this story at a certain point the knight Ansaldi, owner of the Catenanuova farm, makes his appearance.
This noble man desperately wanted to meet the king and queen, and was determined to show his hospitality in any way he could. However, there was a problem, the itinerary of the two sovereigns did not include a stop in Catenanuova and apparently they were in a great hurry to return home and therefore would have covered the journey rather quickly.
The knight was not discouraged by this setback and therefore devised a plan that would allow him to get to know his sovereigns.
The story continues describing the strange order that ansaldi he gave his men, apparently they had to pour into the river that flowed near Catenanuova, all the milk that had been milked in the town that day.
The stream turned white because of the milk and when the vanguard of the king's expedition reached the river, they ran back to their sovereign to bring him the news. The king found it difficult to believe such a thing and therefore wanted to go and verify for himself the existence of a river of milk.
Once he reached the stream he wanted to taste that whitish liquid and had to agree that it was a real river of milk.
At this point in the story arrives the knight Ansaldi, who humbly explained the origin of that stratagem and the reason that had pushed him to carry out this gesture, and since night was about to fall he offered his hospitality to the king and queen , suggesting that he sleep at his farm and leave the next day.
The royals found the device studied by the knight very curious and original and accepted his invitation with great pleasure. The following day, before leaving for Piedmont, the sovereigns decided to reward Ansaldi for the invention of the milk river and named him Honorary Captain of the Royal Guards.
Fiume di latte in Catenanuova: typical Sicilian hospitality
The story of the river of milk in Catenanuova reminds us once again how kind and hospitable the Sicilian people are, eager to open up to new knowledge and comparison. The spirit of the knight Ansaldi represents the soul of all the inhabitants of Catenanuova, a friendly and affable people who live in one of the most beautiful agricultural centers in the Enna area.
Catenanuova owes much to its particular position, a place suspended in time immersed in green valleys and boundless wheat fields.
Those who want to better understand the legend of the river of milk, see the farm in the Cuba district or get lost in the agricultural panoramas, absolutely cannot miss a visit to Catenanuova. Whether it's an excursion, a weekend or a holiday, Catenanuova will always amaze and attract every traveler.
And what are you waiting for? Come and see this small town in the province of Enna, here where myth and reality blend, and where the yellow of the sun competes with the gold of the wheat fields.
