Colle Madore in Lercara Friddi

Near the town of Lerch Friddiin province of Palermo, you can admire the splendid archaeological site Colle Madore which tells of the presence of the ancient in Sicilian land Sicani people.

Colle Madore, from sulfur quarry to archaeological site

On the territory of the town of Lercara Friddi, in the province of Palermo, there is Colle Madore, today an appreciated archaeological site which tells part of the history of the Sicani people who once lived in Sicily.

Initially this hill was used for economic needs, in particular it was exploited for extract sulfur and gypsum. However, everything changed in the early 90s and in particular since 1992.

In a completely random manner, Antonino Caruso accidentally found some finds which he immediately decided to hand over to the municipal administration which undertook checks with the support of professionals in the sector to evaluate the situation. The decision was to proceed with the excavations which were carried out in 1995, 1998 and 2004. The excavations were managed by the Superintendency of Cultural and Environmental Heritage of the city of Palermo and allowed the re-emergence of ancient beauties that tell of life in this area around the XNUMXnd millennium BC and up to the XNUMXth century BC. The objects found through the excavations can now be viewed at the civic Museum which is located in the town.

What to see in the archaeological site

The finds discovered in the Colle Madore area all date back toBronze Age therefore around the second millennium before the birth of Christ. From this era there are 13 fragments that emphasize the habits of the place and in particular with the presence of javelins, swords and axes which were used to cut down animals and shrubs. Furthermore, the excavations allowed us to view the remains of a Sican settlement probably built around the XNUMXth century before the birth of Christ.

Like much of the Sicilian territory, this area was also the subject of the XNUMXth century BC colonization by the Greeks. In fact, it was a circular building structure with a diameter of around 10 meters from which emerged a statue reproducing the human figure sitting on a tub and which probably could have been Hera or Minos who, according to legend, died in a bathtub. According to an important research work carried out by a local scholar, it was possible to establish that in reality that structure was a temple of Aphrodite in which a fake Sepulcher of Minos.

What to see in Lercara Friddi

Near Colle Madore and therefore in the territory of Lercara Friddi, it is possible to see many other structures of interest such as the cathedral of Maria Santissima della Neve also called mother church. It is a structure built in the early eighteenth century and perfectly preserved to this day with various works of interest inside. There are many other churches that deserve to be included in a tourist tour like the church of Sant'Antonio of the XNUMXth century or the church of San Matteo which dates back to more or less the same period.

How to get to Lercara Friddi

To reach the town of Lercara Friddi and therefore Colle Madore coming from Palermo, it is necessary to cover a route of 80 km which requires approximately 100 minutes of travel by car. The itinerary winds mainly via the E90 first and then the SS 285.