Prickly Pear Festival in Alimena

Il prickly pear it's a typical Sicilian product and especially in the Alimena area it is cultivated in abundance. Since it is a local product, it has always been used for recipes of all kinds, so much so that the municipal authorities have decided to give this fruit a celebration, called the prickly pear and masticuttè festival in Alimena.
Here is all the essential information to take part and discover the Sicilian village.

Description of the Prickly Pear and Masticuttè festival in Alimena

The prickly pear is a very tasty fruit that has been exploited for its many properties since ancient times. Furthermore, many products are prepared with this raw material, among which the Masticuttè which is one mustard with a sweet flavor that is made with the prickly pear and its pulp.
During the festival held in Alimena, visitors will be able to taste the prickly pear natural but also in many different recipes, each of which has a unique flavour.
Furthermore, to make the party even more cheerful, shows, music concerts, activities for children and much more are planned. Finally, tourists will also be able to purchase preserves and other delicacies made with this fruit, to bring a sweet memory home.

The history linked to the prickly pear festival in Alimena

The first edition of the prickly pear festival in Alimena it was held in 2020, precisely because the objective was to make the goodness of this fruit and its thousand uses known to an increasingly wider audience. Year after year, the event has been enriched with many different events, since the Municipality and the associations that sponsor the event have the aim of making known not only the historical and architectural beauties of the village but also the uses and traditions of this corner of Sicily.

When the Prickly Pear and Masticuttè festival takes place in Alimena

The Prickly Pear and Masticuttè festival in Alimena is held in October, usually on the first Sunday of the calendar. However, the date can vary, as it is not linked to any religious occasion.

Where the Prickly Pear and Masticuttè festival takes place in Alimena

The location chosen for the Prickly Pear and Masticuttè festival in Alimena is municipal villa of the village, although there is no shortage of events in other areas of the historic centre.

What to do during the Prickly Pear and Masticuttè festival in Alimena

After tasting the fried prickly pear peels, visitors will certainly want to use the rest of the time to get to know the historic village more closely. It dates back to 1628, immediately after obtaining the populous licence, the construction of Church of the Holy Souls, which for a long time was also used as a cemetery. Instead, the one that later became the is a few years more recent mother church, dedicated to Santa Maria Maddalena: in addition to its very elegant style, the church is also known for housing an ancient statue of the Immaculate Madonna. There church of Sant'Alfonso de' Liguorifinally, it is smaller than the others but is much loved as the population has a great veneration for this figure. In the immediate vicinity of Alimena is not to be missed Strait Cave in addition toarchaeological area of ​​Balza Edera.

How to get to Alimena

Those who want to take part in the Prickly Pear and Masticuttè festival in Alimena will be able to reach the village by starting by car from Palermo and along the A19 and then the E932, the same road that you must follow if you leave from Syracuse or Enna while from Catania you only need to take the A19. From Trapani the reference road is the E90, from Messina the A18 and from Agrigento the Ss640.
Alimena does not have its own train station, so those who wish to travel on the train you will have to do so with Villarosa station as your reference and then continuing to your destination with the local bus lines made available by the AST company.