Attached to Mount Elia just as if it were a suction cup, the municipality of Casalvecchio Siculo is a small pearl located in the province of Messina.
A trip to this area means discovering an area rich in history and culture, with monuments that immediately bring the mind to a bygone and glorious era.
Here, then, is how to get to Casalvecchio Siculo and above all what not to miss about this beautiful village.
The history of Casalvecchio Siculo
According to a document from the Kingdom of Sicily dated 1351, the village of Casalvecchio Siculo existed in the Byzantine era and was called Palachorion, a name in Sicilian-Greek dialect which meant old farmhouse. Until 1139, the territory enjoyed a certain freedom but on that date, at the behest of King Roger II, all the surrounding villages came under the dominion of the Duchy of Savoca. This situation was never too appreciated by Casalvecchio Siculo who tried in every way to regain his freedom but only succeeded in 1795.
In 1812, feudalism was definitively abolished and for this reason Casalvecchio Siculo finally separated itself completely from Savoca and was able to establish itself as a separate municipality. In the village, since the early years of the sixteenth century, the Jewish community was always very active but, when the territory was merged into Savoca, it was robbed of all its assets by the nobles headed by Roger II.
What to see in Casalvecchio Siculo
This glorious history of the village is evident from the monuments that make the village even more beautiful. First of all, it is worth a visit church of Sant'Onofrio Anacoreta, which is located right in the historic center of the village. It is a building that is the shining example of the Sicilian baroque style, with exteriors made of stone and interiors that are a triumph of colours, stucco and inlaid marble. There church of the Santissima Annunziata it is instead in a much simpler style and has the particularity of being in the immediate vicinity of the fountains of the village, the historic water sources from which animals drank but which were also used for drinking water and obviously for other common uses. Among these, the Acqua Rugia fountain is remembered for having also been used by Roger II. Of a completely different type, then, the Church of Saints Peter and Paul of Agrò, built in 1117, which looks more like a military fortification.
What to do in Casalvecchio Siculo
An event that absolutely cannot be missed is the market fair held on the day of feast of Saints Peter and Paul. The celebration has been organized for several centuries and has always been a unique opportunity to purchase everything from local crafts to the sale of farm animals. There Patron Saint day, dedicated to Sant'Onofrio, is organized on the second Sunday of September and has its most important moment in the procession that carries the simulacrum of the saint around the streets of the town. There are also many festivals food, such as that of macaroni, which are served in many different ways but above all with meat sauce.
What to eat in Casalvecchio Siculo
The territory of Casalvecchio Siculo has always had a pastoral and peasant vocation, therefore also the local cuisine conforms to this style. There are many specialties that can be enjoyed in the village which are made with simple but local ingredients, a robust and tasty tradition which has some of its strong points in macaroni or pasta and beans. Another specialty that certainly must be tasted are fava a maccu while meat and vegetable specialties will be made even better by the addition of wild fennel but also a sprinkling of baked ricotta. The meat second courses, then, mainly use sheep and pork, which is also used to make the sauce with which the classic handmade maccaruni are seasoned.
How to get to Casalvecchio Siculo
Those who wish to get to Casalvecchio Siculo to discover all its beauties can do so by starting from Messina and Catania and traveling first along the A18 and then the E45 while from Palermo and Trapani the reference road is the A20 and then the E90.
Those coming from Syracuse will have to choose the E45 while those coming from Enna will have to take the A19 first and then the E932. Casalvecchio Siculo does not have its own train station so those who wish to choose this means of transport will have to refer to the Nizza di Sicilia or Furci stations and then continue with the local buses made available by the AST company.
© Image by Tony Casablanca at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
