The village of Prizzi is located a short distance from Palermo but is a small wedding favor, with an ancient charm given by the numerous churches, low houses and alleys that have a flavor of the past.
Visiting it means discovering a corner of Sicily perhaps still far from the more touristic routes but no less fascinating for this. Here, then, is how to get there and what not to get lost.
Price's story
Prizzi was probably born from the ashes of sican city known as Hippana. Its wealth and strategic position soon attracted the attention of the Romans who did everything to destroy it, so much so that the Hippans were forced to flee and take refuge in the nearby mountain, where they gave life to the village of Prizzi. Its greatest development, however, occurred in the medieval period, of which it still preserves all its charm intact. In 1155 the feudal lord Matteo Bonello decided to divide his territory into two parts and entrusted one to the monastery of Sant'Angelo and the other to that of San Cristoforo. Both sides remained firmly in church hands well into modern times.
What to see in Prizzi
Given the fundamental aspect that the church has always had in the Prizzi story, it is obvious that the religious architecture is the best preserved in the village. Very beautiful, for example, the mother church which is entitled to St. George: built in the sixteenth century, it preserves not only the statue of the saint but also that of the Archangel Michael. Those who want to see a very beautiful group of sculptures with the Madonna and Child will have to go to the nearby one church of Sant'Antonio Abate which instead dates back to the sixteenth century. However, the emblem of the village, which is also found in its coat of arms, is the Prizzi Castle, which everyone here simply calls the fortress, which dates back to the early Middle Ages. Finally, the Archaeological museum of Prizzi it preserves all the remains found in the excavations of the ancient Hippana.
Things to do in Prizzi
La patronal feast of Prizzi dedicated to St. George it is perhaps the most awaited and well-known event in the village but there are also other festive occasions that can be exploited by visitors to discover the village more closely. For example, four different ones are organized every year livestock fairs, one of which as part of the patronal feast, and every occasion is also a good one to discover the local food and wine more closely. Also noteworthy are the Feast of Our Lady of Carmel, Easter and Living Nativity which takes place at Christmas.
What to eat in Prizzi
The Kitchen that can be tasted in Prizzi, in the province of Palermo, is typically Sicilian so visitors should expect to taste some typical recipes such as busiate with sausage ragù or the lardu chinu which would be a stuffed chicken. The proposal of desserts is also very rich, given that in addition to the classic cannoli and cassate you can also taste the cucciddateddi, which are biscuits made with figs and pine nuts, or the buccellato, a shortcrust pastry dessert filled with various ingredients including almonds and oranges.
What to see around Prizzi
Who wishes to come to visit Prizzi you can also extend your stay to discover some very interesting places in the immediate vicinity. The Lake Raia is certainly a suggestive destination for a dip in nature, as well as the nature reserves of Mount Carcaci and the one a little further away than Palazzo Adriano and Valle del Sosio. In these places it is possible go trekking and admire animals and plants in their natural habitat. Those who still want a little history, on the other hand, can discover the archaeological area of Hippana or the village of Filaga, another medieval village.
How to get to Prizzi
Those who wish to reach Prizzi to discover the Sicani emerald more closely can do so by taking the SS118 from Palermo, while from Trapani the recommended road is the A29 followed by the E933. For those who move from Catania, on the other hand, they may prefer the A19 while from Messina it is advisable to take the A20 first and then the E90. All visitors departing from Syracuse will be able to take the A19 and then the E932, finally from Enna it will be necessary to travel only on the SS189.
Prizzi does not have its own railway station so if you prefer to travel on the train it will be necessary to have the Roccapalumba-Alia station as a reference and from there continue with the lines of bus numbers made available by the public company AST.
© Image by José Dielis, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
