Itinerary: historical
5 days
The Bandits' Trail in Sicily is a historical and naturalistic itinerary spanning approximately one hundred and five kilometers, traversing the mountainous regions of Sicily's hinterland, between the provinces of Messina, Enna, and Palermo. The route passes through seven municipalities: San Mauro Castelverde, Gangi, Sperlinga, Nicosia, Capizzi, Troina, and Cesarò. Inspired by the phenomenon of post-unification brigandage, particularly the events of the so-called Maurina band, the trail offers an immersive journey through pristine landscapes, forest trails, historic villages, and symbolic sites of the armed rebellion that characterized the island after Italian unification. The trail was born within a territorial and cultural valorization project that interprets brigandage not only as a criminal act, but as a social, anthropological, and political manifestation rooted in the rural context of the time. Its purpose is to combine history and territory, recounting dramatic and complex events through a route that winds through mountains, dirt roads, woods, abandoned farmhouses, ruins, and barracks. Along the way, visitors encounter tangible and intangible evidence related to the bandits and their world, from the birth of the gangs to their choice of hiding places, to their repression and slow decline, culminating in the 1926 siege of Gangi by Prefect Cesare Mori. This trail is intended as a form of identity tourism, tied to the collective memory and cultural heritage of local communities. It can be explored on foot, on horseback, by mountain bike, and, with the right equipment, even by people with limited mobility. The travel experience thus becomes a way to rediscover a piece of authentic Sicily, far from conventional tourist routes, capable of telling its story through the signs of its most tormented and fascinating history. It's not just the landscape that guides the traveler, but also the narrative: each stop offers food for thought on real events, newspaper articles of the time, emblematic figures such as Melchiorre Candino, threatening letters published in newspapers, stories of kidnappings, vendettas, murders, but also of civil resistance and attempts at justice. The entire route is immersed in an extraordinary natural setting, between the Nebrodi Park and the Madonie Park, two of the island's main green lungs and offering breathtaking landscapes. The Cammino dei Briganti is not just a path to be walked, but a journey into Sicily's historical and social memory, a way to interpret the past with new eyes and to question what remains today of those fractures between state and society, between center and periphery, between legality and rebellion. It is an invitation to walk through history, to discover another Sicily, made of voices, silences, stones, and stories passed down through time.
Link:
https://www.camminodeibrigantisicilia.it/
First stage of about 18.5 km (approx. 7 h), departing from San Mauro Castelverde through the Madonie forest of Colle Calandra. Along the way you’ll see ancient watering troughs, a 400-year-old manna ash tree, remains of a water mill, and an 1,800-year-old olive tree on SP 60. The route continues via rural trazzere through Montededero, Rainò, Celso and Pascovaglio, ending in the historic village of Gangi. This stage immerses you in rural landscapes and sets the tone for Sicily’s brigand history
Second stage: from Gangi to Sperlinga, about 16.5 km (~4 h) with 370 m ascent. The route traverses SS 120 to Contrada Soprano, then continues along a rural road through olive groves and cultivated fields. It culminates at the dramatic hilltop village of Sperlinga. For those continuing to Nicosia, add ~6 km (total ~22.5 km, ~6 h) along mixed paved and dirt roads
Third stage: from Sperlinga it's approx. 23 km (~7 h, +970 m ascent). From Nicosia, the route is around 16.5 km (~5 h, +770 m). Both variants pass through secondary roads and historic trazzere, linking SS 120 and SS 117 before ascending to Capizzi, nestled at around 1,100 m in the Nebrodi Mountains
Fourth stage: around 25 km (~7h30), between 1,070 and 1,520 m altitude. From Capizzi, the route follows SP 168 toward Caronia, then ascends into the Nebrodi ridge, through oak, maple and beech forests. En route you'll pass facilities like Nocita picnic area and the Mafauda refuge before reaching the former Caserma Sambuchello, where the night's rest is planned. The terrain is wild and immersive
Fifth stage: roughly 22 km (~6h30), with elevations ranging from 1,160 m to 1,510 m. Starting at Caserma Sambuchello, you traverse historic springs (Fontana Bianca, Malpertusa…) and ascend toward Monte Ambolà above 1,500 m. After the pass, you descend to Piano delle Case, site of the historical clash between Candino’s brigands and the Leanza family. The final leg of ~8 km leads to Cesarò, where a monument commemorates the defeat of the Maurian band
