Cesarò: a town nestled among the beauties of Sicily
Immersed in the Nebrodi Park, in front of Etna, and nestled among the beauties of Sicilu, there is the municipality of Cesarò: it is a town 2,178 inhabitants in the metropolitan city of Messina.
The striking stretch of the Nebrodi Ridge falls into it, the one comprising the highest peak of the chain, Monte Soro, and the Biviere and Maluazzo lakes.
The great distance that separates it from the main towns (70 km from Catania, 115 km from Messina, 130 km from Palermo) makes Cesarò one of the most remoted and isolated towns in the province of Messina; if this isolation can be problematic for the population in the colder months, in summer the serenity of this country is certainly a source of considerable relief, also given the temperate climate and the coolness of the woods.
What to visit?
Most of the tourists’ visits are concentrated in the only truly representative large building, Palazzo Zito, where the family of the same name resided for a long time and in which today there is a well-kept house museum which contains original furnishings, frescoes and works of art, all restored in 2019.
The palace consist of three floors, but the apex of its beaty lies in the Red Room, in which there are impressive vaults painted with hunting and everyday life scenes.
Then there is also the green room with frescoes depicting scenes of rural life.
The Colonna Castle, the ancient seat of Duke Colonna and his administrators, on the high spur of Rocca Giannina, and the nature reserves of Biviere and Maulazzo, are also worth visiting.
However, it should not be forgotten that the village reflects the devotional tradition of Sicily, which has always been accustomed to religious worship.
Here then rises the fifteenth-century Mother Church of the Assumption, the church of San Calogero, patron saint of Cesarò, and the other churches respectively dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua, the Madonna of the three graces and the Madonna del rosario.
Festivities
In Cesarò the famous festival of the black pig and the porcini mushroom of the Nebrodi is held every year in October, a riot of celebrations and flavors that attracts thousand of tourists.
Other typical local products are also fresh macaroni, pork, salted ricotta and flavored gray meat. The paradise for children is instead the desserts made with dried fruit: almonds and pistachios are widely used, mostly from the neighboring Bronte.
