St. James' Way

Useful informationi

From Caltagirone to Mirabella Imbaccari there is a Bar at a service station about 3 km from the start where you can enjoy an excellent breakfast. Along the way you will find water springs (some marked others clearly visible), several farms and cultivated fields.

The route

From the Church of San Giacomo di Caltagirone you continue on Via Duca degli Abruzzi, where you begin to familiarize yourself with the first arrow on the path. That arrow that will lead you all the way to Capizzi. After a kilometer of urban roads, the Cammino continues along State Road 124 (watch out for traffic) traveling along it for about 3 kilometers. You will find on the right side of the road the arch of an old railroad bridge that the friends of the path wanted to baptize “The door of the path”; from there among the flat and straight dirt tracks carved out of an old railroad track we enter the heart of our walk. After 12 kilometers we find the signs that will take us to San Michele di Ganzaria, this variant will allow you to rest, refresh yourself and stamp your credential at the local church or at the town hall. We recommend a short visit to this pretty town whose origins date back to the year 1000 and was probably due to the Arabs. The hamlet continued to be inhabited after the expulsion of the Arabs and, during the Angevin rule, the church of St. Michael the Archangel also known as “Fanum Gallorum,” the Temple of the French, was erected. Having finished our sightseeing break, we resume our journey to Mirabella Imbaccari following the arrows placed along the old railroad.

Useful information

From Mirabella Imbaccari to Piazza Armerina you will find a water source about 10 km away (specially marked). An excellent breakfast before departure with a good supply of water is highly recommended.

The route

Continuing through the town center take Via Lupi driving along it for about 500 meters, at the traffic circle take the second exit on the right you will find yourself in Via Vecchia Ferrovia after about 2 kilometers take S.P. 37/I, after about a 1 km on your right you will find the sign, placed above, on a beaten earth path. Enjoy these 4 kilometers of peace and silence. At Km 5.9 You will find two small industrial buildings is a public aqueduct. Turn left a descent to Vallone Quattro Teste where you must ford a small river. A short climb to get back on the asphalt, you continue on the left. After 4 kilometers arrived at a crossroads continue towards Aidone an easy asphalt climb for 4 km will take you to a crossroads, where you will begin to admire the “creative” arrows made by local artist Enzo Germanà you are at Km 11.1. This will be the first work of moving art made with recycled material and donated to the walk. Passing by the Hermitage of Leano at Km 13.4 is the right opportunity for a well-deserved rest and to appreciate the peace and silence of those places. We leave the hermitage to continue on our way: a votive chapel at Km 15.6 will signal that you are on the right path. We leave the secondary road to get back on Provincial Road 16, follow it for 500 meters; on the right of the road you will find signs with another “creative” arrow. One last effort on a climb for 800 meters to be able to observe the skyline of the city of Piazza Armerina. Stop to rest and observe: The Aragonese Castle, The Cathedral, The Jesuit College and much more. Your STAGE ends at the ancient Domus Hospitalia at the Church of St. James where many years ago the Knights of the Tau d’Altopascio hosted knights and pilgrims on their way to the holy land.

Useful information

From Piazza Armerina to Valguarnera you will find a marked water source, after the “Iron Cross,” at the 15th kilometer. A good breakfast before departure with a good supply of water is highly recommended.

The route

Leaving the Domus Hospitalia of Borgo San Giacomo after 600 meters you will plunge inside the reserve. What awaits you today is an absolute day: there will only be you and the road ahead. The Rossomanno-Grottascura- Bellia reserve will be your backdrop throughout this STAGE. Surrounded by lush greenery in some sections you will see Galicia again. (Region of Spain where the remains of St. James the Greater are kept in Santiago de Compostela). This STAGE is undoubtedly among the most beautiful; you will pass through a dense forest of eucalyptus trees, conifers of various kinds. The forest during the summer time will be your great ally, its shade will make you walk almost always cool, which for a pilgrim is a great grace. Along this STAGE you will find iconic places along the way. The reserve is very popular with walkers, you will find many of them all year round. After 2 km you will find the chapel dedicated to: “Our Lady of the Way” a spiritual support for all sportsmen who frequent the forest. Not far from the chapel begin the installations dedicated to: Pellegrini, Bicigrino and Ippogrini works also created by the artist Enzo Germanà. Another 6 km to be able to admire a “creation” of nature! The Pupi Ballerini, also called the Enchanted Stones. These rocks of limestone origin shaped by the wind resemble characters dancing in a circle and for this reason they are the protagonists of stories and legends born from popular imagination. Legend has it that one carnival night some people intent on dancing there were turned into stone. After another kilometer the “Iron Cross” with the pilgrims depicted by some iron rods with a different colored stone, where the artist wanted to represent the Camino in its entirety. After leaving your stone at the foot of the cross a long descent will lead you to Valguarnera.

Useful information

Leaving Valguarnera, the pilgrim has the opportunity to read a prayer posted along the perimeter wall of the town’s holy field; it is an invocation to Mary so that with her loving gaze she may assist the wayfarers’ journey.

The route

From that point on it is a succession of cereal fields and rolling hills, which depending on the season can look like green, billowing sea waves in the spring wind, blond golden ridges that glow in the June sun, or brown, barren hills plowed in the fall and ready to receive the precious seeds of wheat. Sloping down the valley, one reaches the Dittaino Plain, where the flow of the river of the same name has made it fertile over the millennia. This valley, which saw the succession of peoples and people throughout history, now houses the most important Industrial area of the Enna area and some valuable agri-food activities, from a landscape point of view is rather monotonous, but it becomes a must-see as the presence of a bar and a B&B at the Dittaino train station that allows the pilgrim to refresh himself (Note: the bar is closed on Saturday afternoons and Sundays). After the well-deserved stop, we continue for a couple of kilometers crossing the industrial area on a paved stretch, after which we begin to immerse ourselves in the cultivation area of the famous Settembrina peach in the bag, a fruit with an intense smell and enveloping flavor. Having finished the long straight stretch of peach orchards, here begins the escarpment that marks the transition from the flat area of the Dittaino River to the hilly area that will lead to Assoro. Crossing the fields, in front of the pilgrim, rises like a cyclopean tower the mountainous massif of Monte la Stella, which at 901 m above sea level fills the horizon to the north of the wayfarer.

On the western flank of Monte la Stella is the very ancient Assoro, where the only data of little importance is demographic; in fact, the Assoro center has been inhabited since prehistoric times, testifying to this is a “glyptography” engraved on the rock face among the ruins of the ancient castle. The foundation of ancient Assoro is said to coincide with the year 1450 B.C. where a confederation of Sicans, Siculians and Elymians gave birth to the town. Still from the western flank of the mountain massif, the pilgrim climbs along the old railroad, which led the sulfur and sulfur workers from the town to Dittaino. The old narrow-gauge railway line was desired by then senator and minister Edoardo Pantano, precisely to allow the transport of men and goods. The route of a couple of kilometers is an open-air museum of engineering; the tunnels, arches, bridges, and meticulously worked and carved stone walls leave those who cross it breathless. The stretch is exciting for both the eyes and the soul, from here the views and nature amaze anyone who crosses these places, the winding and gentle path of the old disused railway finally accompanies the travelers to the entrance of the inhabited area of Assoro, once here it remains to travel the last stretch of road of a couple of kilometers until the historic center of the town. Assoro presents itself with two large squares overlooking the rest of the town by way of a belvedere, where the Palazzo della Signoria that once belonged to the Princes Valguarnera and the ancient 12th-century Basilica San Leone are the main attractions. The Basilica was declared a national monument in 1933 for its beauty and richness of style. Other places of interest are the former convent of Santa Maria degli Angeli with an adjoining church, where a late Baroque fresco of the Last Supper is kept and an important archaeological area, the ruins of the Swabian-Norman castle where it is possible to admire Mount Etna in all its magnificence. Pilgrims stopping in Assoro can refresh themselves at the bar-restaurants in the central square where they can taste typical dishes or a good pizza while enjoying the beautiful view.

Useful information and the route

Before leaving Assoro, which has enchanted pilgrims with its monuments and the ancient Basilica San Leone, they can enjoy some excellent hot croissants and typical traditional sweets in the bars of the town’s central square.
Leaving the historic center and heading for Nissoria and then for Nicosia, the pilgrim will walk on the ancient railway track, which will arouse great emotion in the traveler, especially in crossing the large stone arches that overlook the provincial road below. A fine engineering work of the early 1900s, the old railroad track was built at the behest of the distinguished Assorino senator, then minister of agriculture, industry and commerce, Edoardo Pantano. Leaving the former railroad track, one skirts an ancient hexagonal stone “bevaio,” which collects fresh water from the Sant’Anna spring just upstream.
Continuing inside the striking gorge, which delineates the two calcarenitic slopes of c.da Serre and Acquanuova, one can first observe a very ancient rock millstone carved into the rock and a little further on a Qubba where there is the head of the water that supplies the “bevai” downstream and the town of Assoro.
The crossing of the valley floor is striking as it is full of terraces and dry stone walls once planted with vineyards; the centuries-old oak tree next to the path is also worth a stop along the way.
About an hour’s walk later, one reaches the ancient hamlet of Nysura, that is, today’s Nissoria, where one cannot fail to taste an excellent coffee and refresh oneself with excellent local bread at prices in keeping with the spirit of pilgrim charity and hospitality. The monument that deserves attention is the Church of St. Joseph whose interior contains a fresco by Maestro and painter Elio Romano. Continuing on to Nicosia you will encounter a couple of “bevai” where you can refresh yourself and stock up on water, immersed in the most typical and enchanting landscape of the Enna hinterland.
Wheat and hay fields dotted by herds, flocks, and ancient olive trees will begin to give way to more characteristic Nebrodi landscapes, that is, forests of wild olive trees, oaks, perasters, and other Mediterranean scrub shrubs will begin to prevail.
Before beginning to climb down towards the Salso River, appearing in the background will be the bursting figure of his majesty Etna ” A’ Mùntagna,” which surrounded by beautiful fields, rolling hills and steep mountains, will fill the pilgrim’s eyes and soul with true joy that only creation can bestow.
Leaving behind the hill that marks the watershed between the Erei and Nebrodi territories, a challenging and very steep descent to the Salso River begins, and it is along this descent that the city of Nicosia appears in the background, set among its rocky cliffs, showing itself in all its beauty.
The view of the city, however, fools the pilgrim into thinking that the arrival is smooth and not very challenging; in fact, the hard descent and long climb that one undertakes once leaving the Salso River bed make the last leg quite tough.
After finishing the climb, which is a climb through beautiful pastures and Mediterranean scrub, we reach the provincial road that finally leads to Nicosia. The city of the 24 Barons appears to the pilgrim elegant, rich in history and worthy of respect, its monuments and its beautiful Cathedral enchanting the traveler who cannot help but admire it.
Pilgrims after a long journey will conclude their STAGE at the Convent of the Capuchin Friars Minor where an excellent welcome will allow them to refresh and restore both body and spirit.

The route

Leave Piazza San Francesco and continue in the direction of Basilica San Nicola da Bari from there take Via Vittorio Emanuele until the traffic circle, a large sign “Città di Nicosia” will give you a greeting but perhaps a goodbye. Continue on SS 120 turn left and take Contrada Albereto, do not worry you have surely already “seen” the arrows. In Contrada Albereto don’t give up a gastronomic stop, you will find the cheese factory on the road, to taste an excellent buffalo mozzarella! It is the last STAGE enjoy it to the end. Soon there waiting for you will be the Church of San Giacomo. Leave the contrada San Giacomo to get back on the SS 120 at the junction for Cerami you will see from a small rise for the first time Capizzi, your destination! One last effort to tackle the final climb and here is your Capizzi.