traveldk.com

The highest village in the Madonie, at 1,147 m (3,760 ft) above sea level, medieval Petralia Soprana feels untouched by the modern world. Narrow alleyways are filled with the aroma of bakers making their traditional cinnamon biscuits, while the vistas of the rolling mountains below are breath taking.

This small village of fishermen was almost inaccessible until recent years when the road was built from Castellammare. Now the village is experiencing something of a tourist boom, but retains the charm of a tiny fishing hamlet, and you’ll still see an old mariner with nets stretched the length of the piazza, repairing the gaps with an enormous needle.

In the heart of the Belice Valley, Poggioreale Vecchio (the old town) was founded in 1642 and managed to survive as a self-sufficient village until the earthquake of 1968 left it nothing more than a ghost town. Modern progress arrives slowly in the remote interior, and Poggioreale Vecchio looks much as it did in the 1800s. The people of old Poggioreale who were left homeless after the earthquake moved into a new government-sponsored town 15 years after the event. The new Poggioreale, a 1980s design by Paolo Portoghese, is full of flamboyant architecture, yet sadly filled with rather uninviting public spaces.

The ancient village was given new life in 1131 when Count Roger founded the cathedral here – its architecture and mosaic decoration make it one of Sicily’s must-sees (see Cathedral, Cefalù). Although a constant tourist draw, the village has managed to keep some of its medieval character (see Cefalù).

Erice has managed to maintain much of its medieval charm. The buildings are all built of locally quarried white stone, adding to its storybook appearance. The steep streets are also paved in characteristic patterns, the stones worn slick with time (see Erice).

Made famous in the film The Godfather (see The Godfather), Corleone is the largest village in the area. A few 13th-century structures are visible in the centre.

In the heart of this fertile area, Palazzo Adriano is lofty and remote. In Piazza Umberto I are two main churches, the Catholic Santa Maria del Lume, and the Greek Orthodox Santa Maria Assunta, built by Albanian refugees in the 1400s. Palazzo Adriano gained fame in 1990 as the setting for the Academy Award-winning film Cinema Paradiso (see Cinema Paradiso).

This little mountain village is tucked away between the Peloritani and Nebrodi mountain ranges. The medieval site has a crumbling Arab castle and the 16th-century Chiesa Madrice with naïve wood carvings on the altar.

Palazzolo Acreide is a lovely village with an impressive mix of sites – originally Greek, most of what you see today is Baroque. The churches are spectacular, particularly the tiny Church of the Annunciation with its twisting columns.

Rebuilt after the earthquake of 1693, Scicli combines open, tree-lined piazzas, swirling Baroque façades and older structures with terracotta tiled roofs.