Motta Camastra between the Alcantara Gorge and mountain trails

Motta Camastra combines the landscape of the Alcantara Gorge with distinctive trails, churches, local products and seasonal festivals. If you would like to get to know Sicily not only through its famous cities, but also through its landscapes, local history and regional traditions, the town offers several different starting points.

Alcantara Gorge and trails through the landscape

The Gole dell'Alcantara are located in Contrada Larderia-Sciara within the municipality of Motta Camastra. In Contrada Larderia, they extend for around 400 metres; the gorge is only a few metres wide, and its walls are up to 50 metres high. The Gole border the SS 185, from which a long staircase descends to the exit of the Gole di Larderia. When the conditions of the riverbed permit, you can walk upstream through the basalt gorge in the cold waters of the Alcantara and view various geological formations up close.

The Sentiero Montagna Grande begins in Motta Camastra and is considered a challenging route. It leads to the highest peak of the Peloritani range, at 1,374 metres. The Sentiero “Il Calvario” begins at Piazza Croce and climbs uphill to the summit of Monte Calvario. Three wooden crosses refer to the tenth station of the Via Crucis, the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The Piccole Gole dell'Alcantara trail is flat and offers particularly good views as it follows a section of river with a lava bed, pools and small waterfalls. The route includes Motta Camastra and Castiglione di Sicilia.

The landscape around San Cataldo also includes the Grotta dei 100 Cavalli, a large volcanic eruption cave. You can reach the cave by walking along the banks of the Fiume Alcantara at San Cataldo, below the Ponte Al Quatar and near the municipal boundary with Graniti. From there, you can reach the Torrente San Cataldo and climb up the mountain.

Churches, bridges and viewpoints

The Parrocchia di San Michele Arcangelo, the Chiesa Madre of Motta Camastra, dates from the 17th century. It contains two marble statues from the 16th century: the Immacolata and the Madonna di Montalto. The Chiesa dell’Annunziata is a historic church in Motta Camastra, probably of Norman origin. In the Borgo di San Cataldo stands the Ponte di 7 Archi, a bridge from the Fascist era. Piazza Roccamare offers a different view of the surroundings: it is a viewpoint overlooking the Alcantara Valley and Mount Etna.

Walnuts, Easter pastries and the grape harvest

The Noce di Motta Camastra is the most important agricultural product of Motta Camastra and is cultivated in traditional orchards. By ministerial decree of 22 July 2004, it was included in the list of traditional agri-food products of the Sicily region; the decree was published on 18 August 2004 in GURI No. 144. At Easter, you can sample Cuddura cu’ l’ova in Motta Camastra, a traditional sweet pastry. The Festa della Noce takes place every year in October. During the grape harvest, tours of the Palmenti are organised, namely of the areas with the wine-pressing facilities and the adjacent presses.

Getting around locally

The Borgo di San Cataldo can be reached by car, public transport and on foot. This makes it possible to combine nature experiences, trails and historic sites in Motta Camastra using different forms of transport, without combining the individual destinations into a single route.

Further destinations for orientation

Gioiosa Marea, Librizzi, Sant'alessio Siculo, Castelmola, Scaletta Marina, Montalbano Di Elicona, Tusa, Lipari

For the overview of the wider travel area: Messina.