Borgetto: Culture, Festivals and Landscape at Monte Crocevia

Landscape between Mountain and Plain

Borgetto lies at the foot of Monte Crocevia and offers views over the Partinico plain and a wide stretch of coastline. In Borgetto, you can therefore combine landscapes, churches and religious traditions, as well as festivals and traditional cuisine.

Historical Traces at Monte Crocevia

Near Borgetto, the remains of the Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria delle Ciambre have been preserved on Monte Crocevia.

Chiesa Madre and Sacred Art

Borgetto’s Chiesa Madre dates back to the 18th century. It contains a white marble bas-relief of Saint Mary Magdalene attributed to Gagini. The Chiesa Madre also houses a pipe organ built in 1965 by the Fratelli Ruffatti company of Padua. This brings historical architecture, religious art and a precisely dated instrument together in one building.

Festivals Throughout the Year

The “Sagra del limone” takes place in summer, while the “Sagra dell’uva” is held in autumn. The “Cene di San Giuseppe” take place every year on March 18 and 19. The festivals are distributed across Borgetto’s calendar according to the seasons: the “Cene di San Giuseppe” take place in March, while lemons and grapes mark summer and autumn throughout the year.

Virgineddi: Dish and Traditional Heritage

The “Sagra ri Virgineddi” is documented as a traditional folk event in Borgetto. It is associated with the dish “Virgineddi”. It consisted of broad homemade pasta ribbons made from flour and fava beans. The pasta ribbons were called “fagghiarini”; the small pieces cut with a large knife were called “tagghiarini”. The two local terms indicate two stages of preparation: “fagghiarini” refers to the broad pasta ribbons, while “tagghiarini” refers to the small pieces of this dish cut with the large knife.

The Virgineddi were cooked outdoors or at the Santuario Maria Ss.ma Addolorata del Romitello and distributed to poor children. If necessary, those present also ate some; relatives and friends ate some portions out of devotion. The ingredients, preparation and communal meal are therefore all part of this traditional Borgetto heritage.

Getting to Santuario Romitello

To reach the Santuario Maria Ss.ma Addolorata del Romitello from the A29, you can exit at Partinico. Then follow the SS186 southeast toward Borgetto for 8.3 km, take the Romitello exit and continue for another 4.3 km. When planning your journey, the two sections of the route can be considered separately. Together, the two sections cover 12.6 kilometers to the Santuario Maria Ss.ma Addolorata del Romitello.

Discover More Destinations

For further travel planning, you can also discover Scillato, Piana Degli Albanesi, Cefalù, Torre Colonna-Sperone, Grisì, Camporeale, Valledolmo and Termini Imerese.

For the higher-level travel overview: Palermo.