Mount Pellegrino
594 m
Italy
Also known as Monte Pellegrino, Монте-ПеллегриноAlso known as
Monte Pellegrino · Монте-Пеллегрино
- Elevation
- 594 m
- Prominence
- 538 m
- Difficulty
- 1/10
- Easy walk
- Best Season
- Mar–May
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Sources differ: T (CAI), estimated (estimate from route descriptions)
Palermo's pilgrimage path: an old cobbled mule track with votive chapels zig-zags from Via Pietro Bonanno at the foot of the mountain to the cave-sanctuary of Santa Rosalia (445 m), about 3.8 km and 420 m, crossing the road several times; a partly paved road and path continue to the antenna-topped summit.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 4.5 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +492 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 594 m
- Time Up
- 2h 13m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 1h 38m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
The Scala Vecchia starts from Via Pietro Bonanno on the southern slopes above the Arenella and Fiera districts, where the carriage road up the mountain also begins. The steep, winding cobbled track, lined with votive chapels, climbs about 420 m in roughly 3.8 km, crossing the mountain road several times, to the piazzale of the Santuario di Santa Rosalia (445 m), built into the cave where the saint's remains were found in 1624. The cobbles are polished smooth and very slippery when wet. Palermitans walk it overnight on 3–4 September, the 'acchianata' marking the saint's death. From the sanctuary a partly paved service road climbs the last 150 m to the summit (about 594–606 m depending on the source), which is crowded with masts and antennas but gives a view over the Conca d'Oro, the city and the coast. Sentiero 9 'Al Semaforo', through woodland that escaped the 2016 fire, offers a quicker path back down to the sanctuary. Return by the same stair, or take the AST bus 812 back to the city from the sanctuary square. Other approaches from the Favorita park on the west side (Valle del Porco, Rufuliata) are steeper or less maintained; the cathedral's pilgrimage office advises checking that they are passable and going with a guide.
Start
Via Pietro Bonanno98 m
- City buses reach the foot of the Scala Vecchia; AST bus 812 runs from northern Palermo to the sanctuary square, useful for the return.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Via Pietro Bonanno → Monte Pellegrino | 4.5 | 492 | 0 | 2h 13m |
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Via Pietro Bonanno98 m
Start of the Scala Vecchia; elevation approximate
- Feature: Santuario di Santa Rosalia415 m
- Summit: Monte Pellegrino594 m
Key Passages
- Cobbled zig-zags of the Scala Vecchia with votive chapels
- Santuario di Santa Rosalia cave church
- Antenna-covered summit
Equipment
0/4 packedDownloads
Route confidence 60%Overview
Palermo's limestone headland (about 600 m), rising straight out of the city between the port and Mondello. An old cobbled pilgrims' stair climbs to the cave-sanctuary of Santa Rosalia, the city's patron saint, with a short extension to the antenna-crowned summit.
Monte Pellegrino is an isolated carbonate promontory that closes the northern side of the Gulf of Palermo and the eastern side of Mondello bay; it is the highest point within the city limits. Goethe called it the most beautiful promontory in the world. The mountain has been a Special Area of Conservation since 1992 and, since 1996, the core of a 1,050-hectare regional nature reserve that also includes the Favorita park on its western foot.
For most visitors the objective is the Santuario di Santa Rosalia at 445 m, a church built into the cave where the saint's bones were found in 1624, reached by road or by the Scala Vecchia, the old cobbled mule track. The true summit, about 150 m higher, is a cluster of masts and antennas reached by a service road; its value is the view over the Conca d'Oro and the Tyrrhenian coast rather than the summit itself.
The reserve has a network of paths and mountain-bike tracks on the plateau behind the sanctuary, with viewpoints over Mondello, a stone labyrinth, Second World War anti-aircraft positions and the seasonal pond of the Gorgo di Santa Rosalia. A large fire in 2016 destroyed much of the vegetation and left many paths in poor condition for years afterwards.
Climbing Notes
An easy half-day walk from the city: about 3.8 km and 420 m to the sanctuary, plus roughly 150 m more to the summit. The cobbles are smooth and treacherous when wet, so wear shoes with grip. Heat is the main issue from June to September: start early, carry plenty of water and sun protection, as there are no shops in the reserve.
The overnight acchianata on 3–4 September turns the stair into a procession of thousands of walkers. The sanctuary usually opens around 09:00 and tour groups arrive from about 10:00. Paths other than the Scala Vecchia (Valle del Porco, Rufuliata, Grotta Niscemi, the roped Scaletta della Perciata) should only be tackled after checking they are passable, ideally with a local guide.
History
Phoenician settlers who founded Palermo in the 8th–7th centuries BC regarded the mountain as sacred, and in the Middle Ages it was home to hermit monks. A rock-cut stair in the Valle del Porco bears a 7th-century Greek Christian inscription. Rosalia, a 12th-century hermit, is said to have died in a cave near the summit on 4 September 1170; the discovery of her remains there in 1624 led to the sanctuary. The Addaura caves on the north-east side hold Upper Palaeolithic engravings, among the rare examples of rock art in the Mediterranean. Mayor Pietro Bonanno (1904–1905) had the present carriage road built, and the asphalt road from the sanctuary to the Belvedere dates from 1924.
Season
Best Mar–May- January: Good
- February: Good
- March: Best (best window)
- April: Best (best window)
- May: Best (best window)
- June: Good
- July: Possible
- August: Possible
- September: Good
- October: Best
- November: Best
- December: Good
- Jan
- Mild; cobbles slippery after rain
- Jun
- Getting hot; start early
- Jul
- Very hot and exposed
- Aug
- Very hot; wildfire risk
- Sep
- Acchianata pilgrimage on the night of 3–4 September
Access & Permits
- Rules
- Monte Pellegrino regional nature reserve (Special Area of Conservation ITA020014): stay on paths, no fires
- Some secondary paths have been damaged by fire (2016) and are poorly maintained; check they are passable before using them
- The summit area is occupied by telecommunications masts
- Getting There
Palermo
Palermo Falcone–Borsellino (PMO)
- On foot or by city bus to Via Pietro Bonanno for the Scala Vecchia
- AST bus 812 from northern Palermo to the sanctuary square
- Car: the narrow, winding mountain road leads to free parking at the sanctuary and at the Belvedere