Isnello, embroidery and stars

The experience

Isnello, just over half an hour’s drive from Cefalù, is an enchanted village where you can immerse yourself in a few hours in a nature of extraordinary beauty and ancient traditions. The ancient Menzil Al-Hamàr – this is the Arabic name of Isnello – is crossed by a path that leads in a short time from the heart of the village to mountain landscapes that evoke the Dolomites, among the scent of Mediterranean essences. The first stop is the Gola d’Isnello, a narrow cleft of rock overlooking the ancient Hassin stream that winds through the limestone rocks that date back to the Lower Jurassic. The path leads, among churches and other treasures, to the ruins of the medieval castle from which you can enjoy a breathtaking view; From here, an obligatory stop will be in a courtyard that looks like a living room where you will listen to stories and tales, “cunti e canti” that explain the tradition of peasant generations and in a place where the tradition of embroidery still lives, alive and practiced by young and old. The characteristic pinkish color of the surrounding rocks that “catch fire” at sunset tells the geological history of the Madonie, when the high peaks were a coral reef. After a typical lunch, the discovery of the village ends among the stars, at the International Center for Astronomical Sciences. Gal Hassin, who boasts the detection of an asteroid, which today bears the name Isnello, discovered between Mars and Jupiter.