Height 428 m. above the sea level, tourism office tel. 0941919226,
people 1400.
Shopping:
embroideries, mushrooms, home bread, oil, wicker-baskets.
How to get there:
highway A20, exit Rocca di Caprileone, road-fork for Mirto.
The mountain centre lies on a wet slope
full of musk, in the sunny valley of the Fitalia River, a place dominated
by the silence and by the perfumes of the wood. The way in the town goes
through the little and ancient houses, that, behind their sober and humble
façades, protect the intimacy of such an antique life; an austere
life, satisfied by the small dimensions, that appear, all at once, behind
those houses, to define spaces created by a centuries-old living fed by
the resources of the wood. A difficult wood that is generous only with
the ones who can understand the teaching of its essence renewed by the
alternation of the seasons. Here, in the succession of terraced spaces
of the built-up area, little churches, and beautiful vernacular architectonic
sections are the backstage of a powerful landscape that with its blue
halo characterizes the urban scene giving it the dominating aspects of
a wood-land scenery. According to recent studies, the town lies exactly
in the area of “Demenna”, a Byzantine town that inherited
the role and the prestige of the ancient “municipium” of Alunzio,
becoming the geographic medieval core of the north-east side of Sicily,
this area took actually the name of “Val Demenna”. Mirto,
that possesses twelve churches and convents from the 15th to the 19th
century, is one of the most significant historical and cultural centres
of the Nebrodi Mountains.
Important art and architectonic works belong to Gagini or to his pupils.
The most important painting, for its historic and making-up value, is
the one portraying St. Francis of Assisi, made at the end of the16th century.
Interesting is also the portal of the Mother Church. The territory is
characterized by a marked folding.
| “Cupane” Palace | The Mother Church | The Church dedicated to St. Nicolò |
| Located in the heart of the town, it is one of the most compound architectonic buildings of Mirto. Built in the 17th century, it had many owners in the time and went through several restorations. The most drastic one was before the 19th century, in the decoration of the façade. Anyway it is possible to appreciate the elegance of the main prospect in which the neo-classic austerity is limited. Inside it is possible to visit the ethno-anthropologic and the fashion and costume museums. | the church is situated in the heart of the oldest part of the town, in “Duomo” square. The original Renaissance aspect has been modified in the time. On the right there is the “Madonna della Catena” statue, on the left there is a marble ciborium of the 16th century. The wooden roof is enriched with star-shaped carvings and in the centre there is a wooden statue of the 17th century representing the Virgin. | it is located in a corner of the main square, on the left, and it has a central role in the town–planning of the historic centre. It is at one nave, with two side-altars, a barrel-roofing and a little sacristy. A magnificent round arch portal made of sandstone, dated 1531, characterizes the façade. Tradition says it is the oldest church of the town and maybe, in origin, the Mother Church. |