Description of the attraction
The Sicanian Mountains are a mountain range in central and southern Sicily, stretching between Palermo and Agrigento. The same name - Monti Sikani - bears several settlements located in this territory.
The Sikanian mountains are made of clay and sandstone, which have been used as pastures for many hundreds of years, and the mountainous regions themselves, rising 900 meters above sea level, are limestone cliffs formed during the Mesozoic era. The highest peaks of the Sikan are Rocca Bussambra (1,613 meters) and Monte Cammarat (over 1,500 meters).
Some might say that some of the mountains and mountain ranges of Sicily are much more picturesque than others. For example, Etna is the highest peak of the island and the largest active volcano in Europe. You can remember the sharp and forested peaks of Nebrodi, the jagged peaks of Madoni and the Peloritan Mountains, stretching from Catania to Messina between Etna and the coast of the Ionian Sea. The Sikanian mountains, along with the Iblean mountains, usually remain out of the attention of tourists. However, these mythical peaks deserve a closer look - according to ancient legends, it was here that the legend of Icarus and Daedalus unfolded.
Bounded by Fikuzza in the north, Caltanissetta in the east, Salemi in the west and Agrigento in the south, the Sicanian Mountains are closely related to the ancient Sican people, the first inhabitants of Sicily. When the Phoenicians and Greeks appeared on the island, the Sicans had already settled in this small area in its southern part.
The highest peaks of the Sikan, as mentioned above, are Rocca Bussambra and Monte Cammarat. The latter seems to be somewhat higher due to the surrounding valleys. Both peaks can be covered with snow until the end of February. Several water streams flow through the territory of the mountain range, the most famous of which is Platani - the ancient Greeks called it Halikos. In those days, it was navigable and did not dry out even in the hottest summer months.
With the exception of the slopes of the highest peaks and a few protected areas, Sikan is not a wooded area, although extensive forests grew here in the era of ancient Greece. The deforestation process took record time, perhaps only a few decades. In the 19th century, it was one of the main sulfur mining areas in Sicily. Miners drilled out limestone to extract the valuable metal, and in some places this led to the complete destruction of landscapes and the destruction of natural ecosystems.
Most of the Sikani Mountains have long been cultivated by humans for agricultural purposes. When the Romans referred to Sicily as the granary of their expanding empire, they spoke primarily of the territory of Sican. The first permanent cities were founded here during the rule of the Arabs: from the ports of Agrigento and Sciacca, it is easy to get to Tunisia, the outlines of which are visible in good weather from the high coastal hills. In the 13th century, feudalism began to spread on the territory of the Sikanian mountains, mercilessly exploiting the local population. The sulfur mining industry, in whose mines very young boys worked on slave conditions, is the clearest manifestation of this process.
It is widely believed that the famous mafia first appeared in this part of Sicily, but not in response to feudal oppression, but because wealthy landowners who did not live on their estates entrusted the management of their vast estates to the hated "gabelloti", cruel and corrupt overseers prone to theft and murder. Until 1812, buyers of land in Sican could receive an honorary title - thus many gabelloti became barons in a matter of two decades. Nowhere else were these upstarts more despised than in Sikan.
Between 1890 and 1925, the overpopulated cities of the Sikani Mountains became the main "supplier" of immigrants. And today the provinces of Agrigento and Caltanissetta are considered the poorest in Italy. And, nevertheless, this region has a special charm and keeps its traditions.
