Novara di Sicilia: A Gastronomic Delight and Cultural Haven in Sicily

Novara di Sicilia is a municipality in the province of Messina. It is on the border between the Nebrodi and Peloritani mountains and is known as one of the most beautiful villages in Italy.

The view has been beautiful since prehistoric times, when it probably didn’t look anything like it does now. Instead, it was probably just a bunch of settlements and shelters dug into the rock. This, however, gave rise to the gradual transformation of that housing hybrid into a real and proper village organized in full rule in medieval times, without losing the founding character of Paese di Pietra, a name given to it because of the work of the master stonemasons.

This element defines the whole city plan, which is made up of narrow streets, alleys with cobblestones, arches, and buildings with the coat of arms that have both religious and secular meanings. Definitely one of Sicily’s best-known towns.

Novara di Sicilia is a great place to see how skilled stonemasons were by looking at the beautiful palaces, stately homes, and places of worship. These buildings have beautiful portals, monolithic columns, and capitals, as well as refined frames in the balconies, shelves, and other seals.

The fort of the Saracens

Modernity has increased the hard and intensive use of cement, but Novara di Sicilia’s soul is still made of sandstone, like the ruins of the ancient Saracen castle on a cliff. Tourists go there not only to see the remains of an old glory that has since faded, but also to get a view of the whole town and the beautiful countryside around it. A view that is worth the “price of admission,” which in this case is the climb up the steep hill.

What to see in Novara di Sicilia

But we have to talk about the wonders that can still be seen and admired by customers. These are wonders that can be touched, looked at, and visited. If you walk down the Via Dante Alighieri from the fortress, you will find the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, which was built in the 1600s and is the biggest and most important church in town. It goes without saying that the facade is made of sandstone. It has a grand late-Renaissance look, with four pillars and a central door with a triangular tympanum.

The interior is very rich and elegant, with three naves and 12 altars that are beautifully frescoed and decorated to match the undisputed beauty of the presbytery, baptistery, and baptismal font made of cipollino marble and topped by a number of sculptures (such as the Statue of the Assumption) and works of art (such as the Altarpiece of the Souls in Purgation).

In the crypt below the apse are the mummies of archpriests and canons. The sacristy has a lot of wooden furniture. The Church of San Francesco is less impressive. It was built in the 1300s and is the smallest church in the town. Its art is simple and in the pure Franciscan style.

The Church of the Annunziata, which was built in the 1600s, is worth a trip to see the pipe organ from the 1800s and the three statues of the Annunciation made by Giovambattista Mazzola in 1531.

To find the Church of Sant’Ugo Abate, which is guarded by a wooden crucifix, a reliquary, and the jar of Sant’Ugo, you have to go to the top of the town. The last stop on the religious tour is the Church of San Nicol, which is in the historic center and is a beautiful building from the eighteenth century.

In reality, both San Giorgio Martire and Sant’Antonio Abate are still good places of worship. Sant’Antonio Abate is worth mentioning because of its Norman portal and bell tower with a unique spire.

There are other beautiful buildings in the city’s architectural history, but the most important ones are the Palazzo Municipale and the Palazzo Stancanelli, where the ethno-anthropological museum is.

Going to the historic cemetery is not creepy, indeed it is highly recommended. There are monuments to San Francesco and Michele Bertolami there, which are two great reasons to get over your fear.

Palazzo Salvo Risicato and Casa Fontana are a little further away, but they are still well within the city limits. Their zeniths are marked by their closeness to the Teatro Riccardo Casalaina, which has three levels of boxes set up like an amphitheater.

Delicacies and events in Novara di Sicilia

Sicily is known for its good food and strong morals. It gave its “prodigal daughter” a love for good food right away, so much so that local delicacies have been tempting taste buds since ancient times: the famous Maiorchino cheese, which is celebrated by a Sagra e Torneo, crumbled meatballs, baked ricotta, pasta ‘ncasciada, frittui (a tasty mixture of pork and lard cooked together). At Christmas, you can’t miss the traditional markets and the live nativity scene.

How to get to Novara di Sicilia

From Messina, take the A20, get off at Barcellona P.G., and head toward Palermo. The Palermo-Messina train line stops at the Novara-Montalbano-Furnari station. AST is in charge of the city’s bus lines. The nearest airport is in Catania, which is 103 km away.