Pellegrino Mount
Monte Pellegrino is the soul of Palermo, it was defined by Goethe as the most beautiful promontory in the world . It is the mountain that protects the capital, a symbol for the people of Palermo, who place faith and hope in the greatness of its mountain. On Mount Pellegrino there is the sanctuary of Santa Rosalia , the patron saint of Palermo. A pilgrimage hermitage, softened by climbs and breathtaking views. Every year, on September 4th, thousands of Palermitans go up the mountain on foot along the ancient pilgrim route to reach the sanctuary.
Not far from the Sanctuary is the Gorgo di Santa Rosalia , a mirror that forms with rainwater and is visible only in the months with greater rainfall. The Gorgo is an oasis of biodiversity, a small paradise full of different species, hidden on the mountain. It is a body of water where unique species live, such as the Green Toad and the Painted Discoglossus, but also many aquatic insects.
In the area of the mountain called "The middle plain" an 11-spiral maze has been created that reproduces the oldest type of labyrinths, the "Cretan Unicursale". The structure was built using 2,260 stones all collected in the surrounding wood and arranged along a trench obtained on the tracing. A circular clearing, 19 meters in diameter, surrounded by pines and eucalyptus trees was chosen. Access to the Labyrinth is guaranteed by two paths, one to the east, bordered by stones and one to the south which, entering the wood, runs for about 200 meters along an ancient road of which only the embankment remains.
Finally Sul Monte si stands the Castello Utveggio , a 1934 building commissioned by the Knight Michele Utveggio.
Monte Pellegrino is also of considerable interest from an archaeological, geological, naturalistic and scientific point of view: in the caves of the north side on the coast of ' Addaura numerous testimonies of human settlements have been found, while the vertical caves of the mountain, such as "the Abyss of the Wild Stone ", 171 meters deep, have revealed to enthusiasts and scholars, underground scenarios of incomparable beauty as well as of great scientific interest.
