Historical centres:  Linguaglossa

50 km from Catania - alt. 550m -   5,838 ha - pop. 5,568

The name is an "ennoblement" of lingua grossa (big tongue), which refers to the large strip of lava on which the town stands. Norman in origin, it received the title of principality under Bonanno rule, before becoming crown property in 1634. Worth visiting are: the San Francesco da Paola church; the seventeenth-century Capuchin monastery (which houses seventeenth- and eighteenth-century altar-pieces and statues); and the eighteenth-century church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. The town's main attraction is its position, which makes it both a tourist and winter sports centre. Nearby is the Bosco (Wood) di Linguaglossa, the Pineta (Pine-wood) Ragabo, where, at an altitude of 1,425 m, there is the refuge-cum-hotel, Mareneve, and Piano Provenzana, starting point for off-road expeditions to the craters of Mount Etna.

Provincial Tourism Board of Catania
http://www.apt-catania.com
E-mail : apt@apt-catania.com