Rocca Salvatesta

Peaks: Rocca Leone (1220m), Rocca di Novara (1340m)

Area: Peloritani, Sicily

By far the most eye-catching peak of the Peloritani Mountains in north-east Sicily, Rocca Novara is perhaps the most notable mountain in Sicily outside Etna. It is a spire of limestone which dominates the lovely village of Novara di Sicilia, where I stayed for my last night in Sicily. It is, inevitably, known as the Sicilian Matterhorn, and also (more commonly) Rocca Salvatesta. After breakfast in the Citelli Hut, I drove around to Piana Provenzana for my last few minutes on Etna, wandering happily around and taken pictures of the regenerated vegetation and spectacular early morning views over Calabria. A long drive ensued along twisting roads through typical Sicilian scenery - nice limestone peaks, prickly pears and yellow meadows. After cresting the high Portella Mandrazzi, Rocca Novara came into view, and I parked at the road junction a little lower down. From here, it looked a simple matter to get onto the peak, but after an easy track it became obvious that it was complex and not the standard route (which, I soon found, approaches from the opposite side!). Here, a series of loose limestone spurs made for very awkward progress but eventually gained a flat meadow. There was no obvious route up, so I contoured round and then move across to the northern side of the mountain overlooking the village (and, distantly, the Ionian Islands). This wasn't much better, with small herds of boar and goats and a loose, untravelled feel. I picked my way up a central couloir, which had evidence of traffic, but became unfeasible quite quickly, around grade III technically. I wasn't far from the summit, but it didn't seem wise to continue up steep rock solo (particularly after a goat knocked a rock down) so I retreated and ploughed through ferns to take in the side peak of Rocca Leone and consider my options. This was worthwhile, and the summit gave wonderful views over Etna and Rocca Novara, perhaps its best side. I could see an obvious path rising up the hillside below, and an infuriating descent through ferns led to it. By now, it was midday and absolutely roasting - perhaps the hottest I had been on Sicily, pushing 35 or 36C, with limited water given the brevity of the outing. I jogged up the path and finally spotted the normal route up the far side of the peak. This gave a steep but fun ascent, with some scrambling up short walls and chimneys. The summit is surprisingly capacious, a green lawn suspended above the limestone walls. Wonderful views of smoking Etna, the Ionian islands, and the rest of the Peloritani. I scampered down to complete the full traverse of the mountain. This was fine until a totally unexpected sting in the tail which saw me traversing a very steep storm channel along tiny goat tracks through powdery shale. I retired to Novara for a late lunch of Messina beer and a panini made with local prosciutto and the village's very own Maoirchino cheese.