Collesano: Targa Florio and Church Art

Collesano brings together church art, ceramic traditions and the history of the Targa Florio with a nature trail through cork oak and oak forest. Its churches offer distinctive highlights, while the museum and race routes mark Collesano’s motorsport history. The Sentiero Case Rascate adds a specific route in the Parco delle Madonie to these cultural themes.

Historic Townscape and Church Art

Around the remains of the Norman castle, Collesano preserves its historic appearance. Narrow streets, lanes and stairways lead towards Piazza Garibaldi. This layout offers a specific point of reference when exploring the historic townscape.

Collesano’s churches preserve works of art from different centuries. Santa Maria la Vecchia houses a 16th-century Madonna by Gagini. The Chiesa di San Giacomo was built towards the end of the 15th century; inside is a 16th-century wooden statue of the Apostle James. Here, architectural history and a later work of art stand side by side in the same church.

The Chiesa di Santa Maria di Gesù preserves a wooden crucifix from 1635, considered a documented work by Frate Umile di Petralia. A 17th-century cloister adjoins the church. The Chiesa Madre was also built towards the end of the 15th century; it contains statues associated with the sculptor Antonello Gagini. The Basilica di Santa Maria la Nuova houses works by Zoppo di Gangi and Pietro Novelli. These works and dates offer different points of reference for exploring Collesano’s religious art and architectural history.

Targa Florio and Motorsport History

The Museo Targa Florio documents the history of the Targa Florio in a municipal building on Corso Vittorio Emanuele. Its collection includes documents, memorabilia, photographs, helmets, racing suits and shoes. An extensive photographic collection is housed in a 200-square-metre exhibition space. Its wide-ranging collection brings together written and visual records with items from motor racing.

The connections to the race routes are also clearly specified: Collesano is the meeting point of the three Madonie race routes, Grande, Medio and Piccolo. The museum is devoted to the history of the Targa Florio; the three names refer to the different routes that converge in Collesano. This brings together a look at the collection and an overview of the race routes, without suggesting that they tell the same story.

Ceramics and Local Traditions

The old Fornaci near the Bagherino district are locally known as “stazzuna.” The pottery kilns and the shaping, firing and glazing of clay are associated with a 17th-century tradition. Another ceramic feature can be found on Via Polizzi: a scenic staircase there is entirely covered in ceramics and decorated with colours and motifs typical of Collesano. The kilns point to craft processes, while the staircase shows ceramics used as a design element.

Forest Trail and Practical Information

The SENTIERO CASE RASCATE – LA VIA DEI CASTAGNETI leads through the Parco delle Madonie from Collesano, through cork oak and oak forest, to Case Rascata. The trail is classified as easy and is considered accessible even to people without trekking experience. Trail and access conditions may change; check them locally before planning your route.

From the town centre, access is via Via Isnello, then along the SP 109 towards Isnello, followed by provincial road 128. You should also check road conditions and signage locally. The access directions help with orientation without specifying a walking time or distance.

Collesano Cheese Festival

The municipality calls the Collesano Cheese Festival the “17th Sagra del Formaggio” and describes a two-day food village in the historic centre. This name and festival format refer to the edition described; they do not establish a date for a future event. Check the latest event dates if you want to plan your trip around the festival.

Discover more destinations: Caccamo, Torre Colonna-Sperone, Lascari, San Cipirello, Finale, Monreale, San Mauro Castelverde, Polizzi Generosa.

Return to the main travel overview: Palermo.