Discover Lercara Friddi: Culture, Festivals and Holiday Apartment

Lercara Friddi combines a multifaceted history with sacred buildings, mining culture, local festivals and a special connection to Frank Sinatra. If you choose a holiday apartment in Lercara Friddi, you can tailor your stay to your preferred focus: discover ancient traces, churches and palaces, explore the mining heritage or combine culture with regional culinary experiences.

Colle Madore and the Early Traces

Colle Madore is a low, barren hill on the outskirts of Lercara Friddi. Its surrounding slopes give way to vineyards and farmland. A settlement flourished on the hill from the middle of the 2nd millennium to the end of the 5th century BC. Under the cultural influence of Himera, a small sacred area on its southern slope was redesigned between the middle of the 6th and the beginning of the 5th century BC.

Churches, Processions and Religious Traditions

The Chiesa Madre Maria SS. della Neve was built between 1702 and 1721. Its floor plan follows the shape of a Latin cross and comprises three naves. The Chiesa SS. Maria di Costantinopoli was built by residents of Lercara to house the sacred image of Maria SS. di Costantinopoli; Oliva Beccarella found this image in 1807. A wooden statue dating from 1850 is carried in a procession on 20 August. The Chiesa Parrocchiale Maria SS. della Neve is celebrated on 5 August with a solemn Eucharistic liturgy and a “snowfall” of flower petals. During Holy Week, Easter Sunday culminates in U'ncontru, the meeting between the dead Christ, Mary and the Archangel Michael.

Palaces and Museums

The Chiesa di San Matteo was founded at the end of the 17th century by Baron Scammacca and has preserved much of its original appearance. Its sacristy houses a small museum with votive offerings, old missals, sacred furnishings and a silver processional cross. Palazzo Miceli is considered the first baronial palace of Lercara Friddi; it includes a large portal, a baglio and an adjoining garden with a centuries-old pine tree. The baronial palaces are distinguished by neoclassical wrought-iron railings and stone “attuna” corbels made of stone from the San Luca quarry. The cultural offerings also include the Museo dei pupi in costume and the Museo etno-antropologico.

Mining History and Events

Along the paths of the Parco Minerario of Lercara Friddi, visitors can see headframes, winches, a mine passage that is still accessible and sulfur springs associated with sulfur mining. Villa Rose was the residence of the Rose-Gardner family, who came to Lercara Friddi because of sulfur mining. Today, it houses the Archaeological Museum and the Sulfur Museum, which is under development. The My Way Festival is a music event in honor of Frank Sinatra. The Feast of Saint Joseph was announced as a two-day event featuring religious, traditional and folkloric activities.

Sinatra, Pantofola and Local Cuisine

The “The Roots of an Italian-American Legend” tour begins at Piazza Duomo with the story connecting the family origins of the Sinatra family to Lercara. Its opening includes a reception at a pastry shop, where Pantofola and “sweet Frank” are sampled. The “At the table with Frank” lunch reinterprets dishes that Rosa used to cook for Francis and is prepared by a chef. The tour also leads to number 36, considered the last Sicilian residence attributable to the Sinatra family. Lercara Friddi hosts the Sagra della Pantofola, a festival centered around the dessert of the same name, which often takes place during the Christmas season. This allows you to tailor your choice of holiday apartment to the cultural, historical or culinary focus that best fits your travel plans.

Other Places for Your Planning

If you would like to include other places in your travel plans besides Lercara Friddi: Monreale, Balestrate, Cinisi, Caculla, Alimena, Mezzojuso, Camporeale, Godrano.

For the higher-level travel overview: Palermo.