Monte Pellegrino

Monte Pellegrino is one of the towering limestone peaks that you see while flying into Punta Raisi. I couldn’t find a lot of information about hiking it from the city, other than some posts about taking the 812 bus, which will take you all the way up the auto road to the Sanctuary of Saint Rosalia (or drop you at the bottom). Having an aversion to public transportation, I studied the street maps and decided to walk from my hotel, located just off Via Vittorio Emanuele. It took about 45 minutes by way of Via Roma to Via Francesco Crispi and Via Montepellegrino to reach the trailhead. Google maps did not provide the best route and lead to some questionable crossings at areas without sidewalks, so my suggestion would be to follow Via Roma to Via Mariano Stabile or one of the parallel streets and cross Via Francesco Crispi by the gas station near the port entrance. From there it is pretty easy walking to the roundabout at the trailhead.

The trail itself is paved with the same stones found throughout Palermo, is steep in areas and does not afford a lot of shade aside from the occasional tree here and there. I took the opportunity to stop and enjoy the views on the way up, and came across several other hikers and mountain bikers, but it was not a heavily traveled trail.  There is a small market at the top where you could get a drink and bite to eat.  

I found one of the offshoot trails to offer dramatic panoramic views from the top of a near vertical cliff to the white sand beaches and blue waters of Mondello below.  

This hike is definitely worth fitting in as part of your trip to Palermo and don’t be afraid to walk from the City center.  Bring a hat, sunscreen and plenty of water.  Round trip it was about 11 miles from my hotel. 

I have been pleasantly surprised by Palermo and realize now that 3 days really wasn’t enough time to see it all.  Off to pick up my rental car at the Avis near the Port and then to Segesta or Erice to start experiencing Sicily from behind the driver’s seat.