In the secret heart of eastern Sicily, lying on a land furrowed by myths and lava, Militello in Val di Catania reveals itself as an authentic treasure chest of history and beauty. In 2025, Italy crowned it Borgo dei Borghi, sealing an identity that escapes fashion and is nourished by roots, memory and light. Nothing, in this place, is decorative: everything is stratification, endurance and enchantment.
It is difficult to remain impassive in front of the majestic harmony of the historic centre of Militello in Val di Catania, shaped like a work of art in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake of 1693. Here, Baroque is not a style, but a narrative in stone: the churches, palaces and fountains tell the story of the rebirth of an entire community, which was able to re-found itself in the sign of beauty.
The Mother Church of San Nicolò and the Santissimo Salvatore dominates with its sumptuous façade and bell tower that watches over the houses. Inside, time curves between stuccoes, gold and frescoes, in an architectural ecstasy that reflects the devout soul of Militello in Val di Catania. Not far away, the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Stella enshrines the invincible elegance of Andrea della Robbia’s Nativity of Mary, among the highest Renaissance testimonies in Sicily.
Strolling through the cobbled streets of Militello in Val di Catania, the visitor comes across the Barresi-Branciforte Castle, from which the village’s noble memory radiates. In its courtyard, the Fountain of the Nymph Zizza – dated 1607 – spouts water and symbols: a bas-relief of the nymph watches over the stone basins, evoking the ancestral bond between man and nature, between myth and reality.
The time of traditions, the echo of generations
But Militello in Val di Catania is not just carved stone. It is also voice, ritual, flavour. It is celebration and silence, it is the sound of bells and the scent of mustard. September lights up in devotion to the Madonna della Stella, whose image is carried in procession amidst songs and torches. Every corner of the village vibrates with ancient faith, not as ostentation, but as a testimony rooted in daily life.
In autumn, the Sagra della Mostarda e del Ficodindia revives the square with the colours of peasant childhood: the deep purple of the ripe fruit, the dense transparency of the mustard, the stories of grandmothers kneading memory and sugar. No recipe is simple: every traditional dish is a family code, a gesture handed down with respect. Cassatelle di Militello, embroidered with icing and perfumed with aniseed, are a short poem in cake form.
Beyond the village walls, the nature of Militello in Val di Catania unfolds with grace and majesty. The Iblei Mountains, with their limestone framework, accompany the landscape in a sequence of valleys, olive groves and ancient terracing. To the south, the Oxena waterfalls surprise like a waterfall set among the rocks: a place of coolness and recollection, where the voice of the torrent tells primitive stories.
Further on, the Cava del Carcarone reveals the bowels of the earth: a stony canyon where marine fossils and caves inhabited since prehistoric times emerge. This is the archaic face of Militello in Val di Catania, one that resists wear and tear and preserves the geological wisdom of millions of years. Here, every step is a lesson in humility: the landscape does not show itself, it reveals itself.
A cultural itinerary to be lived intensely
Visiting Militello in Val di Catania means immersing oneself in an architecture that is inhabited, not a museum. The Mother Church, the Santuario della Stella and the Sebastiano Guzzone Civic Museum, housed in the former Dominican convent, draw a cultural itinerary that is also human. There is no monument that does not tell a story; there is no stone that has not been caressed by a generation.
Among the historical palaces, the Palazzo Baldanza, majestic and severe, and the Palazzo dei Leoni, so called because of the sculptures that adorn its façade, as if to preserve its memory, stand out. And all around, alleys, courtyards, low arches where time has not passed but settled.
Militello in Val di Catania is easily reached from Catania (about 45 km) along the SS 417 with a diversion to the SS 385. It is also served by the Catania-Gela railway line and regional buses. The station is located just outside the centre, but the village is best explored on foot, slowly.
For those who wish to stay, Militello in Val di Catania offers cosy B&Bs, holiday homes in period dwellings and agritourisms surrounded by greenery. The dimension is intimate, familiar, never standardised. At the table, the flavours of the territory are expressed in sincere dishes: pasta alla Norma, Hyblean meat, traditional desserts, almond granita.
In the fast time we live in, Militello in Val di Catania represents a threshold. A place to stop, to listen, to understand. Being named Borgo dei Borghi 2025 is not a label, but the recognition of a depth. It is not beauty that has won, but consistency with oneself, the elegance of those who know how to remain faithful.
In an island where everything tends towards the ephemeral, Militello in Val di Catania is proof that one can still build a future starting from stone, from prayer, from a sweet handed down. It is the Sicily that does not shout, but persuades. That does not seduce, but enchants. That does not consume, but offers itself.
And it is, today more than ever, Sicily that counts.