Unusual facts about Sicily: a journey through places, legends and traditions you wouldn’t expect
From the party-dressed mummies of Palermo to the disappearing lake of Gela, passing by the Hundred Horse Chestnut Tree, the salt mines of Realmonte and the feluccas chasing swordfish in the Strait of Messina: a curious journey through whimsical nature, age-old legends and quirky traditions that make the island unique. The unusual facts about Sicily reveal a surprising soul, suspended between myth, science and everyday wonder.
Sicily is famous for its turquoise sea, Greek temples and the ever-smoking Mount Etna. Yet beneath this postcard image lies a world of stories and eccentricities that astonish even those who know the island well. Here are some unusual facts about Sicily – all true and verifiable – that deserve to be told.
The village called “Donalegge”
Among the Madonie Mountains, in the territory of Castellana Sicula, stands the abandoned hamlet of Donalegge, a former fief steeped in a ghostly atmosphere. The stone houses, now in ruins, tell tales of wheat fields and ancient administrative functions. The very name is a riddle: some say it dates back to the Bourbon era and to a “woman who issued laws” (hence the name often rendered as “DONNALEGGE”), a theory fueled by the remains of a building once believed to be a Bourbon prison. More likely, as notarial deeds from the 14th century recall, Donalegge was the district where justice was administered in Norman times, when they built a fortress here around 1085. Today, lacking certainties but rich in charm, it stands as one of the authentic unusual facts about Sicily: a village that continues to guard its mysteries and is worth a stroll in the spring sunlight.
The lake that appears and disappears
Let’s move to Gela, in the heart of southeastern Sicily, where nature performs magic: Lake Biviere is a body of water that fills and empties with the seasons and rainfall, until it almost vanishes. A karst phenomenon that makes the area a paradise for birdwatchers and photographers, but also one of the most poetic unusual facts about Sicily. Locals call it the “ghost lake,” and when it retreats it leaves behind a lunar landscape.
The tree that splits into a hundred trunks
In Sant’Alfio, on the slopes of Etna, lives the Hundred Horse Chestnut Tree, considered the largest and oldest tree in Europe. Legend has it that beneath its canopy one hundred knights and their ladies found shelter during a storm. Science confirms its millennial age: a living monument that continues to multiply its trunks as if it were an entire forest. A natural marvel that bridges myth and botany.
Modica, the city of two Saints
Modica is an ancient city of devotional rivalry: its two patron saints, Saint George and Saint Peter, have vied for the town’s heart for centuries. Devotees of Saint George, called Sangiuggiari, and those of Saint Peter, the Sampittrari, are fiercely attached to their saints. The Feast of Saint George is celebrated the weekend after April 23, with the saint’s statue carried through the streets, accompanied by fireworks, confetti, and the iconic “galloping” procession. The Feast of Saint Peter takes place on June 29, with a long torchlight procession and the statue depicting the miracle of the healing of the paralytic at the Temple gates.
And in 2025, the Feast of Saint Peter was especially remarkable: after more than seventy years, on Saturday, June 21st, 2025, Modica welcomed back one of its most fascinating and identity-shaping folk traditions: the parade of the Santoni of Saint Peter. These imposing statues, over three meters tall and representing Jesus Christ and the twelve apostles, were once the central element of the celebration. Until 1953 they were carried in procession, then the tradition faded. Their return was made possible thanks to the Kalikantun Association, the support of the Parish of Saint Peter, the municipal administration and numerous local artisans and volunteers.
The talking mummies of Palermo
Beneath the Sicilian capital, the Capuchin Catacombs preserve hundreds of perfectly dressed mummies. Among them stands out little Rosalia Lombardo, who died in 1920 and remains incredibly intact. Her serene expression and eyes that seem to open and close depending on the light have fueled endless legends. Scholars speak of optical effects, but the fascination remains powerful.
The salt chessboard of Realmonte
Near Agrigento, the white marl cliff of the Stairs of the Turks is already spectacular. But few know that just a few kilometers away, in the mines of Realmonte, hides a cathedral entirely carved in salt, with altars, columns and perfect acoustics. During certain festivities, mass is even celebrated there. A place straight out of a fantasy tale, enriching the list of the most incredible unusual facts about Sicily.
The fish that flies in the Strait of Messina
Every summer, in the Strait of Messina, the hunt for swordfish unfolds with “feluche,” towering boats equipped with a long gangway and a mast from which the spotter scans the sea. When the fish is sighted, the harpooner races along the gangway to capture it. A spectacle combining tradition and adrenaline that, seen from shore, resembles an aquatic circus.
The Stonehenge of Sicily
Suspended between myth and science, the Argimusco plateau lies between Montalbano Elicona and Novara di Sicilia, on the Peloritani Mountains, about 1,200 meters above sea level. Here, huge natural megaliths, sculpted by wind and time, take on forms that seem crafted by an artist: an eagle in flight, a human face, a praying figure. Their arrangement has fueled the idea of an ancient astronomical observatory, earning the site the nickname Stonehenge of Sicily. During the winter (and summer) solstice, sunset offers spectacular alignments between sun and stones, attracting astronomy enthusiasts, photographers and the simply curious. The panorama is breathtaking: from the Ionian to the Tyrrhenian seas, with views of Etna and the Aeolian Islands, a place that blends awe-inspiring scenery and ancestral suggestion, among the most fascinating unusual facts about Sicily.
Why these unusual facts about Sicily captivate all travelers
The unusual facts about Sicily are not just amusing anecdotes: they tell of an island where nature, history and imagination intertwine seamlessly. From capricious geology to human ingenuity, each episode reveals a different way of inhabiting the world. Traveling in Sicily also means seeking out these hidden details, listening to the stories of the elders, and letting yourself be surprised by a past that never stops reinventing itself.
