The hidden jewel is revealed to the world. Three hundred and fifty visitors in a record edition for the entire Etna province
There is a place in the heart of internal Sicily that time seems to have wanted to jealously guard away from mass itineraries: the Serravalle Castle, in the Mineo area. For two days, 21 and 22 March 2026, thanks to the initiative of the FAI Terre del Calatino as part of the FAI Spring Days, that door opened wide to the public, giving anyone who wanted to cross the threshold the privilege of a journey through eight centuries of history. Serravalle Castle was one of the twenty-one sites accessible in this 34th edition of the FAI Spring Days organized by the Catania Delegation. From the Etna capital to Acireale, from Giarre to Mascalucia, from Misterbianco to Piedimonte Etneo, passing through Mineo, the territory has opened up to the public with an offer divided into five thematic plots around the “Community Interweavings – 5 Stories of a Constantly Transforming Territory”. In Mineo, the results were flattering in terms of participation: over 350 attendees in two days, even in the hours when the rain tried to get the better of it. An influx which required a concerted effort on the part of the organisers, as testified by the lawyer Orsola Sedati, owner of the Castle: “Today was a day of great influx, over 350 participants. As you can hear, I am speechless because I also had to act as a bit of a Cicero. The day went very well. Unfortunately, the donations were not as high as we expected. However, I hope that these internal days have also given some visibility to the Serravalle Castle. I hope that this new synergy, established between the Serravalle Castle and the FAI Catania and FAI Terre del Calatino, can contribute, increasingly in the future, to protecting, enhancing and promoting the Italian artistic and landscape heritage, making visitors aware of some sites, hitherto little known, such as the Serravalle Castle of Mineo, a cultural asset immersed in a unique natural landscape, typical of the Catania plain“: The Serravalle Castle is not just any monument: built in 13th century as a military fortress along the route that led to Caltagirone, in the 16th century the manor underwent a metamorphosis as elegant as it was unusual: from a war bastion to a noble residence, without losing anything of its structural pride. Owned by the lawyer Orsola Sedati, the structure has belonged to the Grimaldi family since 1513 — a continuity which, in itself, is already a historical document. The visit route wound through an underground tunnel dug directly into the living rock, then climbing the steep stairs along the original walls up to the medieval tower: an itinerary that is a combination of sensorial experience and military architecture. Events like these serve first and foremost to bring people closer to places otherwise only seen from afar. The Serravalle Castle does not appear on ordinary tourist circuits, it cannot be reached with a click or found among the celebrated destinations of Sicilian grand tours. Yet it exists, it resists, and for two days it welcomed hundreds of people who perhaps didn’t even know they were looking for it.
Except Stuto
