Linguaglossa

Linguaglossa  is a summer and winter resort of international renown. The town lies on the north-east slope of Etna at a height of 550 m.s.l.
It is one of the communes lying within the Etna Nature Park and the area under its control extends up to the summit of the volcano, including the enormous Ragabo pine forest.

There are different opinions regarding the origin of its name. It is most commonly believed to derive from ‘Linguarossa’ (red tongue) or rather a large tongue of lava which reached as far as the buildings of the ancient hamlet.

The old town is well preserved with numerous narrow streets where visitors can discover ancient doorways, Baroque buildings and admire the contrast between lava stone from Etna used for bases, windows and masks and sandstone and tuff from nearby highlands. The most important feature of the town, however, are the small late-nineteenth century and Liberty-style palaces that give onto the main street and the squares, such as the Town Hall, the work of Pietro Grassi (1907) with its elegant, mitred, mullioned windows.

The Mother Church was built in 1613 and contains a wooden choir dating from 1728 and many fine paintings. The church of S. Edigio, patron saint of the town, was built under Angevin rule and has a splendid Gothic portal with the town’s coat of arms. It is sited in the middle of the oldest medieval quarter. The 17th century church of SS. Vito e Antonio with its lava stone portal and the 16th century church of S. Francesco di Paola with a famous marble statue of the Madonna dell’Oretta by Gagini (1478-1536) are of considerable architectural interest. The church of Gesù e Maria, built in 1600 has been closed to worship for the last twenty-five years. It is extremely simple having a single nave with a barrel roof, but it is made interesting by a statue of the Madonna with Child who is showing the sacred heart, a very rare demonstration by the Christ Child.

For nature lovers, Linguaglossa means above all Mount Etna. The pine forests of Linguaglossa and the ski resort in Piano Provenzana are a meeting point for skiing enthusiasts (alpine skiing, cross-country skiing and ski mountaineering are available), who can also enjoy views of a horizon that extends from Taormina to the coast of Calabria. In summer, it is possible to leave from Piano Provenzano and reach the summit areas of the mountain, discovering its numerous, strikingly beautiful, nature trails.

Courtesy of Provincia Regionale di Catania.