Mount Triona and the Herbs of Health
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🎧 STAGE 8 – THE NATURE WALK: TOWARDS MONTE TRIONA AND THE HERBS OF HEALTH
It begins here, at the edge of the town, the path to Mount Triona, an emblematic place for the Bisacquinesi and for the entire Monti Sicani territory. This peak, which rises to nearly 1,000 meters, dominates the surrounding landscape and offers one of the most striking views in western Sicily. But Mount Triona is not only a natural lookout: it is a geological and botanical treasure chest, an ancient altar where nature and spirituality have met for centuries.
Geologically, Mount Triona consists of limestone and marl, with formations that testify to the complex geodynamic history of the Sicilian Apennines. This mountain structure is also rich in springs and microhabitats that support amazing biodiversity. Medicinal herbs such as rosemary, sage, wild fennel, and mint, protagonists of folk medicine for centuries, grow wild here .
It is precisely in this context that the knowledge collected by Giuseppe Pitrè fits. According to the evidence collected in his writings, in the rural villages of western Sicily-such as Bisacquino-the use of herbs was part of a therapeutic and ritual tradition. For example, to treat headaches, a decoction of rosemary and sage was prepared, collected at dawn and blessed with oral formulas in dialect: “Rosmarinu e salvia, faciti guariri, scacciati ogni malura.”
Even more striking were the so-called “sung remedies”: formulas recited during the preparation of ointments, such as those based on olive oil and fennel infusions, used to heal wounds. The healer repeated “cure, cure…” turning the healing gesture into a ritual act. Folk medicine was not only body care but also spiritual protection, an art transmitted orally by the elders and deeply rooted in the relationship with the landscape.
Thus, the walk to Mount Triona is not just a nature hike, but a rediscovery of ancient wisdom, the paths traced by farmers and healers, the scents and sounds of a land that continues to tell stories of care, faith and harmony with nature.
