4 Best Sights in Mistretta, Sicily

One of Sicily's most stunning national parks is filled with mountain landscapes, charming lakes, and vivid evergreen forests. The area is easy to navigate thanks to well-kept roads, multiple picnic areas, and the 24 picturesque towns that are found within the park itself. Outdoor experiences throughout the park abound, and you can drive up to Floresta, the park's highest point (and the highest town in Sicily), to see some impressive views of Mount Etna.

Like most small towns in Sicily, Mistretta's best artwork can be found in its local churches, and the town's "Mother Church" has an array of treasures passed down through the centuries. Its facade is made from the characteristic golden limestone of Sicily with elegant Romanesque arches and columns. Inside, everything from the floor to the decorative altar is made of precious marble, which comes from the nearby town of San Marco D'Alunzio, which has supplied marble for churches all over Messina province since the Middle Ages. The rose-colored pink marble in particular was quite rare and the most expensive and luxurious decoration used in churches to show off a town's prosperity.

Located high above Mistretta are the ruins of this Arab-Norman castle. At over 3,000 feet above sea level, the location offers some spectacular views out to the coast and the highest peaks of the mountains from Santa Croce down to Santo Stefano di Camastra. The remaining structure of the castle gives you an idea of its original dimensions, which were built to defend the city and look out all along the coast. The castle was also connected to an extended walled perimeter that encircled the original town.

This interesting museum is housed in a beautifully restored palace that belonged to the Mastrogiovanni Tasca family. It displays an array of local artifacts that testify to the long and complex history of Mistretta and Sicily. Among these is a collection of various archaeological finds from the area on the ground floor, including items from the Roman period up until the Middle Ages. The local historical library's collection of rare and ancient books is located on the mezzanine level and includes volumes recovered from the town's Franciscan convents. The building also hosts the local historical archives. In the halls of the main floor, a series of local religious paintings recovered from the Capuchin convent includes one attributed to the Flemish master Matthias Stom.