The Rocca di Novara (also called “Rocca di Salvatesta” and “Cervino di Sicilia”) is a peak in the
Peloritani
The Peloritani ( Sicilian: , it, Monti Peloritani) are a mountain range of north-eastern Sicily, in southern Italy, extending for some from Capo Peloro to the Nebrodi Mountains. On the north and east they are bordered by the Tyrrhenian ...
mountains, situated in the northeastern part of
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
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, between the territories of
Novara di Sicilia
Novara di Sicilia ( Gallo-Italic of Sicily: Nuè; Sicilian: ''Nuvara'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina in the Italian region of Sicily, located about east of Palermo and some southwest of Messina.
Novara di ...
and
Fondachelli-Fantina
Fondachelli-Fantina is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Messina, Sicily, southern Italy. Situated between Novara di Sicilia, Novara and Francavilla di Sicilia, in the southern Peloritani mountains, it is above sea level. Th ...
from where trails start to its top. It has an elevation of 1,340 meters above sea level. It resembles a
Dolomites
The Dolomites ( it, Dolomiti ; Ladin: ''Dolomites''; german: Dolomiten ; vec, Dołomiti : fur, Dolomitis), also known as the Dolomite Mountains, Dolomite Alps or Dolomitic Alps, are a mountain range located in northeastern Italy. They form pa ...
peak and because of this and the panoramic view from its summit it is a popular mountain with tourists. A
summit cross with a figure of
Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...
lies at its top. An annual
pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...
to the summit is made by Christians on 18 August to celebrate a
mass
Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different eleme ...
. Pits used by ancient people to collect snow for the summer remain on its slopes.
The walls of the mountain resemble a human face from a particular point of view and the ancient legend of buried treasure on it, discoverable by those who pass a series of trials, gives it an air of mystery. The mountain has been granted
Site of Community Importance
A Site of Community Importance (SCI) is defined in the European Commission Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) as a site which, in the biogeographical region or regions to which it belongs, contributes significantly to the maintenance or restoration at ...
status.
References
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Mountains of Sicily