The village of Gangi is located in the province of Palermo, 120 km from the capital, and has about 6,000 inhabitants. It stands at the foot of Mount Etna, on the ruins of a Hellenic settlement, and is surrounded by medieval walls. Awarded Borgo dei Borghi in 2014, it is one of the ‘Jewel Municipalities’ of Italy, transporting its visitors to another era.
Its historical centre, destroyed during the Vespers War and rebuilt in 1300, is today the setting for the traditional festivals and tourist-cultural events that animate Gangi. In fact, there are several traditional Gangitan feasts: among them are the Feast of the Holy Spirit, the Feast of San Cataldo, the Feast of the Madonna Annunziata and the Feast of the Madonna of the Chain.
Every year, the Sagra della Spiga (wheat festival) is held in Ganci, while other Christmas-related events include the Christmas markets and the living nativity scene.
The many intertwined streets that lead from one courtyard to another of the houses form a single town centre; among the houses, there are also several old churches with high bell towers, such as the Chiesa Madre, the Chiesa della Madonna della Catena and the Chiesa del Santissimo Salvatore.
Along with these, the Gangitano landscape also features many towers, such as the Ventimiglia tower: an ancient feudal tower in late Gothic style, now the bell tower of the adjacent San Nicolò mother church.
The main squares include Piazza del Popolo, with a spectacular belvedere from which one can admire the valley below, and Piazza San Paolo, from which one can admire Mount Etna. In addition, free Wi-Fi is available between Piazza del Popolo and the main street, Corso Umberto I, so that tourists and locals alike can connect to the internet for free and post the beautiful pictures they will certainly take.
Other interesting sites to see include the stately palaces: Palazzo Sgadari, now home to the Giambecchina picture gallery, the civic museum and the weapons museum; Palazzo Bongiorno, whose top floor houses the secretary’s office and library, chapel, reception hall and rooms masterfully frescoed by the Roman painter Gaspare Fumagalli.
But Gangi’s main attraction is undoubtedly the famous Gangi Castle, now owned by a private owner, which stands more than a thousand metres above sea level.
The municipality has recently launched a challenge to improve the village: the initiative consists of putting twenty houses up for sale at a price of 1 euro, but imposing a duty on the buyers to restore them. The initiative has already attracted the interest not only of Italian buyers, but also of many foreign buyers. The conditions for purchase are very simple: once the symbolic payment has been made, the buyers must pay a deposit of 5,000 euro to guarantee their financial standing. The renovation work, the total cost of which is around 35,000 euro, must be carried out within five years, by which time the houses must be habitable (according to the law).
