Carlentini

“From Lentini, I climbed to the top of the hill located east of the city. Here I found the modern city of Carlentini, located two miles from the other and so called because it was founded by Carlo V around 1550. Today the city is in ruins: its gates, walls, while very thick, are being destroyed. The houses, from the famous earthquake of 1693, only have the ground floor and are fully degraded due to the poverty of the inhabitants and the depopulation of the place.”

The city "Lentini di Carlo" was founded in the 16th century by Giovanni De Vega in honor of Carlo V, in order to defend Sicily from barbary raids, the "fear of the Turk." When Lentini got destroyed by an earthquake, the strong walls built on the Meta Grande hill gave shape over time to the city-fort of Carlentini that today constitutes, together with Lentini and Francofonte, the famous "triangolo d’oro delle arance rosse”.

The Casa dello Scirocco is an ancient Roman construction located within a prehistoric cave. It was used as a garconiére in the 1700s by the baron Fuccio Corbino, and then buried in the first half of the 1800s by the family because it was considered "the house of sin". Brought back to light in 1987, it has been put under the protection of the Sovrintendenza ai Beni Culturali for its historical and architectural interest. It is an example of a biothermal house, equipped with thermal baths and an ingenious system of circulating water that keeps the building cool.

The Parco Archeologico di Leontinoi e Megara is of great interest and includes testimony from the Neolithic and Iron Ages. Leontinoi was one of the most ancient Greek colonies in Sicily, established in 729 B.C. by the Calcides. For those staying at one of the many farmhouses, ask about the inebriating “percorsi della zagara” that can be done by bike through the fragrant citrus groves.

www.siracusaturismo.net | www.vivasicilia.com | www.comune.carlentini.sr.it

The Carlentini HUB is interested in the "La Via dei Laghi" route and is the point of arrival of stage n° 10 coming from Francofonte (24.7 km and 381 meters of difference in height). From Carlentini (POINT in the opposite of Chiesa di San Sebastiano), starts the last stage of the same route to reach the GATE in Lentini after only 4.2 km and no significant difference in height.