Francofonte

"Francofonte, famous and also a new land distinguished for the plentiful sources that spring up around it."

Francofonte is the home of the most famous and prestigious red orange in Sicily, the “Tarocco of Francofonte”, the “Moro” and the “Sanguinello”, which are cultivated in the fertile plains (il giardino d’aranci) below the volcanic hilltop where in the 14th century a fortification was built in a strategic position. At the time, the waters present in the territory had no fees and were therefore free, as can be easily deductible from the toponym Francofontis.

Numerous churches are located in the territory starting from the Chiesa Madre Sant’Antonio Abate. Francofonte is mentioned in famous works such as "Cavalleria Rusticana" by Pietro Mascagni and the short story "La roba" by Verga, where the farmer Mazzarò buys houses and lands "to be better than the king".

The cyclists who find themselves on the roads leading to Francofonte should be aware of the phenomenon of the "climb down" which has inspired extravagant hypotheses, but which scientifically can be identified as an optical illusion that occurs in some sloping roads where the particular geographical conformation of the surroundings is misleading, and what looks like an incline is actually a mild descent.

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

The HUB in Francofonte is interested in the "La Via dei Laghi" route and is the arrival point of Stage n° 9 from Buccheri (22.1 km and 183 meters of difference in height). From Francofonte (POINT in Villa Idria), then the n° 10 stage sets off to reach the POINT at Carlentini, located near the Chiesa di S. Sebastiano. It's 24.7 km and 381 meters of difference in height.