Corleone

Other museums and art venues

Corleone also boasts other interesting museums, such as the “Pippo Rizzo” Archaeological Museum, the Ethnographic Museum, the Civic Museum and the Museum of the Treasury of St Martin. A stroll through the historic centre allows visitors to appreciate its Spanish Baroque style, characterised by narrow streets and blocks of houses that reflect the typical Mediterranean layout. In the Middle Ages, Corleone was surrounded by a wall connecting the Upper Castle to the Lower Castle, following the outline of the Parish Church and a series of monasteries. Well worth a visit are the Mother Church, dating from the 14th century, the Church of St Augustine and the Church of St Rosalia. Among the civil buildings, the Palazzo Pretorio stands out.

Nature walks

The area around Corleone is nestled in the Sosio Valley and the Bosco della Ficuzza, where history and nature intertwine along the Frattina stream, characterised by karst formations. Here, nature lovers can admire the ‘Gole del Drago’ and the ‘Marmitte Giganti’, deep gorges where the water creates whirlpools. Also not to be missed are the Due Rocche Waterfall, just a short walk from the centre, in the Nature Park of the same name.

Trails and itineraries

A section of the Magna Via Francigena (the Corleone-Prizzi stage) passes around Corleone, along which pilgrims encounter the ancient Baglio di Imbriaca, the baronial manor that was once a landmark for the entire countryside; whilst the Path on the footstep of San Bernardo is a spiritual and nature trail leading to Sciacca, following in the footsteps of the Capuchin friar San Bernardo da Corleone.

“The Godfather” and the film locations

The crime and court cases linked to the notorious “Corleonesi Clan” helped to create the legend of “The Godfather”, to which a dedicated museum is devoted, and to project Corleone onto the Hollywood silver screen, establishing the town as one of the most popular destinations for film tourism in Sicily.

A free and productive Corleone

Formerly known as the “Granary of Sicily”, today Corleone thrives on excellent agri-food products: olive oil, wheat, honey and tomatoes (the “Siccagno Costoluto di Corleone” variety), as well as pumpkins, saffron and snails (from whose slime cosmetic and pharmaceutical products are derived). Each of these products comes from farms confiscated from the Mafia or run by young emigrants who have returned to Sicily and who, together, are helping to rewrite a virtuous chapter in Corleone’s history.