Sicily · Siracusa
Buccheri
The highest village in the province of Syracuse at 820 meters on Monte Lauro, world capital of Tonda Iblea olive oil at the 2015 Sol d'Oro.
820m
Elevation
58 km / 36 mi
Nearest hub (Catania)
1,729
Population
May–Oct
Best time to visit
Recognised as
Why come
Buccheri sits on the northern slopes of Monte Lauro at 820 meters, the highest village in the province of Syracuse and one of the highest in the Iblei. Sicels, Greeks, Romans and Byzantines all left traces on the ridge above the village. The 1693 Val di Noto earthquake leveled most of what stood; the rebuild produced the high baroque façade of Sant'Antonio Abate at the top of its long staircase and the Chiesa di Santa Maria Maddalena, where a 1508 marble Magdalene by Antonello Gagini survived. The neviere, snow-storage caves in the surrounding hills, are among the oldest in the Iblei and supplied granita ice to Syracuse and Catania into the early twentieth century. Buccheri took the title World Capital of Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil at the 2015 Sol d'Oro competition in Verona, for its Tonda Iblea oil from the slopes around Monte Lauro. The Olio e non solo festival each October fills the village with producers and tastings.
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Gallery
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Known for
Chiesa di Sant'Antonio Abate
Eighteenth-century baroque church at the top of a long staircase in the upper village, rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake destroyed the medieval original.
Chiesa di Santa Maria Maddalena
Baroque parish church with a façade by local architect Michelangelo Di Giacomo; holds a 1508 marble Magdalene by Antonello Gagini that survived the 1693 quake.
Monte Lauro
986-meter peak above the village, the highest point of the Iblei and the central watershed of southeastern Sicily; trails climb to the summit from the town.
Neviere di Buccheri
Snow-storage caves cut into the hills around the village, among the oldest in the Iblei, used for centuries to supply ice to lowland Sicilian cities.
When to visit
Best months · May–Oct
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
May through October is the window for Buccheri. The Iblei stay cooler than the Sicilian coast at 820 meters, and the trails up Monte Lauro and into the Anapo valley toward Pantalica are walkable through summer afternoons. July and August touch thirty in the village but evenings drop into the teens. The October Olio e non solo festival, dedicated to the new Tonda Iblea harvest, is when the village fills with producers and oil tastings. November through April is quiet and often cold; Buccheri catches snow most winters and the upland trattorias close on weekdays. The patron Sant'Antonio Abate is celebrated in mid-January.
How to get there
From Catania, Buccheri is roughly 58 km by road. Allow about 50–70 minutes depending on traffic and route choice (autostrada vs scenic).
Drive time to the nearest gateway airports
- Sicily1h 18m
- Lamezia / Reggio4h 33m
- Naples / Salerno8h 30m
Elevation 820 m
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Close by
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