Sicily · Messina
San Marco d'Alunzio
A hilltop borgo at 540 meters built in pink Aluntina marble, Robert Guiscard's first Sicilian base for the eleventh-century Norman conquest.
Known for
ALUNTINA MARBLE
Pink local marble quarried for centuries and used in the Aracoeli church, the central fountain and the interior of the Messina town hall.
FIRST NORMAN CASTLE
Robert Guiscard built his first Sicilian castle here in 1061 and used the town as the base for the eleventh-century Norman conquest of the island.
TEMPIO DI ERCOLE
Greek temple foundations from the fourth century BC supporting the Chiesa di San Marco, the layered Greek-Norman-Christian spine of the borgo.
When to visit
Best · Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
The festa: Marco, 31 July
Why come
San Marco d'Alunzio sits on Mt. Castro at 540 meters above the Tyrrhenian coast, five kilometers from the sea. The Greeks founded it in the fourth century BC as Alontion, prosperous enough to mint its own currency.
The Normans took it in the eleventh century: Robert Guiscard built the first Norman castle in Sicily here in 1061 and used the town as his base for the conquest of the rest of the island. The local stone is a pink marble called Aluntina, quarried on the surrounding hills and used in the Chiesa di San Marco built into the foundations of a fourth-century BC Greek temple to Hercules. The same rose-colored stone appears in the Aracoeli church, in the central fountain of Piazza Aluntina, and in the interior of the Messina town hall. The borgo is listed among the Borghi più belli d'Italia and twenty-two churches stand inside the historic walls.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written San Marco d'Alunzio’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
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What to see
Tempio di Ercole
Fourth-century BC Greek temple to Hercules whose foundations support the Chiesa di San Marco, the oldest visible building in the borgo.
Ruderi del Castello Normanno
Ruins on Monte Rotondo above the village, built by Robert Guiscard from 1061 as his first Sicilian base and the lookout over the Tyrrhenian coast.
Chiesa di Santa Maria delle Grazie (Aracoeli)
Renaissance church built entirely in local rose-colored Aluntina marble, with elaborate marble carvings inside the chapel.
Piazza Aluntina
Central piazza with a monumental fountain in pink Aluntina marble, the social heart of the rebuilt town.
Museo della Cultura e delle Arti Figurative Bizantine
Byzantine art museum housed in the former monastery of the Benedettine, with frescoes and icons from the Greek-Sicilian tradition.
The slow-trip planner
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Living here
- Population 1,778
- Off the beaten pathi
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Nearest airport Sicily, 2 h 35 min drive
- Regional capital Palermo, 1 h 53 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 540 m
- Population: 1,778
- Surface area: 26.14 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Close by
More towns near San Marco d'Alunzio
Castelbuono
Province: Palermo
A Madonie town at 423 meters around the Ventimiglia castle, where manna is still tapped from ash trees and Fiasconaro bakes the panettone.
Cefalù
Province: Palermo
A Norman cathedral at the foot of a 270-meter rock on the Tyrrhenian coast, founded by Roger II in 1131 and on the UNESCO Arab-Norman list since 2015.
Novara di Sicilia
Province: Messina
A stone village at 650 meters where the Peloritani meet the Nebrodi, with a UNESCO-listed cheese race tumbling down the main street at Carnival.
Montalbano Elicona
Province: Messina
A Nebrodi castle town at 907 meters, Frederick III of Aragon's summer residence and gateway to the Argimusco megalithic plateau.
Castroreale
Province: Messina
A ridge town at 394 meters above the Milazzo plain, rebuilt by Frederick II of Aragon in 1324 as a royal demesne and second in the 2018 Borgo dei Borghi.
🎨 Borghi più belli d'Italia
More Borghi più belli d'Italia towns in Sicily
Agira
Province: Enna
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Buccheri
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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.
Calascibetta
Province: Enna
A promontory town at 691 meters facing Enna across a ravine, founded in the ninth century as a Muslim camp to besiege Byzantine Henna.
Castelmola
Province: Messina
A rock village at 529 meters directly above Taormina, the upper acropolis of ancient Tauromenium with a Norman castle and a 1947 almond-wine bar.
Castiglione di Sicilia
Province: Catania
A hill town on the north flank of Etna at 621 meters, base camp for the Alcantara valley and the volcano's most serious red wines.