History
On the top of a hill, in a suggestive landscape amid gullies and valleys stands the highest town of the province. 691 m above the sea level, Monterosso Almo is also the second smallest town in the Hyblaean territory.
The roots of Monterosso Almo go back to very ancient times as show the many necropolises discovered in its underlying valley. Another ancient settlement has been brought to light in the close area of the Casaia mount, where the Sikels, one of the earliest Sicilian peoples, settled. The earliest records on Monterosso’s area refer to a hamlet of the 4th century BC granted, along with those of Gulfi and Iomiso, to the Byzantines. During the Norman rule this village was named Monte Iohalmo, then belonging to Enrico Rosso from Aidone, who built a castle, no longer existing, in the Casale district. Assimilated into the County of Modica, Monterosso was first sold by Bernardo Cabrera and eventually re-bought by his heirs. On 11 January 1693, a terrible earthquake razed the city to the ground, causing over 200 dead.
The tour of Monterosso Almo comprises various sites. The Baroque Chiesa di San Giovanni has a fine cupola and front elevation. Lovely stuccoes adorn the nave and the aisles. The desecrated Chiesa di Sant’Anna, flanked by several palazzi in neo-classic style, rises in the central Piazza. The lower side of the town hosts the three-nave Mother Church, a National monument. Inside, it has several pieces of art, such as a 15th century wooden crucifix and two 16th century holy-water fonts.
The Palazzo Cocuzza and the Chiesa di San Antonio, also declared National monuments, also contain beautiful works of art. The latter fouses a great altarpiece containing the Martyrdom of San Lorenzo, the Baptism of Constantine and the Madonna del Carmelo.
Out of town are several naturalistic and archaeological attractions, notably the grotte dei santi (the caves of the saints) and the grotte dei denari (money’s caves), consisting of ancient rock-cut tombs later transformed into dwellings. According to legend money was buried into the grotte dei denari, that is still recoverable through use of magic rituals. Excursions in the close areas of Calaforno and the Lauro Mount are also highly recommended. The former offers a beautiful naturalistic and peaceful environment, the latter, a wild landscape with terrific views of the entire province.
I bakery products they are the strong point of the gastronomy of Monterosso Almo, which it finds in the bread one of the most appreciated specialties in the whole territory, made so good thanks to the use of ancient Sicilian flours which, worked with traditional methods, are able to confer a particular taste and a unique fragrance.
Lo Scaccione it is a fantastic reinterpretation of the more traditional expulsion. The Scaccione di Monterosso Almo is stuffed in many ways, but always with the use of local and seasonal raw materials, to always guarantee maximum authenticity.
