Pizzo Carbonara
Encyclopedia
Pizzo Carbonara is the highest peak of the Madonie
mountains in Sicily
. It is the second highest peak in Sicily, only Mount Etna
being higher, although it is only 2m higher than the neighbouring Pizzo Antenna.
Pizzo Carbonara is located about 10 km NW of Petralia Sottana
. It is a limestone
massif, and rainwater falling on it eventually emerges at the foot of the castle rock of Cefalù
on the north coast of Sicily. Its summit is more of a plateau than a peak, so that it is not easy to determine the highest point.
In good weather Pizzo Carbonara is readily climbed from the Piano Battaglia (1605m), which can be reached by road, the round trip taking about 2 hrs 30 minutes for an averagely fit person. It does not involve any rock-climbing or scrambling. However, as of 2006 there is no clearly waymarked path up the mountain, accurate maps are not readily available, and the plateau is prone to mist. Accordingly, it is advisable to carry a compass or GPS when climbing the mountain. Guidebooks do not recommend climbing it in winter.
Madonie
The Madonie are one of the principal mountain groups in Sicily, southern Italy, part of the Sicilian portion of the Apennines. It is located in Palermo Province...
mountains in Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
. It is the second highest peak in Sicily, only Mount Etna
Mount Etna
Mount Etna is an active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, close to Messina and Catania. It is the tallest active volcano in Europe, currently standing high, though this varies with summit eruptions; the mountain is 21 m higher than it was in 1981.. It is the highest mountain in...
being higher, although it is only 2m higher than the neighbouring Pizzo Antenna.
Pizzo Carbonara is located about 10 km NW of Petralia Sottana
Petralia Sottana
Petralia Sottana is a town and comune in the Province of Palermo, in the island of Sicily, Italy.-Geography:...
. It is a limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
massif, and rainwater falling on it eventually emerges at the foot of the castle rock of Cefalù
Cefalù
Cefalù is a city and comune in the province of Palermo, located on the northern coast of Sicily, Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea about 70 km east from the provincial capital and 185 km west of Messina...
on the north coast of Sicily. Its summit is more of a plateau than a peak, so that it is not easy to determine the highest point.
In good weather Pizzo Carbonara is readily climbed from the Piano Battaglia (1605m), which can be reached by road, the round trip taking about 2 hrs 30 minutes for an averagely fit person. It does not involve any rock-climbing or scrambling. However, as of 2006 there is no clearly waymarked path up the mountain, accurate maps are not readily available, and the plateau is prone to mist. Accordingly, it is advisable to carry a compass or GPS when climbing the mountain. Guidebooks do not recommend climbing it in winter.