Page 413 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

THE SIEGE OF TROINA

In the summer of 1061, Count Roger marched his troops across the mountains from
Messina, holing up in Troina, the highest place around. There he posted soldiers,

and left his wife, Judith, while he went on to try and seize Nicosia from the Arabs.
Unfortunately, Troina had a large population of Byzantine Greeks, who hated the
Normans even more than they hated the Arabs, and one night they attempted to
kidnap Judith, which resulted in rioting on the streets. Roger rushed back and, in the
face of a united Arab and Byzantine attack, took refuge in Troina’s fortress. Roger

and Judith spent four months of a freezing winter in the castle, with no fuel, and just
one cloak between them, which they used as a blanket at night. One particularly
freezing evening, Roger and Judith’s troops, starving and frozen, hearing the Arabs
and Byzantines partying on wine in the town below, could stand no more, crept out
over the snow and slaughtered them, finally bringing the siege to an end.

Cesarò

CESARÒ stands under fearsome crags at the crossroads of the SS120 and the SS289,
the road that runs north across the Nébrodi mountains to the coast at Sant’Agata di
Militello. On a clear day there are remarkable views over to Etna as you approach
town, though the hemmed-in streets of Cesarò itself give no hint of the grandeur of its
setting – for a panorama, you must climb or drive up to the mammoth bronze statue of

Jesus, the Cristo Signore della Montagna, in the cemetery above town.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: CESARÒ

By bus Isea Viaggi buses ( iseaviaggi.it) run once daily to Cesarò from Enna via
Leonforte, Nicosia and Troina, leaving Enna at 2pm, with return buses departing from
Cesarò at 5.20am the following day.

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING

Hotel Fratelli Mazzurco S.S. 120 Via Conceria 095 773 2100, hotelmazzurco.it.
The Mazzurco not only has decent rooms but also the town’s finest restaurant (Aug
daily lunch and dinner; rest of the year closed Thurs), specializing in local produce
(namely mushrooms, pork and pistachios). Portions are huge, so make sure you are
very hungry before ordering the fixed-price menu at €30. There’s a garden-courtyard

for al fresco meals and some scintillating views from the front of the hotel. €70
< Back to Enna and the interior

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