Overview

Situated on the slopes of the Nebrodi Mountains, in a strategic point on the valley of the Rosmarino Torrent in the province of Messina, Alcara li Fusi (Larcara in Sicilian) is a very ancient centre that was fought over over the centuries by the Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Swabians, Angevins, Spaniards and Bourbons.

According to local tradition, the present village arose following the gradual abandonment of settlements further upstream, while the first document referring to the settlement dates back to 1096.

In 1812, it took the name Alcara “Li Fusi” as the centre of production of spindles used for spinning and to distinguish it from the village of Lercara Friddi.

The vast territory of Alcara, now quite uninhabited, but in the past affected by a scattered settlement linked to agriculture and sheep farming, is rich in

Worth visiting in the old town centre are the remains of one of the castle towers, the Mother Church, dating from the Byzantine period, the Church of San Pantaleone, the Abate Fountain, with an adjoining wash-house, the stone bridge over the Rosmarino river, and finally the Grotta del Lauro and the Rocche del Crasto.

About 2.5 km from the town is the Sanctuary of the Hermitage of San Nicolò Politi. Built at the end of the Middle Ages encompassing the cave where Alcara's patron saint lived from 1137 until his death on 17 August 1167, it fascinates visitors with its simplicity and austerity.

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