Travel Guide Gangi

Gangi, a medieval town of 7,500 inhabitants, rises on Mount Marone. All its houses were built in steps because of the steepness of the ground, but even if the slope is rough, it is necessary to go up to the town. First of all for its old palaces, but above all for a painting, The Universal Judgement, considered the masterpiece of Andrea da Salerno, which can be seen in the mother church. Every year, on the second Sunday of August, the festival of the ear of corn is held. The whole town is decorated with ears of wheat for the occasion. This traditional festival has been going on for centuries. The origins go back to the Greek cult of Demeter (the goddess of agriculture and harvest). It is a reflection of the rural life that exists in the region.Salerno, the great Renaissance painter, was not the only artist born in Gangi. Gasparo Vazzano, who left many works in the churches of Sicily, was also a local child. Both of them were nicknamed "the lame of Gangi" (for the explanation, ask the Ganginese, a good excuse to start a conversation).It was in Gangi that one of the biggest underworld busts of the century took place in 1926. Nearly 400 mobsters were arrested after a siege of the village and its surroundings by 800 policemen (yes, yes...), who captured the fugitives who had taken care to dig labyrinthine tunnels.