Madonie

The Madonie are one of the principal mountain ranges on the island of Sicily, located in southwestern Italy.GeographyThe range is located within Palermo Province of Sicily. It is part of the Sicilian extension of the Apennine Mountains System that runs along the Italian Peninsula.The range includes the next highest elevation mountain summits of Sicily after Mount Etna. The highest peak of the range is Pizzo Carbonara at 1979m, followed by neighboring Pizzo Antenna at 1977m.Madonie Regional Natural ParkThe mountains were safeguarded in 1989 by the formation of the Madonie Regional Natural Park, a regional natural park.Madonie Geopark is a member of the European Geoparks Network and the UNESCO Global Network of National Geoparks.FeaturesWithin the park area there are outcrops of rocks which have been dated over a 200-million-year period and represent all aspects of the geology of Sicily apart from present day volcanic activity. There is a wide range of fossils present within the mountains' rocks. Buildings made from these rocks in the Madonie's towns often show visible fossils.