Rocca Busambra. Or How We Didn’t Reach The Highest Peak In Western Sicily

A spontaneous idea that felt reasonable at the time

This hike was never really planned. It started as one of those Sicily thoughts that sounds innocent enough. We had a free day. The weather looked dramatic but not impossible. Rocca Busambra is the highest mountain in Western Sicily, so of course we thought, why not.

Even though the idea was spontaneous, we did actually prepare. We bought food, packed our bags, went to sleep early and woke up at five. We watched the sunrise from our car while driving through Palermo. The city was already waking up, people going to work, buses, coffee bars opening. And less than an hour later, we were heading straight into one of the wildest mountains in Western Sicily. That contrast is still hard to wrap my head around. Rocca Busambra is incredibly close to Palermo, which makes it an easy day trip on paper. In reality, it feels like another world.

It was windy, yes. But we hike with Mailo every week. I expected it to be difficult but doable. We had plenty of time. In January it gets dark around five, but starting early felt like a smart decision.

We were very optimistic people.

When everything still felt easy

The hike started in a way that almost felt misleading. A quiet forest, soft light coming through the trees, and what looked like a real trail. Mailo was in his element, nose to the ground, completely in love with everything.

For the first hours it felt like one of those hikes where you just keep walking and enjoying yourself. We kept telling ourselves we would simply do it for the whole day and see where we end up.

That confidence did not last long.

Somewhere along the way, the mountain turned into what we now call the ankle breaker. Not because it was especially slippery, but because there was never a normal, steady place to put your feet. Just rocks. Endless rocks. Big ones, small ones, sharp ones, tilted ones, all in the wrong places. I was tripping all the time. Honestly it is a miracle we made it back down with nothing but injured egos and no actual injuries.

When Sicily shows its wild side

At some point, the trail simply disappeared.

Suddenly there was nothing but rocks and coordinates. Sharp bushes ripping into our jackets. Every step required full attention and constant checking of the map.

We realised this might actually be the hardest hike we have ever done.

Mailo, of course, thought it was the best day of his life. He zoomed through everything, jumped over rocks and drank from tiny rainwater pools carved into the stone. He had luxury drinking stations. We were carrying heavy bottles on our backs.

The landscape was wild, empty and beautiful in a way that felt almost unsettling. This did not look like postcard Sicily at all. It felt untouched and unforgiving.

This is the Sicily people never expect.

Seeing the summit and knowing you will not make it

Around one o’clock, we could see the summit. It looked so close. Maybe a kilometre or so. Straight up.

By that time we were already around seven kilometres in (yes, it did take us 5 hours to walk 7 kilometres, because the trail, or no trail, was insane). To finish the hike would have meant another nine. Still up to the summit and then all the way back down on another side... Unknown side.

In winter you do not get much forgiveness with daylight. It gets dark fast. And this mountain had already made it very clear that it does not offer shortcuts, markings or friendly paths.

We even found animal bones on the way. Which is not something that fills you with confidence.

At this point my brain had gone into full panic mode. I was already calculating helicopter rescue prices in my head, repeating that Grinch quote on a loop. I’m gonna die. I’m gonna throw up. And then I’m gonna die.

So we turned back...

Going down was worse

People love to say that going down is easier.

It was not.

Tired legs. Steep rocks. No trail. Just staring at the GPS and hoping that one wrong step would not send us sliding somewhere we did not want to go. By this point I had completely lost trust in my ankles. Every step felt like the wrong one.

This is not a place you rush. And there is no choice but to continue once you are in it.

We had proper shoes. Food. Water. Navigation. And we were still struggling.

Mailo was still having the time of his life, of course.

Why I am telling you this

We did not reach the summit of Rocca Busambra. And honestly, that is fine.

This hike showed us something important. Sicily is not just beaches and aperitivo bars. It is also wild, empty, extreme and sometimes almost not for humans.

Winter in Sicily is not dead. It just looks different.

If you want mountains, silence, forests and something that makes you feel very small, this island has plenty of that.

There are shorter and more reasonable routes on Rocca Busambra. A normal person would probably choose those in winter, when daylight is short and the weather unpredictable. We did not. We are not those smart people. We make mistakes so you can read about them and laugh.

If you ever hike here, prepare. Actually prepare. Know your abilities. Or hire a guide. We did not, and we paid for it.

Still, now that the muscles do not hurt quite as much, I look back at this day with a strange fondness. At the time it was awful. But I have never been so happy to see our car as I was when we made it back, just before dark, purely by luck.

And somehow that feels very Sicily too. Even when it feels difficult or impossible, it somehow works out and it is not always for you to know how or why. :D

Thank you for reading this story. Whether you are actually thinking about hiking Rocca Busambra yourself, or you just like reading about Sicily, or our ridiculous failure simply made you laugh, I am glad you were here. We share Sicily as it really is, unfiltered and sometimes a little chaotic, and there is plenty more of that coming.

If you wish to see our failure in video, you can find it on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/DKk3glVsc00?si=sv4_dOsWTlVdtO4m

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Thank you for reading and see you in the next one.
Ciao!