Did you know that there is a tiny village in Sicily whose architectural style recalls the Spanish city of Barcelona?
I’m referring to Borgo Parrini, a very small hamlet near Partinico, roughly 50 kms away from Palermo.
It is curious how this place has just recently acquired popularity among visitors – also thanks to the social media word of mouth – becoming one of the most instagrammable places in Sicily!
This peculiar resemblance to the city of Barcelona, and more specifically, to the modernist style of Catalan architect Antoni Gaudì, is to be referred to the idea of Giuseppe Gaglio, an inhabitant of the town, who really wanted to give life back to the uninhabited houses of the village and, for this reason, decided to renovate them, inspired by the colorful creativity of Gaudì’s genius.
Giuseppe and the local people belonging to this place, worked very hard to redevelop the district, giving it a second birth after it had got abandoned during the ‘70s.
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF BORGO PARRINI?
The word Parrini literally means “preasts”, and it is connected to the origin of this area where, in the XVI century, the Jesuits fathers (“parrini”) founded the village – with its Church titled to Maria SS. Del Rosario – which was devoted to agricoltural activies.
Borgo Parrini’s facades and more
As soon as you enter the village, your eyes are captured by an explosions of colors which suddenly teleport you to the famous Park Güell garden in Barcelona! The buildings facades are decorated with majolicas and paintings caracterized by the typical white and blue mediterranean colors.
The visit to Borgo Parrini mostly consists in walking among the painted houses, stopping at each corner to read on the walls the quotes of worldwide famous idols, such as Gandhi, Dante Alighieri, Mother Teresa of Calcutta and, of course, taking tons of pictures from infinite perspectives that this “small Barcelona” offers to visitors.
The street art here is predominant, there is also a beautiful murales of Frida Kahlo titled “Frida alla Luna” by artist Peppe Vaccaro.
Some of this colorful renovated houses are open to visitors (with a small fee of 1€ per house) and you can see how they have been accurately restored inside out recalling Gaudì’s famous buildings Casa Battlò and Casa Milà, with many colored ceramic tiles and “azulejos”.
Recently, a literary cafe has opened in the village and it is venue to many cultural events.
How to get there
If you are planning to get to Borgo Parrini via public transports, from Palermo you can either take the train to Partinico and walk roughly 2 kms (30 minutes) to the village or catch a bus (check the timetable here) from Palermo to Partinico and then continue walking.
Unfortunately, as often in Sicily, the small hamlets are not quite connected through the public transport, so drivingcan often be the easiest way to reach Borgo Parrini. The driving distance from Palermo is less than one hour and you can follow the highway E90 to SP1bis in Terrasini, and exit Montelepre from E90. Follow SP1bis and take Via Parrini until you reach the village. There is also a parking space in front of the village entrance.
Have a look at the map above to see details on how to get to the Borgo.
WHERE TO EAT AND ACCOMMODATIONS IN BORGO PARRINI
Bearing in mind that Borgo Parrini is a very tiny neighborhood, it is worth mentioning a few places where you can stop for lunch or to taste the food specialties of this area:
- Pizzeria “A Stidda” popular for the invention of “U Vota e Sbota”, a focaccia which goes to the wood oven and quickly turned over and over.
- Pizzeria “Nu Parrinaru”
- Pizzeria “La Borgatella”
- Bakery “Za Santa”, which since 1942 bakes its authentic bread strictly using only wood oven.
If you have the chance to stop at one of these restaurants, you should definitely try the Lemon Pizza (pizza al limone), a real delicacy of this place!
If you wish to stay overnight, currently it is not possible to book the apartments inside the village, however there are a few nice accommodations nearby such as B&B Parchi dei Parrini with swimming pool or the charming Homi Country Retreat just a few miles away and/or B&B del Centro & SPA, in case you prefer to stay in Partinico town.
It is worth visiting Borgo Parrini in Sicily?
Borgo Parrini is a very charming small hamlet and for sure it deserves a visit during your holidays in Sicily! The visit itself is quite short, as the district is so small that can be visited in an hour or so, depending on how deeply you want to get to know it.
As many Sicilian hamlets, the village is off road and a bit tricky to be reached, however thanks to its strategic location between very popular tourist attractions in Western Sicily – such as San Vito Lo Capo, Terrasini, Monreale, Mondello and Palermo – it is relatively easy to match the visit to Borgo Parrini with the rest of your holiday tour, being able to stop by on the way.
Sinceramente non conoscevo questo splendido e colorato borgo della Sicilia. Lo aggoungo alle mete da visitare il prossimo anno, poichè ho intenzione di tornare sull’isola. Ricorda molto, in alcuni sorci, Bercellona.
I suggest you to go and visit it during your next holiday to Sicily!
I really love these colourful places in Sicily! It’s a region I don’t know very well, but I’d like to visit it sooner or later.
I hope you will soon! Borgo Parrini colourful style is actually very uncommon in Sicily compared with the traditional baroque or arab architecture you can find in the island. It’s a great example of urban restyling of an old abandoned borough.
I had never heard about this small town, but it seems really very nice and colourful. Congrats for your pictures, they are lovely!
thank you, with so many colours, it was not difficult to make nice pictures 😉
I’m not sure about lemon pizza, but you convinced me!
I want to visit this village as soon as possible because redeveloping a neighbourhood to make it look like “little Gaudì’s Barcelona” seems brilliant to me, and I can’t help but appreciate it!
Exactly! This place is a good example of what local people can do to give a second life to abandoned areas and we need to support them!
I don’t know this village but how pictoresque! Very insta-worthy with all its colors!
You are right and as a matter of fact this place got really popular thanks to the many selfies on IG 🙂
Ricorda davvero molto lo stile di Gaudì.. Non avevo mai sentito parlare di questo borgo colorato della Sicilia ma me lo segno subito in cima ai posti da vedere quando tornerò sull’isola del sole!
Well done, I hope you won’t be disappointed.
I really need to go back to Sicily sometime soon! I had never heard of Borgo Parrini until now, and after looking at your photos I thought: “Looks like Park Güell!” And some corners also reminds me of Seville, with all the colorful tiles.
It’s interesting that you don’t find anything similar to this style in other parts of Sicily, that is also what makes this small village so unique!
Conosco questo luogo solo dai tanti scatti visti su instagram, è talmente bello che deve essere una meta ambita. Se verrò in Sicilia sarà sicuramente una tappa nel mio tour!
Yes, it’s a small borough which can easily fit into each trip to Sicily 😉
I learned about Borgo Parrini a few years ago when all the buzz created around it made this little village so famous. Some family went there last year but was a bit disappointed so I never went but maybe I should give it a chance.
Hi Veronica! I know that Borgo Parrini might at first sight “confuse” the visitor because of its incredibly small size. However, I think that a short stop to this place during a trip to western Sicily can be a nice idea to discover a different side of this island, don’t you agree?!:)
An idea to replicate that of Giuseppe Gaglio, to enhance the territory and the uninhabited houses of the village.
Street art is an excellent engine of urban redevelopment!
I see what you mean! Street art can really help abandoned areas to rebuild a new identity and drag tourist and locals interest to places that used to be totally ignored!
Many Sicilian villages are colorful and rich in history and are often located a short distance from capital cities like this one. I love seeing the intense colors of the architecture and then I really like street art!
I agree with you, these small villages of Sicily are so charming and full of art and history…I love to show what Sicily can offer beyond the most popular cities…!
I’ve never been to Borgo Parrini, but Sicily offers real corners of paradise like this, all to be discovered!
It’s so true! Borgo Parrini has just recently got its popularity and I’m sure this is going to happen for many more lovely small villages around this beautiful island 🙂
I saw many pics about this Beautiful place on social media. It’s time to come and see it as soon as possible.
You are right! This place has just recently become popular thanks to the social media pictures. It’s a very small borough so very easy to visit!
This village is really fascinating, I didn’t know it but I sign it to go and visit on the next trip to Sicily. Thanks
Thank you Cristina! Borgo Parrini is a very tiny village which deserves your visit. Even a few hours are enough to get the feeling, so don’t miss it on your next trip to Sicily 🙂
I was there once with a friend and when we arrived, we were amazed, by the colors, designs, and everything around us. Everything was very beautiful.
It is a very small borough but the people living there have been very creative and realized a lovely unique place in Sicily 🙂
This place really look like Barcelona! I really like the painted houses and majolicas!
Yes you are right! I wanted to visit it even if it is not amongst the most popular places of Sicily but I has become very popular thanks to the social media as it is a perfect spot for instagram shots! 😉