What to see
The Rocca towering over the town, the Beccadelli Bologna Castle with the regional Museum of the Eleuterio Valley, the old town with its stairways and, a few minutes away, the Naca in the Sirena Valley.
The area
Marineo, between Palermo, the Ficuzza forest and Corleone: hills, woods, small towns and the sea half an hour away.
Where we are
We are in Marineo, Sicily: a hill town of about six thousand people, some thirty kilometres from Palermo. It is a gateway to the Alto Belice Corleonese, among olive groves, vineyards, woods and small towns, far from the busiest tourist routes.
Below you will find Marineo first, where our base is and where almost everything we do begins; then the surroundings and how to get here.
How close we are
By car from Marineo, approximate times without traffic.
- 35 minfrom Palermo
- 1 h 10from Palermo airport
- 40 minfrom Corleone
- 30 minto the sea
Marineo
The town is gathered at the foot of its Rocca, the great rock face that towers above it and can be seen from miles away. Today's town dates from 1552, when the local lord Francesco Beccadelli Bologna had the first houses built.
In the old town stands the 16th-century Castello Beccadelli Bologna, home to the Eleuterio Valley Regional Museum, with Punic, Greek, Roman and medieval finds from the area. Around it are narrow lanes, stairways and squares where people meet every evening.
In summer the squares and the Castle Gardens fill with festivals, music and poetry, such as SalvaGente and In Vicoli DiVersi. All year round there are traditions, home cooking and local produce, from Valle di Sirena citrus fruit to olive oil.
Marineo at a glance
Services
In town there are pharmacies, GPs, a post office, a bank and cash machines, supermarkets, cafés, pizzerias and restaurants. Intercity buses connect Marineo with Palermo.
What we do here
At Casa Naqah, Corso dei Mille 60, we run workshops, meetings and activities. In summer SalvaGente brings the Castle Gardens to life, where the INNESTO project is also growing.
Our name comes from here
Naqah is named after the Naca in the Valle di Sirena, in Marineo: a natural pool along the stream where we grew up and always met. The word comes from Sicilian Arabic naq'a, "still water": for us it has become a place of refuge and encounter, where nature, culture and community come together.
Marineo in pictures
The Alto Belice Corleonese
Around Marineo lies the Alto Belice Corleonese, the inland area between Palermo and Corleone: small towns such as Bolognetta, Godrano, Cefalà Diana, Villafrati and Mezzojuso, wheat fields, olive groves and vineyards, and the great Bosco della Ficuzza nature reserve beneath the Rocca Busambra.
These communities know depopulation and distance from services well, but they are full of know-how, local produce and people who want to make things happen. We use many of the places below in our activities too.
Places to discover nearby
All less than an hour from Marineo.
Naca di Sirena
The waterfall near Marineo that gave Naqah its name: water, rocks and green, a few minutes from town.
Bosco della Ficuzza and Rocca Busambra
A nature reserve since 2000: oaks, holm oaks, trails and small lakes beneath Rocca Busambra, the highest peak in western Sicily.
Lake Scanzano
A lake among the hills, a few kilometres from Marineo: meadows, water and grazing animals, for a walk or an outdoor activity.
Royal Hunting Lodge of Ficuzza
In the village of Ficuzza, at the edge of the woods, the neoclassical hunting lodge built for Ferdinand of Bourbon in the early 19th century.
Corleone
A town of ancient history, churches and alleys, forty minutes from Marineo, among the fields beneath the Rocca Busambra. Today it also tells the story of the fight against the mafia.
Palermo
The regional capital, 35 minutes away: markets, the old town and the Arab-Norman route, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2015.
A place that teaches
For us the area is a learning space: workshops, outings, meetings and field activities happen here, including with groups from other countries.
Woods and nature
The Ficuzza woods nature reserve for outdoor and environmental education.
Countryside and farms
Food, seasons, farming and sustainability, from field to table.
Culture and memory
Festivals, traditions, village history and the fight against the mafia.
Communities and associations
Partner municipalities, associations and the people we work with every day.
The area in numbers
Source: ISTAT, compiled by Tuttitalia. The 2024 figure is provisional.
- 6,025people living in Marineo on 31 December 2024
- −13%fewer residents than in 2001 (there were 6,950)
- 183people over 65 for every 100 children under 15 (2024)
- 33 km²of municipal land, across hills, woods and farmland
How to get here
- By plane: the nearest airport is Palermo Falcone Borsellino, about 60 km and an hour and ten minutes' drive from Marineo.
- From Palermo: about 30 km, 35–40 minutes by car. Regional buses also run from Palermo: ask us for up-to-date times and stops.
- From the airport by public transport: train or bus to central Palermo, then the bus to Marineo. For groups, we arrange transfers together.
- The sea: Casteldaccia and Altavilla Milicia are about half an hour's drive away.
Times are approximate and assume no traffic.
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If you're coming from abroad
- Language: Italian is spoken locally; in our activities with international groups we also use English.
- Seasons: hot, dry summers and cooler winters in the hills; outdoor activities are planned around the season.
- Getting around: the town is easy to explore on foot; for the surrounding area you need a car or minibus, and for groups we arrange transfers together.
- Casa Naqah: our base, at Corso dei Mille 60, is the meeting point for activities.
Why we work here
An authentic area full of resources, but with few opportunities for the people who live here: the town is slowly emptying, many young people leave to study or work, and services and transport are far away. In our surveys, young people put jobs first, followed by mental health and the environment.
We work so that staying can be a real choice, not a fallback, and so that those who leave can also come back. That is why we are part of Patto per Restare, the network of Sicilian youth organisations working so that anyone who wants to stay in or return to Sicily can do so.
Bring your group here
Bring your youth group, staff or adult learners to this area: we design the experience together, combining workshops, nature, community life and the stories of those who stay.