website:
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Owner of the abandoned railway:
Italian Railways of the State (Ferrovie dello Stato)
The construction of the railway Palermo Lolli-Monreale-Camporeale began in 1924 and continued until 1935, when the railway infrastructure dedicated to the construction was sent to Africa. The railway,was entirely built from Palermo to Camporeale (about 65 km long). The Palermo – Monreale section was also equipped as a railway, but it never started working. Today there is still a debate about if an initial part was actually equipped with tracks or not. Currently it’s not always possible to identify the old railway. On one hand, some sections of the ex-railway has been transformed (between Monreale and Pianetto and between Piana degli Albanesi and S. Cipirello)into ordinary roads, where it’s still possible to see tunnels and old reinforced walls. On the other hand, the ex railway, is often recognizable as a field road or path with bridges and viaducts, although there are frequent interruptions due to the surrounding fields. The stations are now used as private houses. Along the 85 km track, characterised by 900 m of height difference, presence of 16 tunnels (considering also the two destroyed during the war) and 6 viaducts.
Total climbing: 0 m
Total descent: 0 m
Palermo offers a wide range of sport activities: skydiving and freediving and thanks to the proximity to the mountains it is possible to ride mountain bikes and to trek. A great point of interest is Monte Pellegrino with a great view over the city. The track of the old railway passes through the green area of the park Uditore and the old station that today is a private house. Near the park there is a sport area with tennis courts. There are also several manufactures of historical interest, such as stations (Uditore, Baida, Monreale, Altofonte) several cantoniere houses, many bridges (among which the most famous is the one near Boccadifalco that has become the symbol) and several tunnels. In some cases some of the structures have recently been restored ( Monreale station become the headquarters of the health care authority). Monreale is a picturesque town just outside Palermo, famous for its architectural heritage and the fine mosaics in its Norman cathedral. Monreale and Palermo are connected by regular city buses. One of the most famous and symbolic event of the city is the Feast of the Holy Cross that took place in May.
Thanks to the proximity to the nature the trail is ideal for sports and activities characterized by slow mobility. The potential sport activities that will possible to carry out, are the following:
Cycling: this kind of activity can be practised by single individual or in group.
Difficulty by bike – Medium difficulty; by electric bike – Medium/Easy difficulty)
Recommended Bike: Mountain Bike / Gravel Bike / Trekking Bike (absolutely not recommended: racing bike because some parts of the route are characterised by unpaved roads).
Walking: This activity can be carry out in group or by the single individual.
Probably, the itinerary of the disused railway can be walked in any season, and it could be suitable for pedestrians, cyclists, skaters, horse riders.
There is no information available about the use of the potential greenway by people with reduced mobility.
The Palermo – Monreale Greenway project was supposed to be realised by the end of 2019. The deadline has been postpone to the end of 2021.
According to an article, the administration of the Municipality of Palermo announced that the project has currently been suspended, with the hope that new funding will be obtained. Over 300.000,00 euros has already been spent. (https://palermo.mobilita.org/2022/12/09/greenway-palermo-monreale-addio-o-arrivederci/)