Piano Battaglia is the roof garden of Sicily's northern mountains, a high, open basin at about fifteen hundred metres where the road runs out of village and into the clouds. The Madonie rise around it in bare limestone ridges, with Pizzo Carbonara at nearly two thousand metres the highest of them, and the whole area feels more like the Apennines than a Mediterranean island. In winter, snow falls here, and there is a small ski area with a couple of lifts, one of the few in Sicily outside Etna. In summer, the plateau is a grassy open space dotted with cattle and walkers.
The ride up from Castelbuono or from the villages on the northern side, Isnello and Collesano, is a pleasure of a particular kind. The road climbs through terraces of olive and almond, then through oak woods, and finally through open beech forest, with a series of bends and a handful of hairpins that give good views down to the coast. The surface can be patchy and in places rough from frost, and there are sometimes loose stones and the odd cow on the tarmac, so keep a careful pace. In misty weather the visibility is poor and the temperature drops quickly. The road may be closed in heavy snow, and chains or winter tyres are necessary in cold months.
Nature is the great attraction. The Madonie park is home to a rare tree, the Sicilian fir, which grows only here in the world and has been reduced to a few dozen mature trees in a valley nearby. It is a survivor from the Ice Age, and conservation efforts are trying to bring it back. In spring the meadows are covered with wild orchids, peonies and cyclamens, and in autumn the beech woods turn from green to gold. Birds of prey, including golden eagles and buzzards, are common above the ridges.
There are a few small restaurants and refuges around the plain, serving hearty mountain food, such as grilled sausages, cheese and ricotta, but opening hours are seasonal and unreliable, so it is wise to bring something. Castelbuono, about nine kilometres away by straight line and much more by road, is the nearest large town with stations and supermarkets, so fill before you go up.
Weather is the main variable. Wind and fog can arrive without notice, and the air is much cooler than on the coast, so bring a layer even in July.