According to the Castiglionese historian Filoteo degli Omodei, Linguaglossa was founded around the year 1100 by a group of Genoans and Lombards who arrived from Castiglione to extract resin from the pines found around Etna's woodland. First mention of Linguaglossa appeared in 1145, the year in which Ruggero II, King of Sicily, established the borders of the Diocese of Messina for the founder of the Archimandrita Venerabile Luca religious movement. Following the revolt in Palermo in 1282, renowned through history as the "Vespri Siciliani", Linguaglossa also rose against the Angioini; during 1300 Linguaglossa ceased being governed by the state and became part of a noble feud. Towards the mid sixteenth-century, Etna erupted and seriously threatened and even perhaps devastated part of the town which, according to tradition, was saved from total destruction thanks to the intervention of St. Egidio, following the appeal of an elderly paralysed lady. Since then St. Egidio has been the patron saint of the town.

On the 13th of June 1634, thanks to Philip IV of Spain, Linguaglossa was finally declared a free city and was granted the privilege of appointing its own officials and administrators. This achievement was compromised firstly by a terrible famine in 1672 which halved the number of inhabitants and then the terrible earthquake in 1693 which brought the majority of eastern Sicily to the ground. After a slow and difficult period of reconstruction, Linguaglossa took on its current appearance of a tranquil city, which was well organised and crowned by green woodland. Among the main resources in this area, alongside local craftsmanship and agriculture, tourism over the last few decades continues to gain more and more importance: other than the numerous architectural and artistic assets, the town boasts a beautiful pine grove and an invaluable destination of tourists who love the mountains.

 
The Linguaglossa territory, which presents unique and particular characteristics that makes you aware and appreciate the nature around it, extends to the north eastern zone of Etna for 58 kilometres squared. Its height above sea level ranges from 550 metres to 2,000.

Its shape is that of a long strip that runs downwards from the slopes of Mount Etna, with torrent channels through which water flows for just a few days a year.

Valleys, woodland, volcanic deserts, central craters, a breathtaking mix of unique and unusual environments all strike visitors on their arrival and it is impossible not to notice such nature, which manages to express itself in its best form. Monumental trees, endemic species, lava and grottos are all waiting to be discovered on a walk around the territory.
 

Visitors along its tracks are enticed by its beauty, charm and the great sense of majestic nature. Corsican pine, birch and oak trees are the sole protagonists of this green paradise, where everything takes on a new dimension.

The "Zappinazzu" Corsican Pine

An age-old corsican pine known as “Zappinazzu” is located just a few kilometres from the centre of Linguaglossa in Bosco Ragabo. Its monumental dimensions will certainly leave you amazed by its powerful elegance. It measures circa 25 metres with a circumference of 5 metres and has a foliage diameter of circa 14 metres. Its have been there so long that it became the protagonist of the numerous stories and legends, which inevitably increase its charm.