Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Nunziata

An ancient devotion at the foot of Mount Etna

The Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel takes place every year in Nunziata, a small village in the municipality of Mascali, in the province of Catania, along the Ionian slopes of Mount Etna. It is one of the most deeply rooted religious traditions in the area, drawing faithful not only from Nunziata but also from nearby villages and the neighboring towns of Giarre and San Giovanni Montebello.

The focal point of the celebrations is the small Sanctuary of the Madonna del Carmelo, located outside the village in the Piano Tamburino area, along the road connecting Nunziata di Mascali with San Giovanni Montebello. Its isolated position, nestled in the Etnean countryside, gives the festival a particularly evocative atmosphere.

The legend of its origins

According to popular tradition, an ancient small altar featuring an image of the Madonna once stood here, placed to protect travelers on the country road. It is said that a young shepherd heard a voice identifying itself as the Mother of Carmel, pointing to a spot covered in brambles: once the ground was cleared, an icon of the Virgin was discovered. From that finding, the devotion that still animates the community of Nunziata was born.

The meaning of the festival

The festival combines spiritual and community dimensions: for the people of Nunziata, it is a defining event, a moment when the entire village gathers around its patroness. The two-week preparation period, which begins on July 1st, marks the weeks leading up to the solemnity with daily prayers and celebrations.

Between faith and popular tradition

• The festive ringing of bells at dawn on July 16th
• The fireworks display announcing the feast day
• The open-air Holy Mass celebrated at Piano Tamburino with the Sanctuary in the background
• The solemn procession with the statue of the Madonna towards the mother church of Nunziata

To ensure the safety of the procession, the Metropolitan City of Catania orders the temporary closure of the provincial road S.P. 5/II every year, in the stretch between Via Nunziata Puntalazzo and the border with the municipality of Giarre, starting from the late afternoon of July 16th.