Welcome to Gangi, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, indeed, the one that won the prestigious title of Borgo dei Borghi 2014!Here the houses seem to lie soft and low, like a warm quilt, cuddling into the slopes of Mount Marone. In the evening, when the lights of the houses shine, Gangi looks just like a real live nativity scene!Our village can be recounted in two ways. First there is the mythical version, which tells of distant origins and then there is the historical one, which can be traced back to the Middle Ages!Well, our origins are rooted in the most distant myth! It is said that it was the Cretans, who came to Sicily in search of Daedalus together with their king Minos, who settled here, after having founded Minoa on the southern coast of the island. Right here they founded Engyon, giving it the name of a spring and built a temple dedicated to the Metéres, the Mother Goddesses. A temple, it is said, that was enriched with such precious treasures that the greedy Roman governor Verre cast his eyes on it and sacked it!Well, we do not know if this legend is based on some truth, although many scholars have tried to give it historical basis. What is certain is that the Gangitans like to imagine they have such ancient origins!An ancient fortified city named Engio seems to have arisen in the Gangi Vecchio district but we are not sure about that! The sources could refer to this city, telling us that in 1195 Gangi already existed as a land of the County of Geraci and, subsequently, became the property of the Ventimiglia, Counts of Geraci, at least until 1695.During the infighting between the French of Anjou and the Spaniards of Aragon, it seems that Gangi took the side of the Angevins and therefore was destroyed, around 1299. Its inhabitants, initially dispersed in the nearby countryside, then they decided to rebuild it, around 1303, on a nearby hill, Mount Marone. In reality, even in this case what happened is unclear: it is said that, besieged by the Count of Geraci himself, it was razed to the ground or, that having laid down arms, it was spared from this fate, as attested by the surrender pacts of the besieged village.Therefore, there seems to be no reliable evidence of either there being an ancient Cretan origin or of the destruction of 1299! Rather, a third perhaps more likely story has recently appeared. Gangi may have been founded by the Norman knights around the end of 1000, as a military outpost controlling the area and which, over time, was populated by people from the neighboring farmhouses.Whatever the truth about who, how and when Gangi was founded, its fate, from 1300 onwards and for over three centuries was closely linked to that of the Ventimiglia from Geraci. It was Francesco I who built the castle and the tower, which takes its name from the family. Gangi became a typical medieval citadel, with high walls and towers, and  a few, well-defended access gates. They were centuries of great ferment and evolution: churches, monasteries and palaces were built. Then in 1625 Gangi first passed over to the Graffeo, who bought the territory from the Ventimiglia family, obtaining the title of princes of Gangi at the behest of King Philip IV. Later, in 1677, the title and the village passed into the hands of the Valguarnera family, who ruled the village until the end of the 1800s.Today Gangi boasts the beauty that it has been able to preserve, in its alleys, in its houses, in its churches: a beauty that, we are sure, will overwhelm you with its charm, thanks to this audiotour!This audio tour has been realized for the Municipality of Gangi by Elisa Bonacini, under the coordination of Maria Giovanna Meli and Vincenzo Barreca, granted by the !Progetto 2019_VOL_00845- Nel cuore delle Madonie Borghi Accessibili per tutti". Texts by Vincenzo Barreca and Elisa Bonacini..Translated by Teresa Giblin.