itenfr +39 327 0410244 Whatsapp [email protected]
+39 327 0410244 Whatsapp [email protected]
itenfr

 

Meet our guides
Laetitia & Mario

We share with you our passion for Sicily’s stunning nature and the beauties of the Madonie Natural Park.

Explore the Madonie with us

One day, we decided to live as much as possible in contact with nature… and our passion became our job!
We are nature guides with over 15 years of experience working in nature tourism and experiences.

Madonie Explorers organizes:
– nature and hiking tours
– experiences related to the local traditions (e.g.: manna production, medicinal plants, traditional cultivations, “cucina povera” cooking)
Our goal to is share with travelers Sicily’s extraordinary natural beauty, with a special focus on the Madonie Regional Natural Park.

Madonie Explorers is based in Castelbuono, a small town  of 8,000 inhabitants in the province of Palermo, located at the foot of the Madonie Mountains.

Laetitia

Laetitia Bourget is French, with Italian origins. She always loved Italy and, after living abroad for many years (in Brussels and then in Madrid), she decided in 2008 to move to the Belpaese. Laetitia instantly fell in love with Sicily, especially with the Madonie Mountains. She is a qualified AIGAE guide (see below) and she will share with you her passion for nature, ethnobotany and gastronomy. She speaks perfect Italian, English, Spanish and, of course, French.

Mario

Mario Cicero is Sicilian and is from Castelbuono, in the Madonie. He was a cook for 10 years before he decided to dedicate his life to nature. He is a qualified AIGAE nature guide (see below), a manna producer and a farmer. Whether he guides you in the mountains or in the country, he will make you live the magic of his ancestors’ land sharing fascinating stories and know-hows. In addition to Italian, Mario speaks English, French, and Spanish.

Mario and the manna in the media

Support the true sustainable tourism!

Our activities naturally have a very low environmental impact and a positive effect on the local community:

  • Our hikes take place on existing trails and accommodate a small number of participants, ensuring we don’t disturb the fauna or damage the flora.
  • We keep traditions alive – such as the manna harvest, the use of medicinal plants and the local “cucina povera” cooking – practising them yourselves and sharing them with our guests.
  • We plant, cultivate, and practice sustainable foraging with the goal of achieving food self-sufficiency in vegetables, fruits and aromatics.
  • Our experiences are hosted on a land where the water supply comes from rainwater and electricity is generated by small solar panels.
  • We concentrate our activities on a smaller portion of Sicily’s territory (the Madonie, in particular the territory of Castelbuono), which limits car trips and fuel consumption.
  • We live locally and spend locally: we reside year-round in Sicily in Castelbuono and contribute to the local economy by spending most of our earnings at local stores and suppliers.

Qualified Nature Guides

We are members of AIGAE (Associazione Italiana Guide Ambientali Escursionistiche), which is the main nature guide association recognized by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development (MISE). We are specifically trained to guide people in natural environments and regularly update our skills thanks to specialized courses. We are also listed on the Sicily Region nature guides registry.