Altofonte

Altofonte is a small borgo in the Province of Palermo, set at the foot of Monte Moarda in the upper part of the Conca d’Oro. Surrounded by woods and clear springs, it overlooks the Jato River valley, with a landscape that links the village closely to water, hills and the rural edge of Palermo.

Until the 1930s, Altofonte was known as “Parco”, a name tied to its past as the royal hunting park of King Roger II. Its present name, meaning “high springs”, reflects the abundance of water that has long shaped the area’s identity. The village also carries a notable royal memory: it was used as a summer residence during the Norman, Aragonese and Angevin periods, and King Peter II of Aragon is said to have been born here.

Today, Altofonte’s character comes from this meeting of mountain setting, noble history and village life. Its distinctive appeal lies in the way a quiet Palermo hillside settlement still preserves the memory of a royal park, a water-rich landscape and a name that tells its story directly.