Perched at its highest point, at 800 meters above sea level, Fornazzo is the final outpost before taking the mountain road and entering the woods of Cerrita. The small village began to take shape in the early years of the century, sparked by interest in activities deeply tied to the nature of the area: woodworking and the trade of snow. The first settlers, scattered across the region, were woodsmen and lumberjacks drawn by the vast forests; later, snow also became a profitable resource and a source of employment for many families. These two industries flourished thanks to the ingenuity of Cavaliere Giuseppe Leotta (known as *Don Puddu da Nivi*), an enterprising man from Giarre who turned Fornazzo into a true commercial hub, with a large sawmill and a substantial *nivera* (snow storage facility), both of which provided work for dozens of families. The cableway he had built in 1921 to transport timber and snow from Cerrita to Fornazzo was inaugurated in 1922 by His Excellency Ferdinando Perez, Plenipotentiary Minister of Argentina, and—unfortunately—was destroyed by the 1928 lava flow. Many political and cultural figures of the time gathered at Villa Leotta in a lively, social atmosphere. Among them was the unforgettable Angelo Musco, who left one of his brilliant remarks in the guestbook: *”With unwavering faith that very soon Milo will become two-lilo.”*

The great actor’s wish, sixty years later, seemed to bear fruit when Fornazzo was officially proclaimed the “Ideal Village of Italy” in a national contest organized by Airone magazine. Snow is no longer traded in Fornazzo, but woodworking remains a primary activity around which much of the village’s economy still revolves.

The urban core has remained largely intact, with its small, low houses clustered around the little church. Life there unfolded quietly, shaped by work and the rhythm of the seasons; it was precisely this sense of tranquility that won over the competition’s jury—and that continues to captivate visitors today.

If Fornazzo earned a place in the spotlight as Italy’s “Ideal Village,” Caselle and Praino—the other two hamlets of Milo—offer equally compelling points of interest for visitors and represent two significant chapters in the history of this region.

The oldest core of Caselle lies just a few hundred meters from the center of Milo and consists of a cluster of small, tightly packed houses nestled among vineyards and remnants of forest. Though its state of preservation is no longer ideal, the settlement is well worth a visit, as it represents the earliest example of habitation in the area.

The “caselle of Milo” are often mentioned in historical accounts; particularly notable are the references to the eruption of 1852, when on September 13th the fiery stream reached and destroyed several of them. Of significant botanical interest is also a vast area uphill from the village, where a natural mixed forest is being reestablished on ancient lava flows and farmland long abandoned. Caselle is also the essential starting point for hikes to the Ilice di Carrinu, the monumental holm oak of Mount Etna.

Praino is perhaps the oldest inhabited nucleus of Milo. Its layout has retained a distinctly rural character, with scattered houses serving the surrounding farmland, which is entirely dedicated to vineyards. The settlement developed mainly between the 18th and 19th centuries around a small church, originally privately owned by the Petralia family and presumably built in the early 1700s, as indicated by its two bells dated 1722 and 1746.

The little church remained open for worship until World War II and served for two centuries as a social gathering point for the many families dispersed throughout the Praino area. The region is enchanting, thanks to a milder climate compared to Milo and a landscape that opens both toward the mountain and the Ionian Sea.

The countryside surrounding the church is dotted with dozens of rural buildings, some dating back to the first half of the 18th century. In one of these houses, the poet Carlo Parisi spent many of his summers, from the late 1800s through the 1920s. The charm and serenity of the place also attracted some of the great names in Italian music, such as Franco Battiato and Lucio Dalla, who purchased and restored old manor houses to make them their homes.