Blufi, the ancient village on the Madonie considered 'the Holland of Sicily' for its fields of red tulips. In spring, hundreds of thousands of red tulips grow wild in the expanses surrounding the small town, which is part of the metropolitan city of Palermo. During the spring season, therefore, very delicate red petals stand out among almond and olive trees. A wonderful scenery around which the mountains of the Madonie.
Red tulips at the foot of the Madonie
The red tulips of the Madonie bloom in the season of rebirth. Their expanses and bright colors have given the small town of Blufi the nickname 'small Holland' of Sicily. The quality is that of the early tulip or Raddi tulip. The peculiarity of this species is that the bulbs are at least 50 centimeters deep and, therefore, the flowers resist even when plowing the fields.
Blufi, the tulip country of Sicily
Blufi, is located on the southern side of the Madonie and has a few hundred inhabitants. Most likely the etymology of the name derives from the Arabic; indeed 'beluf'would indicate a typical plant of the Arabian peninsula.
Until 1972 Blufi was a fraction of the Municipality of Petralia Soprana, a famous village among the most beautiful in Italy. The santuario of the Madonna dell'Olio, a continuous pilgrimage destination. The most important field of tulips is just downstream from the sanctuary. The beautiful flowers are the main attraction of Blufi, a splendid village that many are rediscovering.
The legend
An ancient legend also circulates about the wonderful flowering of red tulips in the fields at the foot of the Madonie. The story tells of two young spouses who were unable to have children. The two young lovers then go to the sanctuary of the Madonna dell'Olio, on a day in May, to entrust their prayers to the Virgin. The couple place some white tulips on the altar which, miraculously in front of the effigy of the Madonna, turn red.
Always according to what has been handed down by popular tradition, after this extraordinary episode, the young woman finally discovers that she is pregnant. In the following February the young woman gives birth to twins and, a few weeks after the birth of the two children, the couple goes back to the sanctuary. But the place of worship is closed.
The two young parents greet the Madonna from the door and, as soon as they turn around, they realize they have an immense field of red tulips in front of them. Those same flowers left on the altar in May dedicated to the Virgin.
