Monte Jato rises at about 30 km south-west of Palermo.
It is the last southern offshoot of the mountain range that separates the Conca d’Oro from the hinterland where the Belice and the Jato rivers flow, the latter of them empting in the gulf of Castellammare.
From the summit, placed at 852 m Mamsl, you can enjoy the wide scenery which extends to the west, down to the sea.
From three sides, Monte Jato is formed by steep rocky slops and it is accessible only through an eastern adjacent plateau. The Jato Valley is located in the environmental area of the Northern Monti Sicani, enclosed from NE between Pizzo Mirabella and Monte della Fiera and, from the other side, between Monte Jato-Kumeta and the extension of Monte Genuardo.
A territory which has preserved, almost intact, the marvelous natural landscape, always favourable for the human settling thanks to the presence of rich water sources and streams whose channels have formed a primary transit between the farthest points of the same area. The Jato river runs from NW to SE, crossing most of the Valley; it joins the right arm of the Belice river creating a communication between the hinterland and the southern coast of the island.
The Jato Valley has always represented an important connecting junction. The landscape which surrounds the Valley is formed by soft hills that generally do not exceed 500 m of altitude, by wide valleys that have been intensively cultivated for centuries, and also by some peaks and calcareous massives that have guaranteed some perfect settlings (naturally fortified) or the chance to build strongholds for the control of the transits along the Valley, such as: Monte Maranfusa, Rocca d’Entella, Montagna Vecchia, Monte Jato, Monte della Signora, Pizzo Mirabella, Monte Kumeta e Monte Pelavet.