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Visit Menfi
The town of Menfi is situated near the coast of south-east Sicily between Selinunte and Sciacca. Among other things, Menfi tourism depends on its seaside tourism, such as the beaches of “Porto Palo”, “Capparrina” and “Lido di Porto Palo". These resorts have beaches with very clean sea and the provision of adequate services for tourists who love the beach.
The town of Menfi developed over an extended period of time, but has kept the layout that characterized the original feudal settlement. The main focus in the town is the 'Piazza Vittorio Emanuele III', reached along “Corso Garibaldi”, where the rebuilt Cathedral Church stands, dating from the 18th century but destroyed by an earthquake in 1968, and the old Town Hall.
The most significant monument of the city was the Castle of "Burgimilluso" in the Old Town, erected to protect the medieval village - this was originally a kind of "hunting lodge" - a fortified building but with the main purpose of providing support to the game-shooting expeditions.
Frederick II follows the tradition of the Norman kings, his predecessors. There is no doubt that the culture of the 'solacia' in Menfi (essentially places - palaces etc - built for providing pleasure to the nobles) is a heritage of the previous Norman civilization, which celebrated its splendours in Swabian Sicily. The attention devoted to the 'solacia' of Norman origin near Palermo, however, seems less than that devoted to the palaces of entertainment, allegedly founded by the emperor himself, and usually in eastern Sicily.
The castle originally consisted of two square towers side by side. In the recess of the western side there was the access stairs to first floor. The interior was divided into three floors, covered with a cross on the ground floor. Today unfortunately we know only one tower with four floors of irregular shape and a height of about 18 meters, formed of two rectangular buildings. (The earthquake of 1968 destroyed the tower. It was rebuilt in part with a reuse of the ruins).
Among the civil buildings in Menfi, the Palazzo Pignatelli is worthy of a visit. The building has two floors with twelve rooms and a barrel vault. The main entrance through a wide doorway in the square reaches a large courtyard. From here we reach the first floor via an impressive marble staircase leading to the gallery above. On the ground floor of the Baron's Palace we can visit the excavations which enable us to see the history of the area. The Pignatelli baronial mansion was built by Diego Aragona Tagliavia.
There are also many religious buildings. Among the most important, we mention the Mother Church, built around 1650 with three naves, partially destroyed by the earthquake of 1968, and now rebuilt by Vittorio Gregotti (born 1927). Inside there are some remnants of the old church and some fine works of art such as a wooden statue of "St. Anthony of Padua", dating back to the 17th century (to which the church is dedicated); the group of sculptures of the “Virgin of the Rosary with Saints Catherine and Dominic”, also 17th century, and some 18th century paintings by “Fra’ Felice da Sambuca” (Gioacchino Viscosi, 1734-1805), wooden sculptures by Girolamo Bagnasco (1759-1832) and a wooden crucifix with a cross covered with silver foil (17th century).
Also in Menfi it can also be interesting to visit the rocky Church of St. Margaret, dug in the tuff by Byzantine monks. The interior is divided into two spans by an arch; it has a vault, two altars, and a series of frescoes dating back to the 13th century. The main altar in the apse holds a fresco of “Santa Margherita”, while in the two side fascias there are scenes from the life and martyrdom of St. Margaret, St. Peter and St. Paul, while in the middle of the vault there is Christ “Pantocrator.”
Ancient Menfi: excavations on Montagnoli
In recent years there have been interesting archaeological excavations near Memphis, especially in "Montagnoli di Belice”, where the remains of several huts were discovered. The important studies were conducted by Giuseppe Castellana, allowing the town to redefine its territory, in terms of both culture and tourism. Castellana writes that "[...] the survey...on the peak of ‘Montagnoli’...in the territory of Menfi...has brought to light a new hut of rectangular shape located east of the hut 3, and a votive grave with the presence of animal bones...going back to the eighth century BC...the hut 7 can not be regarded as a mere dwelling. It seems to be intended for political and cult ceremonies that we are not able to specify. This hut also suffered a violent destruction by Selinunte around or just after the mid-seventh century BC [...]" (See G. Castellana, “Nuovi dati sull'Insediamento di Montagnoli presso Menfi”, In “Terze giornate internazionali di studi sull'area elima”, Atti, I, 2000, pp. 263-271).
Menfi wine production
Wine production is the most important economic activity and is connected to a series of local festivals that are related to the ancient Sicanian city of “Inycon". The ancient site of Inycon is disputable; however, a local legend claims that Menfi is located where Inycon once stood; in fact, this small town was famous since ancient times because of its wine. It is certain that the festivals linked to the excellent wine production has been given a great impetus to both industrial activities and to the nature and heritage tourism of Menfi.
In addition to the prestigious local wines, Menfi has a “multi-ethnic” cuisine , which reflects the traditions of the ancient rulers, and that can be found in dishes like cous cous, sorbet, marzipan, candied fruit and honey. Among the traditional dishes, you could try the sauce with sardines, pine nuts, raisins and saffron, the rice balls, swordfish and bluefish.
See also Menfi history and etymology. Note: photo of Menfi is copyright.
See the the Sicily travel guide for more places to visit in the same region as Menfi.