Book Hotels
Reserve online, pay at the hotel
'Best price guaranteed' by booking.com
See also: Italy car hire
Visit Sciacca
Sciacca is a large town on the coast of south-western Sicily, near Agrigento.
The town is surrounded by walls; the most recent of which date from the mid-sixteenth century, which were superimposed on older ones from the first half of the fourteenth century. There are three gateways into Sciacca: "Palermo Gate", with columns adorned with a large eagle, of baroque style; “Porta San Salvatore”, 16th century, through which we access the “Piazza Carmine”, rich in Renaissance sculpture; and the “Porta San Calogero”, dating from the first half of the sixteenth century.
The visit to Sciacca could start from the Porta S. Salvatore, dating from the XVI century, where there are two churches, Santa Margherita on the right and the Church of Carmine on the left.
Santa Margherita, 14th century, was renovated in the sixteenth century. The church was built by the will of Eleanor of Aragon (1358-1382), wife of the noble Peralta. The main entrance is of the Catalan style, while the marble door on the right is attributed to Francesco Laurana [1430-1502]. The interior has a nave; it is of Baroque style and keeps some polychrome stucco and frescoes by Antonino Ferraro (1523-1607 approx.) from the 17th century. On the Marble altar is an icon of the early sixteenth century, a wooden statue of the first half of the sixteenth century, depicting Santa Margherita, and a wooden statue of the seventeenth century. In the nave we see six large panels and medallions made in the first decades of the sixteenth century.
The Church of the Carmine is notable for its tiled dome; on the facade, though unfinished, stands a Gothic rose window. From this Church, heading along the Via Gerardi, we arrive at the Steripinto Palace. The building, of Catalan style, dates from the 15th century and presents a façade in ashlar with a diamond tip with mullioned windows, battlements and a Renaissance-style portal. In the Piazza Scandallato in the center of the city, stands out the City Hall, which occupies the site of a former Jesuit college dating back to the seventeenth century. Inside it has an arcaded courtyard and a terrace overlooking the lower city and the harbor.
Continuing, we arrive at the 12th century cathedral, transformed in the 18th century but still retaining the original three apses. The Church of “Maria Santissima del Soccorso” or the Cathedral dates from the twelfth century, and was built by Juliet, daughter of Count Roger; a reconstruction was performed in the second half of the 17th century, designed by Michele Blasco (1628-1685), a local painter. The church has three naves with monumental arches of the Norman style. The façade was not completed and shows the columns and arched portals. Three sculptures by Antonello Gagini (1478-1536) complete the decoration of the façade. Inside there are numerous works dating from the fifteenth and sixteenth century, among which worth mentioning is a sculpture by Antonello Gagini and a statue depicting the "Madonna della Catena", attributed to Francesco Laurana.
Sciacca is a small town but very rich in churches, built between the 16th and 18th centuries. Among the most remarkable for their intrinsic artistic value and the presence of valuable works of art, are the church of Sant'Antonio Abate (near the cathedral), dating from the fifteenth century; the Church of the College with an interior with a single nave with enclosed chapels. In the presbytery there is a painting by Domenico Domenichino (1581-1641), while in one of the chapels there is a "Madonna" by Michele Blasco.
Among other religious buildings of great value, all built by the will of the local nobility, particularly by the Peralta, we note the "Church of the Spasimo” and then the Church of San Michele, in the “Noceto” Square and founded by Guglielmo Peralta in the 14th and then rebuilt in the 17th century. It presents a portal with a lintel and a Gothic style. The interior has three naves with columns and arches in the center. The church also contains a fifteenth-century crucifix, two fonts of the sixteenth century, a sculpture, an altarpiece of the sixteenth century and a wooden statue representing San Michele. Remarkable is also the Church of “Santa Maria delle Giummare”, built by Judith and rebuilt in the sixteenth century and flanked by two crenellated towers.
Continuing through Sciacca along the Via Castello we come to the remains of the Luna Castle. This fortress belonged to the Luna family. Built in 1380, the Luna Castle is located in the eastern part of Sciacca, and includes the walls, “Large Tower”, “Cylindrical Tower”, and the “Palazzo del Conte”. The boundary is formed by high walls which served for defense. The “Large Tower” is of quadrangular shape and it is completely ruined, while the “Cylindrical Tower” is intact.
There are also numerous civilian buildings. As well as the Seripinto Palace, we mention the so-called "Old Castle", of which remain some ruins, such as the entrance to the courtyard; the “Palazzo San Giacomo Tagliavia”, of the fifteenth century, with its façades of Empire style; "Bertolino-Tommasi" Palace, with the neo-classical façade, by Salvatore Gravanti (19th century). Also worth a visit are the towers, the Bell Tower, close to the Church of St. Michael, dating from the mid-sixteenth century and the “Torre del Pardo” of the fifteenth century.
Apart from the artistic point of view, Sciacca is a seaside town that offers much to the seaside tourism; we recall that Sciacca is the oldest spa resort of Sicily island and one of the major centers of the south - east coast. The town has hydro-thermo-mineral resources, as well as beach facilities to practice all sorts of water sports.
For those who enjoy excursions we recommend a visit to the so-called "Cave of Daedalus" on the Cronio mountain, where are located the so-called “Steamy Stoves” [“Stufe Vaporose”], and also to the town of Caltabellotta, mentioned by Al Idrisi, or the “Ferdinandea” island, which appeared as a result of volcanic activity in the first half of the nineteenth century.
Sciacca is in close relationship with the sea which has always constituted an essential source of wealth for the small town. Even today it is famous for its fish dishes, like the “spaghetti with sardines”, “spaghetti with cicadas”, the breaded and fried sardines. Do not forget to try the "Soup of cicadas," and the "fish soup Paranza", small fried clams, known in Sicilian such as “Cappuccettu frittu.” during your visit to Sciacca!
See also history of Sciacca.
See the the Sicily travel guide for more places to visit in the same region as Sciacca.