Sciacca

Sciacca rises in terraces from a working fishing harbour, with the old town above and Monte Kronio behind. Natural steam caves in that mountain, the Stufe di San Calogero, have been used as vapour baths since antiquity and were described in classical sources; the modern spa built over them has been closed for years while its future is argued over. Ceramics have been made in the town since the Middle Ages and are sold throughout it. On the slope outside, the Castello Incantato holds thousands of heads carved into rock and olive trunks by Filippo Bentivegna, a local man who worked at it alone for decades until his death in 1967.

History

The town was founded by the Sicani, an indigenous people of Sicily, in the 7th century BC and has been known since antiquity for its thermal waters, whose discovery Greek legend credited to Hercules or Daedalus and Christians to Calogerus the Anchorite. It reached its greatest splendour under the Normans, in the 11th and 12th centuries (Wikipedia, Sciacca).

The main sights

• The Castello Incantato - thousands of heads carved in rock and trunks.
• The steam caves - natural vapour caves used since antiquity.
• The terraced town - an old centre stacked above a working harbour.
• The ceramics - a medieval craft still worked and sold in the town.

When to go

April to October; carnival here is one of Sicily's largest, in February. The spa complex has been closed for years, so only the outdoor sites are reliable.

Good to know

The thermal establishment is closed and its reopening has been repeatedly delayed. The town is steep. Carnival week fills all accommodation.

Nearby

Agrigento lies east; Selinunte is west.

Key facts