Sciacca

Distance from Sciacca Km. 60 | h. 01:00 |

Valley of the Temples at Agrigento

Founded in 582 B.C. by colonists from Gela, ancient Akragas was called after the river of the same name that flowed past it. During 370 years of domination, Akragas was the most powerful and magnificent city in the Mediterranean and referred to as "the loveliest of mortal cities". During the reign of Falarides (570-555 B.C.) the city was at the height of its splendour. The fortified wall and most of the public works date to this period. Infamous for his cruelty and for the bronze bull that he used to torture his enemies, Falarides was referred to by Dante in his Divine Comedy. The period was followed by the tyranny of Theron (488-471 B.C.), a descendant of the illustrious family of the Emmenidi, druing which the population of Akragas grew to 300,000 and its terrirories spread to the northern coast of Sicily. At the height of its development Akragas became a formidable military power defeating Carthage on several occasions. During the reign of Empedocles from 471 to 406 B.C. the city experienced a period of great prosperity and peace with the Carthaginians. Numerous temples were constructed at this time. A period of decline commenced towards the end of the 5th century as rivalry with Syracuse intensified culminating in the siege of the city in 406 B.C. and, after eight months, its eventual capitulation to Carthaginian forces led by Hannibal. Only after the signing of a treaty between Syracuse and Hannibal could Akragas and Gela be inhabited once more but the cities could no longer be armed and were forced to pay taxes to the Carthaginians. The city was reconstructed in 339 B.C. by the Corinthian Timoleon. The defeat of the Carthaginians by Timoleon at Crimiso in 339 brought the city under the control of Syracuse which initiated a period of renaissance and development. However, peace was relatively short-lived and when Agatocles assumed power in 311 B.C. Akragas recommenced hostilities against Syracuse forming a coalition of Greek cities that was defeated by Syracuse on two occasions. During the tyranny of Finzia from 289 to 270 B.C., Gela was destroyed and its inhabitants were forced to move to the new city of Finziades, named after the tyrant himself, in the area close to present-day Licata. After Finzia, in 209 B.C. during the second Punic War, Akragas was fought over by the Romans and the Carthaginians and, when it finally fell under the control of the Roman Empire, the city was given the latin name Agrigentum.

The Valley of the Temples contains the remains of seven temples in Doric order:

• The Temple of Hera Lacinia, dedicated to the Greek goddess of the same name, was constructed in the 5th century B.C. and burnt down by the Carthaginians in 406 B.C.. This was the temple in which weddings were traditionally celebrated.
• The Temple of Concord, whose name derives from a Latin inscription found near to the temple, was also constructed in the 5th century. This is currently the best preserved temple on the site. It was converted into a sacred temple in the 6th century A.D.
• The Temple of Hercules, the oldest of the temples, was dedicated to the god Hercules, one of the most respected inhabitants of the ancient city of Akragas. The temple was destroyed by an earthquake and today comprises just eight columns.
• The Temple of Zeus, constructed in honour of the god of the same name after the vctory over the Carthaginians in 480 B.C., is characterized by the presence of so-called telamones, statues of giant proportions with human features.
• The Temple of the Dioscuri (or Castor and Pollux) was constructed in honour of the twin sons of Zeus. Only four columns remain today. The temple is the symbol of the city of Agrigento.
• The Temple of Vuclan, also dating back to the 5th century, was one of the most imposing buildings in the valley, however, it is one of the temples that has suffered the most damage over time.
• The Temple of Asclepius, constructed far from the walls of the city, was a place of pilgrimage for the sick in search of a cure.

Distance from Sciacca Km. 64 | h. 01:00 |

Corleone

Corleone is a village in the country region of Palermo. Its fame started when its name was linked to the name of the mafia Family in the American movie saga “The Godfather.” In fact, the Corleone family does not exist. It is a cinematographic fiction. The truth is much more painful, because post-war Sicilian mafia grew on from its association with ascending Mafia bosses from Corleone, who after several mafia wars managed to get the upper hand over other groups, controlling effectively, through friendships and allegiances, the whole of Sicily. A slice of life experienced from the 1950s until today has been described in great detail in the recent book Don Vito, written by the son of Don Vito Ciancimino, a true Corleonese, who was a well-respected citizen and later became Mayor of Palermo. For more than two decades, he also represented an example of the connivance between governmental institutions and the Mafia causing the so-called “sack” of Palermo, which destroyed vast territories of agricultural land within Palermo’s “Golden Basin” (Conca d’Oro). Churches, villas, houses and refined palazzi of great architectural worth were burnt to the ground to provide space for the construction of gigantic reinforced concrete buildings commissioned by and belonging to mafia enterprises. This allowed the Mafia to extend its power over all licit and illicit matters connected with the local economy. During this period, a war with all Sicilian legal institutions was initiated, that in the 1980s and 1990s caused the unprecedented slaughter of all police officers, judges, paramilitary police members (carabinieri), journalists and members of other institutions who attempted to oppose its power. Today, after the arrest of all the first-rate mafia bosses, their close and distant relatives  still live in Corleone, the place that functioned as the bloody brawn and the brain of the Mafia. Even if overwhelmed by reinforced concrete building, Corleone maintains some of the characteristic features of the old silent code of omertà in this island, seemingly silent and lethargic, but still fiery in its heart through a collective will to re-establish its ancient power. Corleone deserves a visit to better understand the origins of the mafia phenomenon. It is possible to explore the places where the mafia bosses and their lieutenants lived, and quite often hid, such as the building where the mafia boss Bernardo Provenzano hid several times. The place now functions as an anti-Mafia laboratory where products coming from the territories confiscated to mafia bosses are on sale. Indeed today, a few dozen businesses exist in territories previously belonging to Mafia mobsters, which function as cooperatives of young people dedicated to production business. From a naturalistic viewpoint, an evoking scenery is offered by the “twin rocks”, one on the east side of the populated area, where the Castello Soprano lies along with ruins of an ancient watchtower; and the other in the centre of the village, the result of a geological limestone block collapse from the mountain face on which a medieval castle was later built (now a Franciscan retreat). At the foot of Castello Soprano you can enjoy a spectacle of nature: the so-called “Waterfall of the two Rocks”, which was formed by a leap of the stream of San Leonardo, an affluent of the Belice river that creates a suggestive and natural little lake surrounded by the ruins of an aqueduct, probably of Arab origins. The stream and its waterfall flow within a truly natural gorge, forming an inner canyon which can be explored on foot during summertime. Other tourist locations in this area are to be found near the groves of Rocca Busambra and Ficuzza, where the Royal Hunting Lodge lies, a sumptuous palazzo built in 1799 by the Bourbon King Ferdinand IV. Another visit-must is to “The Dragon’s Gorges” along the river Frattina.

Distance from Sciacca Km. 77 | h. 01:00 |

Marsala

The origins of the city are closely related to those of Mozia, an island in the Laguna of Marsala on which the ancient Phoenecian city was founded in the 8th Century B.C. It represents the global capital of Naval Archeology - in the Museo del Baglio Anselmi the remains of a Punic ship are conserved, a unique example of a battleship of this kind dating back to 241 B.C. which was the year of the Punic Wars fought in the sea of Lilybaeum. During the first of the three Punic Wars, Lilybaeum was besieged by the Romans and defended by the Punic commander Imilcone. Located in the extreme west of Sicily on Capo Boeo, the town has views of the Egadi Islands and the Islands of the Stagnone Lagoon which come under the control of the municipality of Marsala. The archipelago of the Stagnone Islands is the most striking part of the town and contains a rich heritage as well as being classified as a nature reserve. Marsala still retains today the original street plan developed along the lines of a quadrilateral, typical of the hellenic period, which was originally bordered on one side by a boundary wall. Four bastions of the wall from the 16th Century remain intact and contain the historic centre and the Spanish quarter. Monuments of particular interest include the Convento dell'Annunziata, the medieval castle and the Grotto of the Lilybethan Sibilla located below the church of San Giovanni Battista. However, Marsala is above all famous for being the historic town of Sicilian wine after John Woodhouse discovered Marsala wine here in 1773 and began exporting it all over the world. This is how the town's economy became linked to the cultivation of grapes and to the production of sweet and dry wine. The historic Sicilian wineries such as Florio, Pellegrino, Rallo and Hopps can be found either inside the town or nearby. A special section of our web site is dedicated to this topic - for more information please see Wine Routes and the Province of Trapani.

Distance from Sciacca Km. 98 | h. 01:00 |

Salt pans at Trapani and Paceco

The area comprising the Nature Reserve of the Stagnone Islands of Marsala and the Salt Pans of Trapani and Paceco is characterized by lagoons and marshes with shallow water ranging from 50 cm to 2 metres in depth. The reserve includes the 4 islands of San Pantaleo (Mozia), Isola Grande, Schola and Santa Maria in the area of Marsala and the stretch of coast at Paceco between Torre Nubia and Salina Grande in the territory of Trapani. The lagoons were formed relatively recently (they were not present at the time of of the Phoenecian colonization of Mozia) by undersea currents which caused movement of the sand. The water flow in the resulting lagoons was severely reduced, the water stagnated and the temperature of the water rose. The primary activity in the lagoons was, and still is to a certain extent today, the production of salt: the method is fairly simple and consists of channelling sea water into small ponds, allowing it to evaporate under the sun and collecting the salt which is then left to dry in piles which are covered in terracotta tiles that take on the appearance of the roof of a house. The water was pumped using wind mills, some of which have been restored and remain visible today. The reserves are always open to visitors and you can find the reception area with information at Mulino Maria Stella on the provincial road that runs from Trapani to Marsala. The main points of interest are migratory birds such as herons and flamingoes which stop en route to Africa, the old wind mills, some of which are open to visitors by prior appointment, the salt museum near Torre Nubia and the ruins and necropolis on the island of Mozia where the ancient Phoenecian city of the same name was located. The remains of an old aircraft hangar used in the Second World War can also be seen.

Distance from Sciacca Km. 48 | h. 01:00 |

Realmonte - Scala dei Turchi

Realmonte is a little village resting on a flat stretch of land surrounded by fertile farmland cultivated with vineyards, almond and olive trees. This place is only a few kilometres away from one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in Sicily. Documented evidence about the village’s origins date from the XVII century, precisely from 1681, when Don Domenico Monreale obtained a license to build in the territory of Realmonte. The Dukes of Castrofilippo were the village lords during the XVIII and the XIX century. From a cultural point of view, Realmonte should be remembered for its Chiesa Madre named after Saint Dominic and its Tower of Monterosso. The coastline along Realmonte includes the beach of Punta Bianca, Capo Rossello and the enchanting Scala dei Turchi (“Turkish Steps”). Scala dei Turchi rises between the beach and the chalky hills that mark off this stretch of coast. It is a marl cliff, a sedimentary fine-grained rock formed by limestone and clay characterised by a distinctively pure white colour, which wind and rain have modelled into a natural staircase. Such uniquely shaped cliff rises in between two fine sand beaches, and you need to walk along the shore and clamber up a steep slope that resembles a huge natural limestone staircase in order to access it. Once you’ve reached the clifftop your view marvellously embraces the entire Agrigento coastline. It is a spectacular vision as the almost blinding white colour of the soft rock under daylight intermingles with the blue of the sky and the sea: real paradise.

Distance from Sciacca Km. 31 | h. 00:00 |

Eraclea Minoa

The Archaeological Site of Eraclea Minoa is set within the idyllic promontory of Capo Bianco, at the foot of the mouth of river Platani. The remains of the Greek city of Eraclea Minoa occupy a magnificent spot along the ridge of a secluded hill overlooking the sea. At the foot of the hill, the coast opens up to the very long white beach of Capo Bianco which is surrounded by a beautiful pine forest. Before reaching the excavation site, you will notice a number of white wind-shaped rock “dunes” on your right that protect these crystal clear waters. Its double name (Eraclea Minoa) leads back to very ancient Sicily and the rites of passages of Heracles and of the Cretan king Minos, who according to legend would have pursued Dedalus all the way to Sicily to punish him for having helped Ariadne and Theseus to find a way out of the labyrinth. Apart from its mythical origins, Eraclea Minoa (the remains of which are still visible) was founded by Greek colonists coming from Selinunte in the sixth century BC. It was then under Roman control in the third century BC, and becoming involved in a series of wars, it was gradually abandoned to itself. In the first century AC the city had no inhabitants left. The archaeological excavations were initiated systematically from the 1950s. They unearthed numerous remains of cob houses, some of which still display small sections of mosaics. Wide sections of the ancient defensive wall structure are still standing, together with its towers, a few entrance gates to the city and a Greek theatre. In order to protect it from atmospheric erosion the theatre has been entirely covered today, but is still the main site of evocative summer performances with the cliffs of Capo Bianco and its splendid beaches below in the background. For its historical significance, a visit to the archaeological area of Eraclea Minoa would be perfectly combined with a visit to Agrigento.

Distance from Sciacca Km. 37 | h. 00:00 | SS

Torre Salsa Nature Reserve

An uncontaminated stretch of coast extends between Siculiana Marina and Ericlea Minoa within the Nature Oriented Reserve of Torre Salsa, where chalky white cliffs of gypsum alternate with limestone marls which are, now and then, covered with layers of clay. The territory of the Reserve of Torre Salsa extends over 761.62 hectares and belongs to the province of Agrigento, within the the municipality of Siculiana. Only at times does the grassy and shrubby vegetation that covers this wild environment make it practicable to access the splendid beach though narrow and rocky trails. Including 6 km of beach, this territory connects the sea to the mainland. The sea is crystal clear and its seabed teems with wildlife. The ancient watchtower of Torre Salsa is situated in the very heart of this oasis and dominates the top of a small promontory where the process of erosion is more intense, and from which the white limestone marl gleams. In the shallow sea, an uneven rocky slab shapes countless paths where tiny fishes dart swiftly between the seaweeds and slow shellfish finds shelter. Along this stunning stretch of Sicilian coast one can also admire steep cliffs, huge sand dunes and secluded beaches, which are favourite destinations for lovers of crystal clear waters.