Guide to Western Sicily
Experiences outside Cianciana
Western Sicily is a treasure trove of experiences, and we ourselves are not finished discovering new ones.
From chaotic and noisy Palermo, to a siesta in a warm mountain village, the tranquility of a barefoot walk in the Mediterranean, the architecture of cultural Agrigento, and the hunt for beautiful ceramics in Sciacca, the breathtaking view from Erice with the Torri del Balio in the foreground, the salt flats of Marsala, and the endless mountain roads with olive groves, orange groves and vineyards as backdrops. Western Sicily is nothing short of breathtaking!
Remember that Sicily is a large island, and it takes time to get around. So avoid trying to see it all in five days. But a car is almost indispensable if you want to experience the island, no matter how far you travel.
Within 1 hour's drive from Cianciana
Wine tasting at Baronia della Pietra
A 10-12 minute drive from Cianciana, on the way to San Biagio Platani, lies the small winery Baronia delle Pietra. The place is like something out of a Hallmark movie (only much more authentic!), and meets all expectations for lunch and wine tasting in Sicily.
6-10 people are suitable for a booking, and the 20 euros per person includes three wines and a sumptuous lunch table with grilled vegetables, bruchetta, olives, local prosciutto and cheeses, and often also a cake. It varies from time to time, but we have not yet been disappointed.
The place is run by three elderly gentlemen who are saving up for retirement and at the same time passing the time by making wine. They eat at the table, and you quickly feel like part of a large Sicilian family.
The Valley of Temples
Largest collection of Greek ruins outside of Greece. A walk through the 2,500-year-old ruins will set your imagination going. Avoid coming in the middle of the day, especially in the hottest months, as there is not much shade to be found along the way.
The best experience is to start down, furthest from the main entrance – and it is optimal if you time it to walk one way in daylight, and then have the sunset and the illuminated temple ruins on the way back.
The price of admission is 17 euros for adults. On the first Sunday of the month there is free admission for everyone until 7:00 p.m.
Ribera
About half an hour’s drive from Cianciana is Ribera. Not the most charming town in the area, but if you’re into local Italian markets, there’s a big market every Thursday. Here you’ll find everything from food to slippers, parasols and nail clippers.
The first weekend in November the market expands and takes up almost a quarter of the city centre – and here there are no restrictions on what you can buy.
The town also has a small park, which seems a bit neglected, and with a strange little zoo.
We found a restaurant – Tanto di Cappello Vineria – where we had a super delicious lunch.
Castello Incantato
A few kilometers before reaching Sciacca lies a rather peculiar garden. The American artist Filippo Bentivegna began creating sculptures in his garden, all faces. Before his death in 1967, there were more than 1,000 faces with very different expressions.
The garden is open to visitors from 9:30 to 13:00 and again from 16:00 to 20:00. Entrance costs 5 euros.
Address: Via Filippo Bentivegna n° 16, Sciacca.
Agrigento and the cathedral
The first thing most people think of when they say Agrigento is the Valley of Temples. But the city is so much more than that! … start at the top, for example, at the cathedral. A tour of the church with access to the two towers and the impressive church room, the adjacent museum with the Bishop's Garden, and access to the nearby Santa Maria church costs 7 euros, and is free if you are a permanent resident of the Agrigento region. The Santa Maria church in particular is impressive – built on top of an old Greek temple, and with a glass floor, so you can see ruins under the church.
From here, walk down through the narrow, winding streets until you reach the center with souvenir shops, restaurants, cafes and bars. Where the main street ends is a small park (Piazza Aldo Moro), where the locals hang out – a perfect place for arancini and beer.
Continue down to Viale Della Vittoria, which is a beautiful alley with good restaurants, ice cream parlors, street food and a park – the locals' favorite place to spend a Sunday afternoon.
The drive back to Cianciana through the mountains is one of the most beautiful in the area!
Turkish Steps
A day in Agrigento can easily be combined with a visit to the water and the Turkish Steps. The limestone formations jut out into the Mediterranean, and if you're not afraid to pass a fence or two, you can walk on the limestone and around the decorations. The beach is nice for a swim, and there is a selection of restaurants (we haven't tried the food, but the view is fabulous anyway).
Sciacca
Sciacca is the nearest port town with almost 40,000 inhabitants. Beautiful old town with countless ceramic shops. A few lunch restaurants up in the town, but take the long stairs from Piazza Angelo Scandaliato down to the port area – perhaps after you have enjoyed an Aperol Spritz on the sun terrace at Terrazza Scandaglia.
At the port you can, if you are lucky, buy freshly caught fish directly from the fishing boats when they come in from the sea at noon. Or you can leave the work to others and eat at one of the good fish restaurants in the port.
We can particularly recommend Porto San Paolo and Trattoria Il Faro.
San Biagio Platani
About a 20-minute drive from Cianciana is the neighboring town of San Biagio Platani. We don’t know much about the town, but every year from Easter and a month onwards, a ‘bread festival’, or ‘Easter Arches’, is held, which is definitely worth a visit.
Within 2 hour's drive from Cianciana
Corleone
Let's be clear – the town of Corleone has nothing to do with the Corleone family from the Godfather movies, apart from having inspired the writer and director.
And the town doesn't need to lean on anything, because in itself it is quite cozy and offers some good experiences.
If you drive by car from Cianciana, the first thing that meets you are the special rock formations that surround and protect the town to the south. Above the town there is – when there is enough water – a waterfall, which is located in an unusually beautiful gorge.
There are two Mafia museums in the town, of which we have only visited one. However, it is highly recommended. The museum, called The God Father's House, is housed in a small mansion that was previously owned by a Godfather. The young couple who bought the house with all the furnishings were surprised by how much furniture and equipment was left behind, so they decided to turn the house into a museum. A tour packed with stories from the mafia costs 10 euros and takes about an hour. It is quite entertaining. Afterwards, you can enjoy lunch in the small restaurant, which uses the house's original kitchen.
Erice
Erice is said to be one of the most beautiful towns in Sicily – and it may very well be!
The town is located on a mountain peak 750 metres above Trapani on the westernmost tip of Sicily. From Trapani you can take the cable car (11 euro per person) up to Erice, and enjoy the view of Trapani and the Aegean Islands, Favignana, Marretimo and Levanzo.
The view from up there is nothing short of breathtaking.
It is advisable to plan your visit to Erice outside weekends and high season, as it can get quite crowded. It is a two-hour drive from Cianciana, so combine it with the salt fields at Marsala, for example.
Sutera
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Cretto di Burri
In 1968, a devastating earthquake struck the Belice area, about halfway between Cianciana and Palermo, and wiped out the village of Gibellina. In 1984, the artist Alberto Burri began work on a magnificent monument to commemorate the village. The monument is made of concrete and is based on the original layout of the town's streets. The concrete is about one and a half meters thick and covers a large part of the hillside. In 1989, however, Alberto Burri had to stop work due to lack of funds, and only in 2015, after Burri's death in 1995, did work resume. The artwork is quite unique and impressive.
Not far away is a ghost town, formerly Poggioreale, which was also badly hit by the same earthquake. The town's inhabitants were moved to a newly built new Poggioreale, but the ruins of the old town still stand. There is a wall that can be scaled with a little ingenuity, and it is both thought-provoking and terrifying to walk around the ruins. Don't go inside any of the buildings – they may collapse!
Marsala and the Salt Pans
Marsala is reminiscent of a mini version of Seville in Spain. Cozy old town, where you can easily find a good lunch or dinner. North of the city, along the coast up to Trapani, are the famous salt pans, which still produce large quantities of sea salt every year. Take a boat trip, maybe you'll be lucky enough to see flamingos, and cool off with a cold beer in the shade at the small café.
Castellammare del Golfo
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