Sciacca Hotels - Sicily

Inhabited since ancient times, over the centuries Sciacca has been home to a great diversity of cultures. Traces of which can be seen in the maze of narrow alleys and passageways, reminiscent of a North African Kasbah, the same narrow roads in which to find both churches erected by the Normans and more recent town houses built for the Sicilian aristocracy.

Luna Castle sits up high above the fishing port, gazing out over the South Western coast of Sicily towards Africa. Like its Castle, Sciacca's Cathedral was built by the Normans. The edifice was substantially altered in the 17th century and the Baroque façade initiated in that period was never completed. Palazzo Scaglione, now a museum where the collections of the eccentric aristocrat Francesco Scaglione are housed, is one of the most interesting buildings in Sciacca.

Then, of course, there is the sea, its crystal clear waters gently lapping the long sandy beaches; and the town's rejuvenating thermal waters. Each year, in occasion of the Carnival, the story of Peppe Nappa - the Sicilian Pierrot - is re-enacted: this is the character who heads the procession of allegorical floats, inviting the spectators to join in the fun. This is also the character who draws the festivities to a close, his effigy being burnt in a bonfire around which people dance until the early hours of the morning.