Get DK Top Ten Travel Guides on your iPhone & iPod Touch!
An Afternoon in Caltabelotta
-
Take a late afternoon drive from Sciacca up to Caltabellotta . Skip the modern outskirts of town to wander around the narrow streets and piazzettas of Terravecchia, the old medieval centre. Terravecchia lies on a flat plain under the Chiesa Madre founded by Count Roger one year before he took Palermo (see Norman Palermo). It’s newly restored, so admire the entry portal with pointed arch and the bell tower which was originally an old Arabic fortification; inside see the Madonna of the Chain, St Benedict and Madonna and Child – all works by the artist Gagini.
To the north of the church take the little path up the rock to the ruins of the Castelvecchio, the old castle, from which you can look down on Caltabellotta and out over the valley.
On the other side of the plain, opposite the Chiesa Madre, find the tiny church of San Salvatore with its zig-zag decoration around the door. Use the steps carved out of the rock to climb up to the highest point of Monte Castello. Walk around the ruins of Count Roger’s castle, with its single Gothic doorway, and take in one of the most stunning views in Sicily. To the southwest see the coastline from Agrigento (see Agrigento and the Valle dei Templi) to Marsala .
Back in town, stroll from Piazza Umberto I to via Roma in the newer part of the village, where you can have an excellent dinner of mountain fare at the Trattoria Ferla (see Trattoria dei Templi, Agrigento).
Advertisement
-
-
tamunshen's Chicago guide
tamuns
-
Berlin guide
skrams
-
London guide
pukank
-
-
-
Merry in Madrid
travel
-
New York festivities
travel
-
Christmas in Vienna
travel
-
Washington, D.C. guide
michae
-
![[+]](/images/button-addtoguide.gif)
symbol, to start adding attractions to your
tailor-made travel guide.
If you were signed in, you could write a review here. Register for a free account, or if you're already a member, sign in.