Sciacca is a town in the province of Agrigento on the southern coast of Sicily. It has noteworthy views of the Mediterranean Sea.

History

Thermae was founded in the 5th century BCE by the Greeks, as its name imports, as a thermal spa for Selinunte, whose citizens came there to bathe in the sulphurous springs of Mt. Cronio, which rises up behind the town. We have no account of the existence of a town on the site during the period of the independence of Selinunte, though there is little doubt that the thermal waters would always have attracted some population to the spot. Nor even under the Romans did the place attain to anything like the same importance with the northern Thermae; and there is little doubt that Pliny is mistaken in assigning the rank of a colonia to the southern instead of the northern town of the name. Strabo mentions the waters (τὰ ὕδατα τὰ Σελινούντια, Strab. vi. p. 275); and they are again noticed in the Itineraries under the name of Aquae Labodes or Labrodes (Itin. Ant. p. 89; Tab. Peut.)

Sciacca itself owes its origins to the Saracens, who settled there in the 9th century. Although the origins of the town's name have been much debated, it is thought to have come from the Arabic word "xacca", meaning "water". The Saracens built the original walls and laid out the street grid, which was later expanded by the Normans. Throughout much of the Middle Ages, the town was at the center of a bloody feud between rival baronial families and, it was the citizenry that bore the brunt of the fighting; in less than 100 years over half the population was killed by one side or the other.

Main sights

Sciacca still retains much of its medieval layout, which divided the town into quarters, each laid out on a strip of rock descending toward the sea. Sciacca has several points of interest, including:

• the Cathedral of Maria SS. del Soccorso (12th century, rebuilt in 1685)
• the Castle of the Counts Luna. Of the Old Castle scarce remains can be still seen.
• church of Santa Margherita
• Chiesa del Carmine Chiesa del Carmine Exterior
• Church of San Domenico (1176)
• Church of San Michele (1371, rebuilt in the 17th century) San Michele Exterior
• Church of Santa Maria delle Giummare
• Palazzo Steripinto Palazzo Steripinto Exterior
• Palazzo Tagliavia (1tth century), in Neo-Gothic style
• Palazzo Perollo (15th century)

Culture

Sciacca's big festival is Carnevale (Carnevale di Sciacca), celebrated during the week before the beginning of Lent (February). The highlight of the festival is the parade of bizarre figures mounted on floats, famous throughout Italy for their gaudy expressions.