Page 187 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

veterans’ associations. There’s not much else to it, save some old-fashioned barbers’

shops, the public gardens, and castle ruins atop a small hill, but it makes a nice quiet
place to stay away from the coast.

Sant’Agata di Militello

SANT’AGATA DI MILITELLO, 28km east of Santo Stefano, is a small Tyrrhenian
resort that’s moribund for most of the year. In truth, it can hardly be called attractive,
though its very long pebbled beach and calm sea are popular with holidaying Italian
families, who pack the town’s apartments for a few weeks each summer. There’s a
fishing harbour at one end, a palm-studded promenade, and a gridded town centre set
back up the hillside, while a restored castle (daily 8.30am–12.30pm & 4–8pm; €2)

speaks of more important times.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: SANT’AGATA DI MILITELLO

By bus There are hourly buses along the coast from Santo Stefano to Sant’Agata.

Destinations Cesarò (1 daily Mon–Sat; 1hr 30min); San Fratello (6 daily; 20min);
San Marco d’Alunzio (4 daily; 20min).

By train Sant’Agata is a frequent stop on the coast train line between Palermo and
Messina. The station is a 10min walk east of the town centre.

By car Follow the “porto” signs and drive in along the seafront, where there’s plenty

of free parking.

San Fratello

Fifteen kilometres up in the hills from Sant’Agata, the large village of San Fratello
was once populated by a Lombard colony, introduced to Sicily by Roger II’s queen,
Adelaide di Monferrato. On the Thursday and Friday of Holy Week, before Easter, the

town puts on the Festa dei Giudei (Feast of the Jews) – a unique carnival-type
celebration when locals dress up in red devils’ costumes, complete with black tongues
and horses’ tails (a reminder of their traditional trade of horse-raising), to the
cacophonic accompaniment of trumpets, bells and drums. Needless to say, the
ecclesiastical authorities take a dim view of these proceedings, but have to make do

with having the Easter Sunday church congregations in suitably contrite and sober
mood. For a panoramic picnic spot, head for the Norman church of Santi Alfio,
Filadelfio e Cirino, isolated on top of a hill outside the village (follow the rough track
from the cemetery). The church is dedicated to three brothers horribly martyred by the
Romans: the first had his tongue torn out, the second was burnt alive, and the third was
hurled into a pot of boiling tar.