Page 387 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

tecnicamista.it), recently opened within the vaults of a restored monastery refectory.

If it’s open (hours vary), poke your head in too at the cosy Brancati Associazione
Cuturale, also on Via Mormino Penna, founded by members of the group back in the
1980s.

Around Piazza Italia

Just off Piazza Italia is one of Scicli’s Baroque showpieces, the Palazzo
Beneventano, complete with spectacularly grotesque grinning faces with lolling
tongues and bald heads tucked under the balconies and clinging to the walls. Beyond
the palazzo, the voluptuously curvy Baroque church of San Bartolomeo stands

embraced by the towering limestone gorge. Walking on, you’ll find yourself in the
honeycomb of the old town, clamped to the sides of the gorge, with dwellings at times
almost indistinguishable from the natural caves. Although it has a fair number of
abandoned houses, the area is by no means deserted, and several of the buildings are
now undergoing restoration.

San Matteo and around

Continuing up the stepped path above Palazzo Beneventano, you can enjoy grand
views over Scicli from the terrace of the abandoned church of San Matteo. Just
below the church, a further stepped path (signposted “Chiesa S. Lucia”) leads to the
remains of another church; at the top of the ridge here, you’re standing right above a

series of abandoned cave-dwellings that litter the hills around, used from Neolithic
times until fairly recently. From the vantage point you can make out bricked-up
entrances, caves and doorways in the tree-dotted cliffs below.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: SCICLI

By car Scicli is an easy stop by car en route to or from Modica or Ragusa. There is a
tricky one-way route through town, so you may prefer to park at the train station.

By bus Regional buses from Modica and Ragusa drop you in the centre on Piazza
Italia.

By train Scicli is a stop on the Siracusa–Gela train line. The train station is a 15min

walk from the centre, along Corso Mazzini.

Tourist information The tourist office is in the Municipio, Via Mormino Penna
(Mon–Fri 8am–1pm, plus Tues & Thurs 3–6pm; 0932 839 608,
comune.scicli.rg.it).

ACCOMMODATION, EATING AND DRINKING