Page 433 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

Set on a ridge below the town of Agrigento, the golden Doric temples of the Valle
dei Templi are Sicily’s prime tourist destination. Throughout the year, charabancs
disgorge their hoards here, but only a fraction of visitors see anything else of this
area. This is a shame, as this part of Sicily has its own fascination, especially for

fans of Inspector Montalbano. The fictional detective’s creator, Andrea
Camilleri, was born in Porto Empedocle, and wove instantly recognizable
elements of both his home town and Agrigento into his detective novels and other
writings. You could spend a happy day or so in the southwest just searching out

the authentic Montalbano locations – which are very different from the
romanticized locations of the TV series.

This is a part of Sicily that will appeal to realists, not romantics, a land where
decaying 1970s apartment buildings encircle crumbling historic centres; of dusty roads
running through sleepy, shabby villages; and of abandoned settlements at the top of
parched hills. The long south coast, from Licata to Sciacca, is sparsely developed, its

marvellous sandy beaches and low-key Mediterranean ports and resorts barely known
to Italians, let alone tourists. Sporadic concentrations of spectacularly ugly industrial
development along the coast put off many people, while the sea is heavily polluted in
some areas. But there’s good swimming to be had here nonetheless, and on the coast to
either side of Agrigento, isolated sandy beaches – packed with locals on summer

weekends – warrant the occasional trip off the busy SS115 main road. One of the best
beaches lies just below the Hellenic site of Eraclea Minoa, to the north of Agrigento,
while the port of Licata, to the south, offers a few old-town diversions to go with its
sand and sea. Of the other coastal towns, Sciacca is perhaps the most enjoyable, a
fishing port and summer resort with amazing cliff-top views, and a good base for

detours into the tall and craggy mountains that back this part of the coast. Those
seeking Sicily’s romantic side could take the midnight ferry from Porto Empedocle to
the remote island of Linosa, closer to Africa than Europe, while if solitude is not your
style, the larger island of Lampedusa (with its own airport, no less) has fantastic

beaches and a lively summer season.