Page 456 - The Rough Guide of Sicily

Wed–Sat lunch & dinner, Sun dinner only; winter Mon & Wed–Sat lunch & dinner,

Sun lunch only.

L’Oste e il Sacrestano Via Sant’Andrea 19 0922 774 736. A small, smart but
unpretentious hostaria and wine bar near the Duomo and Corso Vittorio Emanuele,
where the tasting menu of five small courses (€48) is highly recommended. Tues–Sat
lunch & dinner, Sun lunch only.

< Back to Agrigento and the southwest

North of Agrigento

The lively spa and port town of Sciacca and the lovely ancient site of Eraclea Minoa
are the best-known destinations to the north of Agrigento, but if you have a car,
Sciacca makes a good base for a day’s circular drive, taking in a few minor inland
towns, including the superbly sited village of Caltabellotta. Local buses also make
certain simple excursions into the hinterland possible.

Sant’Angelo Muxaro

Some 30km north of Agrigento, in the steeply sloping Platani River valley, the small
agricultural centre of SANT’ANGELO MUXARO boasts a number of local tholos
(tombs) hollowed out of the rock in dome-shaped caves. The earliest date from the
eleventh century BC, but most are from around the eighth to the fifth centuries BC, and

recall Minoan and Mycenaean examples in design. You’ll spot them as you approach
the bare hillside on which the village stands: the road leads up past a ramshackle
brick wall, beyond which a path heads along the sheer rock to the “beehive” caves. At
the bottom, the largest is known locally as the Tomba del Principe: later converted
into a Byzantine chapel, it’s half-hidden by overhanging trees and you may have to

backtrack to get inside. Like all the others, it’s empty now, the finds scattered in
various museums around Europe.

THE ALBERGO DIFFUSO EXPERIENCE

Sant’Angelo boasts a great accommodation option which transforms the village

from a day-trip destination into a place where you might well be tempted to stay a
night or two. Run by the Val di Kam agency, who have a “reception” at Piazza
Umberto I 31 ( 0922 919 670 or 339 530 5989, valdikam.it), it’s known as an
albergo diffuso – a hotel that is “diffused” throughout the village, with en-suite
rooms (€60) in a number of different houses – it’s a formula that’s becoming

increasingly popular in Sicily, and it’s proving to be a great way of reviving small
rural centres. Breakfast is usually a grand affair with local delicacies, served in your
room, and the agency can also arrange local dinners in private houses. Val di Kam