Owned by a pair of brothers, the Ceramiche Schittone has been making and selling artistic ceramics since 2002.  Walking around the city, it is easy to see just how important the art of ceramic making is to the place, and its people.  One of the high schools even has a department where students can begin…

Walking along Corso Vittorio Emanuele, we came upon a small memorial honoring the “Heroes of Peace.”  The monument pays tribute to the twelve Carabinieri, five soldiers of the Italian Army and two civilians, who lost their lives on November 12th, 2003, during a terrorist attack on the Italian embassy in Nasiriyah, Iraq. Palazzo Tagliavia di…

We made our way up to the historic center of Sciacca via a stairway that worked its way up the hill in levels. We emerged from the staircase at the edge of a large piazza, where a monument stood at one end.  The piazza turned out to be Piazza Angelo Scandaliato, and the monument was…

The drive from Porto Empedocle to Sciacca, which was our next destination, takes a little less than one hour.  Our landlord in Porto Empedocle was kind enough to offer to drive us there.  Approximately forty-five minutes later, we were inside the apartment in Sciacca.  The place was nice.  It was located in the old fishing…

There are two main reasons for most tourists to visit this section of Sicily.  The first is the Valley of the Temples, which we wrote about in our Agrigento posts, and the second is the Scala dei Turchi.  Honestly, the Scala dei Turchi, or the Stairs of the Turks, should be seen both, during the…

The view, from the small terrace of the apartment, showed another warm, sunny day.  So, after a lovely breakfast, we headed outside! We wanted to time our actual visit to the Scala dei Turchi to correspond with the day’s sunset, as it was supposed to be a magical experience.  Since we were not certain of…

On our second day in Porto Empedocle, we decided to stay close to the apartment, exploring the immediate area.  The neighborhood was made up of private residences, some of which were used as summer houses, or as vacation rentals, like the one where we were staying. As we walked, we discovered a flight of fairly…

Our next destination was only 6 kilometers away, so we opted for the easy option, and took a taxi.  In less than fifteen minutes, we were in front of what would be our new home for the next three days.  We rented an apartment in a residential area, right across from the beach, halfway between…

The main altar area, of the Cattedrale di San Gerlando, is rich in baroque decorations.  The concept for the apse was created by Francesco Traina, with individual artists and craftsmen carrying out the separate details.  The episcopal chair you see on the left, in the photo below, was commissioned in the mid-1800s by the bishop, …

The Palazzo Vescovile, or the Bishop’s Palace, dates from the 11th century.  In the mid 18th century, the palace was given a makeover by the architect, Domenico Dolcemascolo.  The coat of arms, visible near the windows, is that of the Lucchesi Palli.  A section of the palace houses the Museo Diocesano, which we had just…

At Via Duomo, #94, you will find the Biblioteca Lucchesiana.  The library was founded in 1765, by the then bishop of Agrigento, Andrea Lucchesi Palli.  It contains more than 60,000 books, illuminated manuscripts, and pieces of art.  Unfortunately for us, it was closed at the time of our visit, but has since reopened to the…

The Chiesa di Santa Maria del Soccorso, also known as Badiola, can be found at Via San Girolamo, #1, and dates from 1529. As we made our way along Via San Girolamo, we passed what seemed to be the entrance to the Presepe del Centro Storico, or the Nativity Scene of the Old Town.  Unfortunately,…