Sciacca

Sciacca combines a long thermal history with sacred art, unusual museum formats and a landscape in which the garden, sea and Monte Kronio are closely connected with the character of the town. Those wishing to combine culture and nature on their trip to Sicily will find different ways to discover Sciacca here: in museum spaces, along the town’s streets and squares, or in the surroundings of the thermal landscape.

Thermal Park and Monte Kronio

A special starting point is Sciacca’s Thermal Park. It overlooks the Mediterranean and lies between the greenery of the garden and the blue of the sea. This means that the focus is not only on the thermal tradition, but also on a tangible landscape impression that situates the place between garden and coast.

Sciacca originated in the 6th to 5th century BC as a thermal complex dependent on Selinunte. During Roman times, beginning in the 2nd century BC, the thermal use of the steam baths with sulphurous water at Monte Kronio developed. This chronology shows that Sciacca’s connection with thermal springs is not merely a modern development, but dates back to antiquity.

Monte Kronio is also home to the hypogenic karst cave system of the Stufe di San Calogero. It was one of the reasons for establishing the Riserva Naturale Orientata Monte San Calogero - Monte Kronio nature reserve and the Natura 2000 site ITA040009 “Monte San Calogero (Sciacca)”. Monte Kronio therefore represents both the thermal history and a protected natural area.

Sacred Art and Historic Toys

The MUDIA Museum of Sacred Art is housed in rooms next to the Chiesa Madre in Sciacca. MUDIA displays liturgical furnishings, monstrances, reliquaries and paintings, including works by the painter Mariano Rossi. The collection thus brings together different forms of sacred furnishings and painting in one place.

The Museo del Giocattolo offers a completely different approach. Toys are displayed in reconstructed settings typical of bygone eras. The Toy Museum’s collection spans from the 19th century to the 1970s. Those interested in historical everyday life will therefore encounter not only individual objects, but also a collection spanning a broad period and staged environments.

Sciacca as an Open-Air Museum

The Museo Diffuso dei 5 Sensi distributes its exhibition structure throughout the town. The five gates of the old town wall serve as entrances, the streets as corridors and the squares as exhibition halls. The Museo Diffuso dei 5 Sensi views Sciacca itself as an open-air museum. Discovering the town in this way offers a different kind of visit from that of a single museum: the town wall, streets and squares become components of the exhibition concept.

Cattolica Eraclea, Campobello Di Licata, Canicattì, Caltabellotta and Lampedusa e Linosa.

For the overarching travel overview: Agrigento.

More about the destination

Relevant information for planning your trip:

Trattoria La Vecchia Conza, Sciacca, Sciacca - Sicily, Restaurant Porto San Paolo, Sciacca.