Scicli: Baroque Culture and Coast in the Val di Noto

Scicli is located in the Val di Noto and is a destination for discovering Baroque Sicily. At the same time, the town is one of the eight urban components of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto”. If you choose Scicli as your destination, you can combine historic architecture, art and religiously influenced sites with the coast.

Baroque Cityscapes, Art and Churches

Palazzo Spadaro displays works by artists of the Gruppo di Scicli, including Piero Guccione and Franco Sarnari. The Museo del Costume di Scicli displays objects relating to the history of clothing from the 18th century to the first half of the 20th century, as well as the tradition of folk embroidery and weaving and further exhibits of material culture. In Scicli, art and traditional everyday culture thus come together.

Via Francesco Mormino Penna forms an ensemble of aristocratic buildings dating from the 18th century. The Chiesa di San Giovanni Evangelista houses a 17th-century work originating from Spain, the so-called “Cristo di Burgos”, which depicts Christ on the cross in priestly vestments; this iconography is considered very rare in Italy. The church’s interior features rich stucco work and gilding. The Chiesa di Santa Teresa is an 18th-century church with decorative art, a painted vaulted ceiling and white stone decorations on the columns. Its floor features geometric inlays made of black and white stone.

Palazzo Bonelli-Patanè has a Liberty-style interior with stucco, valuable furniture and paintings by Raffaele Scalia created between 1928 and 1938. La Stanza del Questore preserves original furnishings from the early 20th century as well as works by local artists. The Commissariato di Vigata is located on the ground floor of Scicli’s early-20th-century town hall and represents the police station from the television series “Il Commissario Montalbano”. In addition to historical and religious motifs, Scicli therefore also offers a connection to film history.

Coast and Mediterranean Landscape

Scicli has 20 kilometres of coastline, 18 kilometres of fine sandy beaches and four seaside resorts. The Macchia Foresta del Fiume Irminio Nature Reserve protects the river mouth and a Mediterranean coastal landscape with sandy banks, cliffs sloping down into the sea and shifting dunes. For your travel planning, this creates an interplay between Baroque urban history and different landscapes by the sea.

Gorges, Rock Settlement and Hilltop Church

The Cava di San Bartolomeo is a natural gorge formed by the San Bartolomeo stream in limestone. Chiafura is a Byzantine rock settlement that was inhabited until the 1950s. San Matteo was Scicli’s main church until 1874 and stands on the hill above the town.

Festivals with Religious Traditions

The Feast of the Madonna delle Milizie takes place on the last Saturday in May and includes a theatrical re-enactment that reaches its climax with the miraculous appearance of the Virgin riding a horse. The Cavalcata di San Giuseppe is a horse procession held in March and decorated with flowers, commemorating the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt. These festivals complement the permanent cultural sites with religious traditions held at specific times of the year.

More Destinations for Your Travel Planning

If you would like to explore your selection of further destinations in more depth, you can also consider Donnafugata, Pietre Nere San Zagaria, Scoglitti, Vittoria, Casuzze, Cerasella, Cimillà and Puntarazzi in your plans.

To the higher-level travel overview: Ragusa.