Sambuca of Sicily - Sambuca di Sicilia

Sambuca of Sicily (former Sambuca Zabut), is a city in the province of Agrigento in Sicily.
She was elected Borgo dei Borghi 2016 and is part of the most beautiful villages in Italy.

To know

Geographical notes

Perched on a hill, Sambuca di Sicilia is 89 km from Agrigento and 78 km from Palermo, is located in the Belice Valley at 350 m s.l.m. Sambuca is surrounded to the north-east by woods and mountains, among which stands the top of Monte Adranone (889 m), to the south-west by valleys, in one of which there is the artificial basin of Lago Arancio. The municipal area is part of the Monti Sicani Park.

When to go

The constant of Sambuca di Sicilia is the Mediterranean type climate with an average temperature of 24 - 26 ° C in July and August and with peaks of 40 - 43 ° C and with an average temperature of 10 - 12 ° C in January and February and with minimum peaks of 0 - 2 ° C. All months of the year. Sambuca offers different types of tourism, from the naturalistic one, to the historical-architectural one, passing through the food and wine tourism, the archaeological tourism and the folkloristic / religious tourism.

Background

Today Sambuca was founded by the Arabs around 830, a few years after their landing in Sicily and they called it Zabuth (to remember the homonymous Arab emir Al-Zabut who had a castle built in that place) and built it on the slopes of Monte Genuardo. Sambuca still preserves the traces of its Islamic origin in the "Arab quarter".

It kept its ancient name even when William II, known as "Il Buono", donated to the church of Monreale the "Chabuta seu Zabut", that is the "Splendida or Zabut". In 1185, in fact, it is indicated with the name of Rahal-Zabuth which means "Zabuth farmhouse". In the same year the Arab castle was sold to the Barberini family of Monreale, who kept it until 1570, when it was sold to the Beccadelli family of Bologna.

Zabut was inhabited by an Islamic population until the thirteenth century until it rebelled against the imperial consolidation operations ordered by Frederick II who built the Castello di Giuliana to be used as a headquarters for the solution of the "Saracen question" in Sicily. Zabut resisted for two years. The resistance was crushed in 1225 and the massacre was total.

The fortress-town of Zabut, after the massacre and deportation of the Saracen survivors, was slowly rebuilt. The Arabs who converted to Christianity out of fear or conviction and the Christians of the nearby Casale di Adragnus coexisted peacefully together. It appears relevant that Adragna is called Casale, in the sense of a rural hamlet, due to a process of decline, now unstoppable, while Sambuca is defined with the more prestigious name of Castello, which means fortified village.

The Casale di Adragnus was destroyed in the autumn of 1411, at the end of the long war of succession to the Kingdom of Sicily, whose protagonist was a woman, Queen Bianca of Navarre. The Adragnini thus moved to the fortress of Zabut, spared from destruction due to the heroic resistance opposed to the siege of the followers of the Baron of Modica, Bernardo Cabrera, and for the grandeur of its fortifications.

Around 1510, there is news of a Jewish presence in the area, testifying that, by now, Sambuca is a consolidated point of attraction. Its building expansion is also significant. In fact, Palazzo Panitteri was built as an outpost tower of the castle of Zabut, which, in the following century, was to be found in the center of the town. As various censuses attest, Sambuca tends to increase its population and expand its urban fabric.

During the seventeenth century Sambuca still grows towards the valley of the hill on which it stands and a main axis is created, the Via del Corso, along which all the noble buildings and places of worship rise. In this way the city center is transferred, from the Arab area towards the quadrilateral which houses the church of Carmine, the monastery of Santa Caterina and the Ciaccio and Beccadelli palaces. The marquisate of Sambuca, on 16 September 1666, passed, due to a marriage, to the Beccadellis of Bologna, who subsequently rose to the rank of princes with the principality of Camporeale. The title is still held by the heirs today.

In the first forty years of the nineteenth century the debasement of the Castle of Zabut continued which in 1819 was reduced to a feudal prison, in 1830 it was dismembered and looted by private individuals and in 1837 demolished and replaced by insignificant buildings. From here to the Unification, the life of Sambuca appears prosperous and lively. Around 1850 some middle-class families from Sambuca built the L'Idea theater.

The growth of the population determines the enlargement and restructuring of the urban fabric. The positive consequences of Italian unification can be seen, in Sambuca, in the improvement of road and rail links. In 1870 the Palermo-Chiusa-Sambuca-Sciacca roadway was opened. In 1875 via del Corso was extended by 117 meters. Via Libertà opens up, a small square is created and a space is created on which to form a villa. At the same time, the contract was given to build the external water pipes in cast iron and public lighting was introduced. In 1882 the theater was inaugurated, which became municipal.

In 1923 Mussolini canceled Zabut from the name and specified Sambuca regionally by adding "di Sicilia". In the Fascist period, the cloister of the monastery of Santa Caterina, overlooking via Mercato (today via Roma), was demolished to build a small square, on which, in 1929, a war memorial was inaugurated.

The Belice earthquake dates back to January 15, 1968, due to which Sambuca suffered moderate damage. From that date, in addition to the reconstructions of the historic center of the city, a new inhabited area was built in the area called Pìgnolo. In the eighties Sambuca di Sicilia experienced a fervent period. The world water skiing, canoeing and windsurfing championships on Lake Arancio date back to this period.

In 2014 the town is included in the club de The most beautiful villages in Italy. In 2016, following participation in the Rai 3 program Kilimanjaro - Il Borgo dei Borghi, it was proclaimed "Borgo dei Borghi 2016".

How to orient yourself

On Mount Adranone stands the archaeological complex of the 4th century BC. and the old Arab farmhouse in the resort area. Baroque facades and nineteenth-century palaces mix with a historic center of Arab origin whose most lively expressions are them vaneddi (seven Saracen alleys), the church of the Matrice and the Belvedere terrace, remains of the ancient castle of the Emir. Also important are the seventeenth-century Palazzo Panitteri (near the Ethno-anthropological Museum), the Palazzo dell'Arpa (seat of the Town Hall) and the Palazzo Ciaccio, the Carmine church with the marble statue of the Gaginian school of the Madonna dell'Udienza, Patroness of Sambuca di Sicilia, and the church of San Michele Arcangelo with the wooden equestrian fercolo of San Giorgio that pierces the dragon. Signs of a population attentive to culture are the municipal theater "L'Idea" and the Gianbecchina Institution.

Outside the historic center, remain the ancient towers of Pandolfina and Cellaro and the fortress of Mazzallakkar of which the towers emerge only in the summer months when the level of the Orange Lake is lowered.

Neighborhoods

• 37.650113.11391 Arab quarter - Ancient district with an Arab urban layout, whose atmosphere is enriched by the memory of the streets' names in two languages ​​(Italian and Arabic). The seven Saracen alleys can be recognized because they are counted with Roman numerals.
• 37.65834213.121182 New Sambuca - Neighborhood located to the north-east of the ancient dwelling that arose from the recent urban expansion and made up of new and mostly anonymous buildings.

How to get

By plane

L'Falcone-Borsellino Airport of Punta Raisi Palermo it is about 89 km from the Sambucese center and is connected to Menfi, a city which is 20 km away, with service bus Autolinee Gallo. Later you can use the service bus Autoservizi Salvatore Lumia. The bus departure time from the airport is 14:55.

L'Trapani Birgi Airport "Vincenzo Florio" it is about 90 km from the center of Sambuca and is connected to Sciacca, a city which is 28 km away, with service bus Autoservizi Salvatore Lumia. Later you can use the service bus Autoservizi Salvatore Lumia. The bus departure times from the airport are 9:45 am, 1:15 pm and 5:30 pm.

By car

From Palermo merge into Palermo-Sciacca. At Km 70 there is the exit at the Gulfa junction for Sambuca di Sicilia. The route is about 77 km long and from Palermo it is possible to take the Palermo-Mazara del Vallo in the direction Mazara del Vallo. At the Gallitello exit, at km 78, follow the signs towards Palermo-Sciacca and take the . Exit at the Gulfa crossroads. The route is approximately 113 km long. Otherwise, instead of exiting at the Gallitello junction, you can continue on the motorway to the Castelvetrano exit at km 102. Then take the European road E931 Mazara del Vallo-Gela towards Memphis. At the Menfi exit, take the towards Misilbesi. Then take the towards Palermo until the Gulfa exit. The route is approximately 138 km long.

From Trapani merge onto the motorway Palermo-Mazara del Vallo towards Mazara del Vallo. At km 49 there is the Gallitello exit. Then follow the signs towards SS624 Palermo-Sciacca and take the SS624 Palermo-Sciacca state road. Exit at the Gulfa crossroads. The route is about 92 km long.

From Agrigento take the European road E931 Mazara del Vallo-Gela towards Mazara del Vallo. After Sciacca, take the San Bartolo exit at km 63 and continue along the Palermo-Sciacca towards Palermo. Exit at the Gulfa crossroads. The route is about 90 km long.

By bus

From Palermo with the bus service Gallo bus lines from Monday to Saturday departures at 14:30 and 18:00 from via P. Bergamo (at the central station) and arrival at 15:45 and 19:15 in via G. Guasto in Sambuca. On Sundays and holidays departure at 6.10 pm from via P. Bergamo (at the central station) and arrival at 7:25 pm in via G. Guasto in Sambuca. Cost of the ticket: 6.60 euros. There is no reservation Palermo with the bus service Gallo bus lines from Monday to Friday nine departure times: 6:15, 9:00, 11:00, 12:30, 13:00, 13:40, 14:30, 18:00 and 19:30 from via P. Bergamo (at the central station) and arrival 1 hour and 10 minutes later at the Bivio Gulfa. On Saturdays six departure times: 9:00, 11:00, 12:30, 13:40, 18:00 and 19:30 from via P. Bergamo (at the central station) and arrival 1 hour and 10 minutes later at the Gulfa junction. On Sundays and holidays, six departure times: 11:00, 13:30, 17:30, 18:10 and 19:00 and 20:00 from via P. Bergamo (at the central station) and arrival 1 hour and 10 minutes later at the Gulfa junction. Cost of the ticket: 6.40 euros. Reservation is not required.

From Agrigento with the bus service Autolinee Salvatore Lumia from Monday to Friday departures at 6:30, 13:10 and 16:00 from piazza Fratelli Rosselli and arrival respectively at 9:00, 14:45 and 19:30 in via Girolamo Guasto in Sambuca. On Saturdays there is no 16:00 run. Cost of the ticket: 8.00 euros. Reservation is not required.

From Sciacca with the bus service Autolinee Salvatore Lumia from Monday to Saturday departures at 8:10 am, 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 2:50 pm and 5:40 pm from the municipal villa and arrivals respectively at 8:55 am, 1:35 pm, 2:45 pm, 3:35 pm and 6 pm: 25 in via Girolamo Guasto in Sambuca. Cost of the ticket: 3.60 euros. Reservation is not required.

From Trapani with the bus service Autolinee Salvatore Lumia from Monday to Saturday departures at 9:15 and 12:45 from via Staiti, connections in Sciacca, and arrival at 14:45 and 15:40 in via Girolamo Guasto in Sambuca. Cost of the ticket: 12.60 euros. Reservation is not required.

From Memphis with the bus service Autolinee Salvatore Lumia from Monday to Saturday departure at 18:00 from via Bilello (La Topaia) and arrival at 18:25 in via Girolamo Guasto in Sambuca. Cost of the ticket: 2.90 euros. Reservation is not required.

How to get around

By public transport

Bus service of the Adranone Autoservizi. From Monday to Saturday, from 08:00 to 19:30, departure every 15 minutes from the terminus in Piazza Vincenzo Navarro. The route passes through piazza Vincenzo Navarro, corso Umberto I, viale Enrico Berlinguer, via Agrigento, via Antonio Gramsci, via Aldo Moro, viale Palmiro Togliatti, contrada Orto Marchese, via Giorgio Amendola, via Luigi Longo, via Pietro Nenni, viale Palmiro Togliatti , via Martiri della Resistenza, via Fra Felice, viale Palmiro Togliatti, via Aldo Moro, via Antonio Gramsci, via Agrigento, viale Enrico Berlinguer, corso Umberto I, piazza Vincenzo Navarro. On Sundays the service has a frequency of 30 minutes and follows the same route.

In the summer months, from mid-June to mid-September, the bus service of the Adranone Autoservizi is added, reaching the holiday areas. From Monday to Saturday, from 08:30 to 18:30, departures every 30 minutes from the terminus in piazza Vincenzo Navarro. The route passes through piazza Vincenzo Navarro, corso Umberto I, viale Enrico Berlinguer, via Agrigento, via Antonio Gramsci, via Aldo Moro, viale Palmiro Togliatti, via Pietro Nenni, contrada Adragna, contrada Santa Barbara, contrada Adragna, piazzetta Bammina, contrada Serrone Mulè, Batia district, via Antonio Gramsci, via Agrigento, viale Enrico Berlinguer, corso Umberto I, piazza Vincenzo Navarro.

By car

In the city it is not very difficult to find parking, except in the main street. However, one must be aware that many roads are narrow and difficult to travel by car.

On foot

Definitely the best way to get around the streets of the city.

What see

Religious buildings

• 37.6504913.114931 mother church (The matrix), Piazza Baldi Centellis, ☎ 39 0925 940246. Free entry. Open on special occasions. La Matrice is one of the most important monuments of Sambuca. It stands on the ancient church annexed to the castle of which it incorporates one of the towers which was later transformed into a bell tower. The entrance portal is in Chiaramonte Gothic style with elegant geometric motifs. The interior is visible from the glass portal where there is also a fresco by the Sambuchese painter Gianbecchina.  

• 37.6477513.111642 Sanctuary of Maria SS. of the Hearing (Church of the Carmine), Corso Umberto I, 164. The church, dedicated to the SS. Annunziata, stands in the place where there was another dedicated to Sant'Antonio Abate owned by the municipality, built in 1530. It was located next to the convent of Sant'Agostino built in 1471. The development of the city around this church make it the main church of Sambuca. The church has three naves punctuated by five bays with round arches on pillars. These have, on the side facing the central nave, Corinthian order pilasters, protruding by about five centimeters, adorned with golden and white decorations. In the niche of the central nave there is the marble statue of the Madonna dell'Udienza, from the Gaginian school, of precious artistic and religious value. The Madonna, considered the Mother of the Sambucesi, is celebrated on the third Sunday of May.  

• 37.64758613.1108823 Church of Santa Caterina d'Alessandria, Corso Umberto I, ☎ 39 0925 943147. Free entry. Mon-Sun 09: 00-18: 00. Dated to 1515. The church has a main facade bordered by sturdy corner pilasters in stone, has an isosceles staircase that connects the roadway to the floor of the nave. Portal with architrave surmounted by window with grate. The perspective above is closed by a simple cornice.

The stucco decorative apparatus was one of the first early works by Vincenzo Messina, a pupil trained at the Serpotta school. The ornaments include statues in the round depicting the allegories of the four incarnate Virtues placed on the sides of the first two altars of the nave. A profusion of caryatids on columns, candelabra, cartouches, shells, frames, crowns, stems, festoons, garlands, shelves, pinnacles, pendants, cherubs and angels, broad bricks, curls, scrolls, coats of arms, weapons, details finished with phytomorphic leaf motifs acanthus.  

• 37.64943713.1126924 Church of San Michele Arcangelo, Largo S. Michele. The church was erected after the expulsion of the Saracens from the city in the 13th century, in 1596 it was renovated by reversing its orientation and giving its current shape to three naves. Inside there are several works. 

• 37.65036213.113635 Church of the Rosary, via Rosario. This 16th century church is preceded by a cobbled churchyard from 1752 with the Dominican coat of arms in the center, i.e. a dog with a torch in its mouth. The cypress wood door has carved scenes from the life of the Saint. Inside there is also a crypt where the bodies were mummified until 1886, still visible today. 
• 37.6541813.109696 Convent of the Capuchins, Contrada Cappuccini, ☎ 39 0925940246. Free entry. By reservation every day. This convent was built in 1606 with an adjoining garden where tobacco was grown. 
• 37.64707813.1067687 Church of S Lucia, via S Lucia, 8. This church was once dedicated to S Leonardo, it was closed for many years and reopened for worship only in 2004. 
• 37.64674613.1102748 Church of San Giuseppe, Corso Umberto, 122. Church of 1661 with a neo-Gothic facade of 1930 coming from another church. 
• 37.64741213.1098019 Church of the Conception, Street Conception. The Chiaramonte Gothic façade comes from the church of San Nicola. Inside there are valuable works such as two stucco sculptures of kings David and Solomon, as well as canvases and frescoes. The church was declared a National Monument in 1928. 
• 37.64732413.10969710 Oratory of Jesus and Mary, Street Conception. The building was built in the eighteenth century. Today it is entrusted to the Confraternity of the Addolorata. 
• 37.64927713.10982411 Church and college of Maria, Collegio Square. The complex was built in 1741. Inside lived Sister Vittoria Sparacino, known for having created the “Minne di virgini”. Today the college building houses a retirement home. 

Museums

• 37.6473813.1108512 Sylvie Clavel textile sculpture museum, Corso Umberto I, ☎ 39 0925 940246. Free entry. Mon-Sun 09: 00-18: 00. Sylvie Clavel is a Parisian artist who has lived in Sambuca for many years. Today it shuttles between Sambuca, Agrigento and Paris. The textile sculpture museum displays his great art, that of weaving. In fact, thanks to a slow and painstaking work, using two types of knots, he manages to create magnificent works. A typical feature of these sculptures is the face, created with wooden masks, coming from Africa, the continent where the brother lives. These masks are handmade by African artisans, and have an important artistic value that is added to that of the sculptures created by Sylvie Clavel. 

• 37.6492413.1125713 "Palazzo Panitteri" Archaeological Museum, Via Panitteri, 1, ☎ 39 334 7575978 (Mobile phone), @[email protected]. Free entry. Tue-Sun 9: 00-13: 00 and 16: 00-20: 00. The "Palazzo Panitteri" archaeological museum was inaugurated in 2013 and collects valuable finds from the archaeological site of Monte Adranone. The emblem of the museum is the Demeter with Beautiful Hair. Among the finds it is possible to observe bronze belts, strigils, furnishings, Attic ceramic vases and vases of Punic origins, Doric and Ionic columns and capitals, and much more. The exhibition itinerary extends between the rooms of the seventeenth-century Palazzo Panitteri, which belonged to important Sambucese families, with a characteristic courtyard with a Catalan staircase and a garden with Mediterranean ornamental plants.  

• 37.6453813.1083414 Gianbecchina Institution, Corso Umberto I, ☎ 39 0925 940239, @[email protected]. Tue-Sun 09: 00-12: 30 16: 00-20: 00. Picture gallery dedicated to Giovanni Becchina, a native of Sambuca di Sicilia, in art Gianbecchina, with the most significant works from 1924 to 1996 donated by the painter himself. 
• 37.64867313.11188815 Sacred art museum (Church of the Purgatory), Largo Purgatorio. Former seventeenth-century church decorated with stuccoes on the subject of souls in purgatory. Inside it houses the city's sacred art museum. 
• 37.6490913.11212916 Ethno-anthropological Museum "Dott. Vito Gandolfo", Via Panitteri, ☎ 39 0922 847092. It houses finds and tools of the local tradition of Sambucese farmers and artisans. 

Palaces

• 37.64888113.11293217 Arpa Palace (city ​​Hall), Corso Umberto I. This building today the seat of the Municipality closes Corso Umberto allowing road continuity through a crossing under one of the two arches. It was probably built along the walls that delimited the old city, in fact it delimits the Arab quarter from the modern part of Sambuca. 

• 37.64802213.1114718 Palazzo Ciaccio, Corso Umberto I, 137. This 19th century building was created by imitating the style of Florentine Renaissance buildings. It is characterized by the warm color of the stone and the elegance of the sculpted balconies. 
• 37.64763713.10968819 Palazzo Giacone, Via Marconi. Noble building with a large courtyard and an example of a seventeenth-century staircase. The rooms on the main floor are frescoed. 

Other

• 37.64753113.11129320 Former hospital and civic tower, Corso Umberto, 168. The hospital was founded in 1537 together with the contiguous church of SS Fabiano and Sebastiano. The hospital remained open until 1968, today it has been restored and has become a cultural container. The civic tower has a clock with a mechanism from the mid-nineteenth century. 

• 37.65073413.11613321 Belvedere. It was once part of the ancient castle of Zambut, and formed the fortified acropolis of the city. Then the castle was demolished and created this large space often used for events. According to tradition, tunnels branch off in the subsoil that connect the ancient castle with other parts of the city and the territory. From this belvedere you can enjoy the panorama of the new part of Sambuca and behind Mount Genuardo with the site of Adranone next to it. But they can also be seen Caltabellotta, Giuliana is Closed Sclafani. At sunset the effect is even more impressive. 
• 37.6536613.1156222 Ancient aqueduct (The arches), Via Aldo Moro, ☎ 39 0925 940246. Built in 1633 to bring water to the city, it was damaged by the 1968 earthquake. 
• 37.64764113.11104323 Lumacone of Sambuca di Sicilia, Victory Square. In this pleasant square a statue of a slug was inserted in 2014 with the inscription: "In a world that runs whirlwind, with often incomprehensible logics. Slowness comes to mind with arrogance, as a goal of thought." by I. Maffei from the Praise of slowness. The work was created by Gabriele Venanzio. 

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  Aqueduct of Sambuca

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  Lumacone of Sambuca di Sicilia

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  Street ghost

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  Former portal of the church of San Giorgio

• 37.6502513.1138524 Street Ghost. The unusual name of this street derives from a legend according to which the ghosts of the Saracens, buried alive in the underground quarries, roam the Arab quarter. 
• 37.64934113.11341625 Former portal of the church of San Giorgio, Navarro Square. This portal from 1565 comes from the former church that stood at the square and demolished in 1958. The portal was rebuilt in 2018 and placed in its original position to keep the memory of the former church which was the first in the city rebuilt on the foundations of a mosque, after the Arab domination of Sambuca. 

Outside the built-up area

• 37.68793513.14449426 Archaeological area of ​​Monte Adranone (Tomb of the Queen), C.da Vanera (at about 1000 m a.s.l. north of Sambuca), ☎ 39 0925 946083. Full € 6, reduced € 3 (Jun 2020). Mon-Sun 09: 00-18: 30. The site of Monte Adranone was colonized by Selinunte in the 6th century BC and subsequently conquered by Carthage in the 4th century BC In 250 BC was razed to the ground by Rome. Today it preserves intact the various areas of an ancient city, with the necropolis, in which there is the so-called "Tomb of the Queen", with the farm, used as an artisan area, with the inhabited center, where you can admire the sanctuary, the craft area, warehouses and shops, and with the acropolis, where there is the temple. The perimeter of the city consists of a mighty wall about 15 km long.  

• 37.62989313.07531327 Fort of Mazzallakkar (close to the waters of Lake Arancio, between the Castellazzo hill and the Cellaro Tower which extends into the lower part of the territory of Sambuca di Sicilia). The fort is closed by a review, to visit it contact one of the local associations. Built by the Arabs in the same period in which they were founding Zabut (Sambuca) and that is after 830. The fort has a quadrangular shape; in each corner there is a circular tower, covered by a small limestone dome with an ornate spire that was perhaps a flame or a crescent. The towers are equipped with loopholes and the height of the walls reaches about 4 meters. Until the 1950s, even if it was used as a shelter for flocks and herds, the fort was in excellent condition. Following the construction of the dam, Carboj remains partially submerged by the waters of Lake Arancio for at least six months a year. Thermal excursions and hydro-geological depressions are irreparably destroying this historical and architectural masterpiece.  
• 37.634613.062428 Orange Lake. Artificial basin. It was built in the period 1949-1952 with the construction of a dam. The water level thus covered the Mazzallakkar fort.  
• 37.72094913.15354529 Calatamauro Castle. Abandoned castle. 
• 37.68072913.08564530 Pandolfina Tower (SP44). The thirteenth-century tower takes its name from the fief of the same name and had a defensive function to guard the valley. Around there is a fortified farm. 
• 37.63530713.09017831 Cellaro Tower. Fortified tower in the form of a severed pyramid with windows from the Romanesque period. Inside, a statue of the Madonna dell’Udienza was found in the sixteenth century. In the surroundings, Roman remains have been found. 

Events and parties

• Feast of St. Joseph. March 19. Feast with procession. 
• Good Friday. The procession of the Dead Christ is held followed by the wooden statue of Maria SS. Sorrowful. 
• Easter Sunday. 12:00. The meeting of the Risen Christ with the Madonna and St. Michael the Archangel is celebrated in the square. 
• Feast of St. George the martyr. April 23. Co-patron of Sambuca. 
• Feast of the Most Holy Mary of the Audience. Third Sunday of May. Patronal feast with a procession that passes through the main streets of the historic center all night leading the fercolo of the Madonna dell’Udienza, kept in the church of the same name. 
• Feast of Sant'Antonino. June 13. 
• Feast of Maria SS. of the Vassals. 5th August. For the occasion, the "pasta with dried beans" called "Virgineddi" is distributed. 
• San Giuseppe del Serrone. Last Sunday of August. 
• 37.6475813.111131 White night of culture, Corso Umberto I, 160, ☎ 39 334 7575978, fax: 39 0925 19566669, @[email protected]. Free participation. From 8pm to 3am in summer. The White Night of culture is the highlight of the Sambucese summer. Book presentations, book sharing, exhibition of artistic and literary works, extemporaneous by painters, by body painter, cartoonists, exhibitions of artistic crafts, moments of music, recital of texts and poems, open mic, theatrical shows, tastings of typical products, open shops and party night clubs keep the participating public company for the most enlightened night of the year. 
• Maria Santissima Bammina, contrada Adragna. September 8. 
• Animal fair. 21 September. 
• Feast of Saint Lucia. 13 December. 

What to do

• Excursions. It is possible to do it in the Monte Genuardo reserve as well as other nature trails at Lake Arancio. 
• Cycling. There are several low-traffic provincial roads, with excellent views. But there is also the braid of the former railway that gives Burgio leads to Palermo. 
• Bike Dedalo Association, ☎ 39 338 2243175. 
• Genuardo trekking association, ☎ 39 388 6571196, 39 388 6017317. 

Shopping

• 37.6487613.11271 Resale of tobaccos Di Prima Anna, Corso Umberto I, 193, ☎ 39 0925 943267. The Di Prima Anna tobacconist's shop offers its customers, as well as tobaccos, stationery items, leather goods, gift items, souvenirs, tickets for the Autoservizi Adranone bus service, telephone top-ups and bill payment. 
• 37.65229313.1147932 Stop & Shop Sas by Marco Felice Cicio and C. (Supermarket), Via Francesco Crispi, 92, ☎ 39 0925 941404. 
• 37.66860213.1432123 Pasini dairy, Contrada Galluzzo, ☎ 39 329 405 7275. 

How to have fun

Shows

• 37.645213.1083311 L'Idea Theater, Corso Umberto I, 22 (almost in front of the municipal house), ☎ 39 0925 943229, @[email protected]. Free entry. Mon-Sun 09: 00-18: 00. It was built between 1848 and 1851 by a group of art-loving Sambucesi bourgeois. The architectural structure and style are similar to large theaters such as the Bellini di Catania, the Politeama of Palermo, the Pirandello of Agrigento. At the end of the nineteenth century, restored and decorated in Art Nouveau style by the painter Domenico Ferrara, it returned to public use, hosting important theatrical companies and famous actors. Severely damaged by the earthquake of January 1968, in 1993, it was definitively restored and returned to the Sambucesi. The theater can accommodate about two hundred and fifty people. The theater also performs important socio-cultural functions as a center for theatrical and musical preparation and training and as a reception facility for conferences and cultural activities open to all expressions.  

Where to eat

There minna of virgini (in Italian "virgin's breast") is a traditional sweet of Sambuca di Sicilia. It was conceived in 1725 by Sister Virginia Casale of Rocca Menna, of the Collegio di Maria di Sambuca. The nun created it on the occasion of the marriage of the Marquis Don Pietro Beccadelli to Donna Marianna Gravina. It is a breast-shaped baked cake with a darker protuberance at the top. It is made from shortcrust pastry and contains milk cream, pumpkin, chocolate flakes and cinnamon.

Biscotti a Caviglia, whose name derives from the shape resembling the crossbar that connects the feet of the chair. Excellent with tea or sweet wine.

Moderate prices

• 37.64444613.1071461 Pastry shop Gulotta & Giudice Snc, Viale Enrico Berlinguer, 64, ☎ 39 0925 942150. Thu-Mar 8: 30-23: 00. You can try the minne of virgins. 
• 37.64715813.1118022 Pendola pastry shop, Via Baglio Grande, 42, ☎ 39 0925 941080. The best place to try the minne of virgins. 
• 37.65227313.1136573 Domenico Libasci Bakery, Viale Antonio Gramsci, 61, ☎ 39 0925 941346. This bakery sells good quality products. The owners are very kind and sometimes even ready to give something as a gift. Not for nothing did he appear in a RAI report on the city. 

Average prices

• 37.64717413.1112894 Bread and Roots, Vaccaro courtyard, Corso Umberto I, ☎ 39 0925 189 8057. Good quality restaurant with Sicilian and Italian cuisine. Great reviews. 
• 37.66665413.127335 Ancient Mill, Traverse SP69, ☎ 39 0925 946130. Restaurant with a beautiful panoramic terrace. Meat and fish menu. Incredibly hearty dishes! 
• 37.67120713.1410346 Massaria Ruvettu Restaurant, c / da Cicala - Adragna, ☎ 39 329 446 3826. 

Where stay

Average prices

• 37.6499713.114681 Holiday House AL ZABUT, Via Belvedere, 98, ☎ 39 389 8995497. 70 € for 2 people. Check in: 14:00-22:00, check-out: 11:00. Apartment in the historic center, well furnished and comfortable. 
• 37.65788513.1028342 Ancient Oil Mill, Contrada Purcaria Mendolazza. 
• 37.65060913.1156023 Belvedere House, Piazza Baldi Centellis. 
• 37.65024113.1130474 The Rooms of the Emir, Via Rosario, 41. 
• 37.63974213.0688425 The House on the Lake, Contrada Castellaccio. 

High prices

• 37.667213.07976 Don Giovanni Hotel, Contrada Pandolfina, ☎ 39 333 1252608, fax: 39 0925 942511, @[email protected]. This 4-star hotel recalls the local Sicilian bagli with its large internal courtyard. 

Safety

• Carabinieri, via S. Croce 1, ☎ 39 0925 941181. 
• Traffic wardens, Victory Square 1, ☎ 39 0925 940226. 
• Emergency medical Service, via Togliatti, ☎ 39 0925 77087. 

How to keep in touch

Post office

• City Poste, via Roma, 14, ☎ 39 0925 944001. 
• Mail yes, via Magna Grecia, 26, ☎ 39 333 111449. 
• Italian post, via Gramsci 40, ☎ 39 0925 943226. 

Internet

Sambuca enjoys good communication services, especially for those who need to use the internet and be connected to the network very often, for leisure but also for work. You can find wireless hotspots made available free of charge by the Municipality in the central square of the town, in the municipal villa and in the railway station area, as well as in the town hall buildings. In summer, the wireless hotspot service is moved to piazzale Bammina, in the Adragna district.

Keep informed

• The Voice of Sambuca

Around

• 37.71169313.2064052 Abbey of Santa Maria Del Bosco, SP 35 (3 km from Contessa Entellina), ☎ 39 3333279514, @[email protected]. 5€ a persona (giu 2020). Su appuntamento. L'inizio della costruzione non è nota con precisione, ma si ipotizza che la primitiva abbazia possa risalire al XIII secolo. Il grande complesso monumentale, istituzione sorta per ospitare i religiosi dell'Ordine benedettino e poi transitata alla Congregazione olivetana, è iniziato nella seconda metà del '500 per essere terminato circa un secolo dopo, nel 1644. Con l’introduzione delle leggi eversive il patrimonio venne espropriato alla Chiesa e venduto a privati che da generazioni lo mantengono. Il complesso comprende due chiostri oggi adibiti a struttura ricettiva e la chiesa in rovina a causa del terremoto del Belice.  
• 37.61784113.0576593 Gole della Tardara (Tra Sambuca di Sicilia e Sciacca). Si tratta di un canyon naturale formato dal fiume Carboj, unico emissario del lago Arancio, lungo circa 2 chilometri.  
• Parco dei Monti Sicani — Escursioni al bosco di Monte Genuardo o al Fiume Sosio.

Useful information

Scaricando l'app Izi Travel si possono trovare degli itinerari gratuiti della città e del museo archeologico.

• Proloco, ☎ 39 391 7065531. 

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Sambuca di Sicilia
• Commons contains images or other files on Sambuca di Sicilia
• Wikiquote contains quotes from or about Sambuca di Sicilia

Guide : l'articolo rispetta le caratteristiche di un articolo usabile ma in più contiene molte informazioni e consente senza problemi una visita alla città. The article contains an adequate number of images, a fair number of listings. There are no style errors.