Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WEST OF AGRIGENTO
The main SS115 road follows the coast westwards from Agrigento, passing through some
fine countryside as it runs on to the historic spa town of Sciacca. En route you'll pass a
number of excellent sandy beaches, a nature reserve and what is left of an ancient Greek
town that was supposedly founded by the Cretan king Minos, the man behind the Minotaur
myth.
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Casa Natale di Pirandello
Southwest of Agrigento in the suburb of Caos, about 2km along the SS115 to Porto Empe-
docle, is this
house
( 092 251 18 26; admission €2; 9am-1pm & 3-7pm)
, the birthplace of Luigi
Pirandello (1867-1936). One of the giants of modern Italian literature, and winner of the
1934 Nobel Prize for Literature, Pirandello started his career writing short stories and nov-
els, but is best known as a playwright, author of masterpieces such as
Sei personaggi in
ricerca di un autore
(Six Characters in Search of an Author) and
Enrico IV
(Henry IV).
He left Agrigento as a young man but returned most summers to spend time at the family
villa, which is now a small museum, stacked full of first editions, photographs, reviews and
theatre bills. Pirandello's ashes are kept in an urn buried at the foot of a pine tree in the
garden.
Just a few kilometres down the road,
Porto Empedocle
, the main port for ferries to the Pela-
gic Islands, has its own literary claim to fame. Andrea Camilleri, Italy's most popular liv-
ing author and creator of Inspector Montalbano, was born here in 1925.
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Beaches & Beauty Spots
The nearest beach to Agrigento is at
San Leone
, the town's vivacious seafront satellite.
However, with your own wheels you'll find some stunning spots further west along the
SS115.
One of the most beautiful, and least publicised, sights in the Agrigento area is the
Scala dei
Turchi
. This is a blindingly white rock shaped like a giant staircase that juts out into the sea
