< 1 day
On foot
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History
Sambuca di Sicilia 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 del Monte Genuardo, between the Belice river and the Sosio.
Nevertheless, the origins of the name Sambuca are uncertain. The main assumptions: from a Greek musical instrument in the shape of a harp; or from the elderberry plants, widespread since antiquity in the valley of Lake Arancio. Leonardo Sciascia breaks down the name Sambuca in as-Sabuqah and interprets it as a "remote place". Until 1928 the town was called Sambuca Zabut. In 1928, Benito Mussolini removed "Zabut" and added "di Sicilia”.
Zabut was inhabited by an Islamic population until the thirteenth century when 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.
Photo of a street in Sambuca di Sicilia, by Samuele Schirò on Pixabay
Attractions
In Sambuca there are a few places to visit that deserve to be mentioned.
Santuario di Maria SS. dell'Udienza
Santuario di Maria SS. dell'Udienza is a famous church located in the main street of Sambuca, the Corso Umberto I;
Photo of the Santuario di Maria SS. dell'Udienza, by Mboesch on Wikipedia
Chiesa di Santa Caterina d'Alessandria
Chiesa di Santa Caterina d'Alessandria and the remains of the monastery of the Benedictine Order form a monumental aggregate located in Corso Umberto I, adjacent to today's Piazza della Vittoria;
Photo of the Chiesa di Santa Caterina d'Alessandria, by Guzman on Wikipedia
La Matrice
La Matrice is one of the most important monuments of Sambuca, built around 1420 on a part of the ancient Castle of Zabut, in the oldest area of the city. It has a beautiful facade with high tuff bases and an Arab-Norman style entrance portal preceded by a long staircase;
Photo of the Matrice, by Franco Alloro on Comune di Sambuca di Sicilia
Terrazza del Belvedere
Terrazza del Belvedere or Calvario, is the highest point in the country. From the square below you enter, climbing a wide staircase, in the part of the former Castle of Zabut which was the fortifi ed acropolis. In the second half of 1800 the few ruins of the castle were demolished to obtain a large terrace, which ends with an exedra with columns, where the rites of Good Friday were celebrated, hence the name "Calvary", even if after the first war worldwide, since the Crucifixion ceremony no longer took place, it was renamed "Belvedere". Magnificent is the panorama that sweeps up to the territories of Giuliana, Caltabellotta, Chiusa Sclafani, with the Sicani Mountains in the background.
Photo of the Terrazza del Belvedere, by Civa61 on Wikipedia
Teatro Comunale l'Idea
Teatro Comunale l’Idea is a jewel of local craftsmanship from the first half of the 19th century, which was built at the same time as the great Sicilian theaters such as the Massimo and the Politeama in Palermo, the Bellini in Catania and the Regina Margherita in nearby Agrigento.
Photo of the Teatro L'idea, by Guzman on Wikipedia
Palazzo Panitteri
The "Palazzo Panitteri" archaeological museum was inaugurated in 2013 and collects valuable finds from the archaeological site of Monte Adranone. The archaeological site of Monte Adranone rises about 1000 m a.s.l. 7 km north of the town of Sambuca. Ancient Adranon was colonized by Selinunte in the sixth century BC. and conquered by Carthage in the 4th century BC. In 250 BC it was razed to the ground by Rome. Today it preserves the various areas of an ancient city intact: the necropolis in which the so-called "Tomb of the Queen" stands out; the farm used as an artisan area; the inhabited center where you can admire the remains of houses, sacred areas, warehouses, shops, cisterns and, on the top of the mountain, the acropolis where the sanctuary stands. The perimeter of the city consists of a mighty wall about 15 km long.
Photo of the internal courtyard of the Palazzo Panitter, by Guzman on Wikipedia
Quartiere Saraceno
The Quartiere Saraceno in Sambuca di Sicilia is an area rich in history with 7 alleys, the underground tuff quarries, and the Mother Church. It extends from Piazza Navarro, off San Michele to the belvedere; the urban layout developed, as already mentioned, around 7 "Saracen alleys" (li setti vaneddi), transformed into a living museum of Arab-Sicilian history and in the Mazzallakkar fortress on the shores of Lake Arancio which is submerged every time raises the level of the lake.
Food
While in Sambuca di Sicilia you may be interested in tasting traditional food, or eating in local restaurants. Here is a list of places where to eat in Sambuca.
Minna di Virgini
The best food you can have in Sambuca di Sicilia is pastries. There’s a traditional pastry called Minna di virgini, literally “virgin tit”, due to its mammary shape with a darker protuberance at the apex. It is made from shortcrust pastry and contains milk cream, pumpkin, chocolate flakes, and cinnamon.
Here are a few places where you can taste it:
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Pasticceria Enrico Pendola;
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Pasticceria Gulotta & Giudice.
Photo of the Minne di Virgini, by Taormina Foto on Wikipedia
If you’re looking for a restaurant, or a pizzeria, here is a list of places where you can go:
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La Panoramica is a restaurant and a pizzeria, too;
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L'Antico Mulino is a traditional restaurant, where you can have a lot of food for a fair price;
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Ristorante Pizzeria I Picciotti is a restaurant and a pizzeria, too.
Tips
Monte Genuardo e Santa Maria del Bosco Riserva Naturale
Behind Sambuca di Sicilia there is a mountain called Monte Genuardo. The latter, together with the Abbazia di Santa Maria del Bosco, constitutes a reserve which, from the two, takes the name of Monte Genuardo e Santa Maria del Bosco Riserva Naturale.
The best way to access it is to reach the equipped area, which also has parking. To reach it, simply follow the directions offered by this map
Trekking
If you are interested in trekking and long walks, near Sambuca di Sicilia it is possible to follow various tracks on Monte Genuardo, a mountain behind the town.
Here is a list of routes with links to the web, where you can find the maps you need:
- 9km route. If you want to check it out, click here;
- 17km route. If you want to check it out, click here;
- 20km circular route. If you want to check it out, click here.
The first of these paths leads to Contessa Entellina, a town behind the reserve.
The second remains within the nature reserve and, therefore, the forest.
The third, which can also be started from the equipped area, passes through the Abbey of Santa Maria del Bosco, allowing you not to miss this jewel.
Abbazia di Santa Maria del Bosco
In the second half of the 13th century, a hermitage was established by twelve hermit friars. At the beginning of the following century, he obtained the authorization of the bishop and, subsequently, the consecration of the Church. Pope Gregory XI decides to transfer some monks of Santa Maria del Bosco to the Monreale monastery, to encourage monastic life, after the plague.
In the 15th century, Pope Boniface IX elevated the monastery to an Abbey and endowed it with various privileges.
Photo of the Abbey, by Davide Mauro on Wikipedia