Sambuca "the most beautiful village"

Sambuca “the most beautiful village”

For the third consecutive year the “most beautiful village in Italy” is located in Sicily. After Gangi and Montalbano Elicona,

this time the award went to Sambuca di Sicilia, the village of Arab origins in the Belice Valley competing with other suggestive

centers of all Italian regions for the title of “Borgo dei Borghi 2016”.

The initiative promoted by the Rai3 program “Alle falde del kilimangiaro”,

the town of Agrigento prevailed and was the most voted on the web among all the villages in the competition,

also subjected to examination by a jury of experts.

History

Sambuca the most beautiful village, located a few kilometers from Sciacca, claim an ancient history,

which has its roots in the years of Arab domination, according to historical sources,

it was founded by the Saracen Emir Zabut, who decided to build his castle on that hill.

There is no longer any trace of the fortress, a terrace was born on those stones, the Belvedere,

which dominates the surrounding countryside, the Saracen quarter remained intact, with its narrow, blind, winding streets,

enriched by small courtyards and purrere (underground caves) recently brought to light,

a jewel with an urban layout that perfectly follows the vision of the historic centers of Arab cities.

Sambuca “the most beautiful village” is also famous for its churches, there are about twenty,

some of which have been used as a museum, where you can admire the works of the painter Gianbecchina or the original textile sculptures by Sylvie Clavel, and then again historic buildings,

the precious archaeological museum of Palazzo Panitteri, the nineteenth-century theater and the remains of an ancient Roman aqueduct.

Absolutely to visit the archaeological area of Monte Adranone,

and for those who love nature it is worth taking a trip to the Monte Genuardo nature reserve or a walk along the shores of Lake Arancio around which there are lush vineyards and olive groves.