Licata

An open-air museum by the sea

Its territory stretches some 20 kilometres along the southern coast of Sicily and its sea has always been a strong attraction for visitors. Welcome to Licata, in the province of Agrigento.

In the area of the port, the beach to visit is Playa Marianello: unspoilt and unique, it will impress you with its 'timpe', a wall of white gullies that stretches along the sandy shore. More popular and well-known, however, is the Mollarella beach, enclosed in a bay between two rocky headlands. Not to be outdone are the beach of San Nicola, wild-looking and surrounded by rocks, and Torre di Gaffe, surrounded by a rocky wall covered with Mediterranean scrub and guarded for centuries by the nearby watchtower.

The fortress is not the only one in Licata: its proximity to the sea determined the defence of the coast. Here, then, is Castel Sant'Angelo, built by the Bourbons in the Baroque style, now housing the Ethnographic Museum.

The San Giacomo Lighthouse, which at 40 metres is among the highest in Europe, the old aristocratic villas and the Art Nouveau Palazzo di Città are also fascinating.