Scicli, Baroque municipality in Ragusa, Italy
Scicli is a municipality in the southeastern corner of Sicily that stretches from hilly terrain to the Mediterranean shore, encompassing several beaches and agricultural areas. The baroque churches and palaces line narrow streets radiating from the three valleys where the town center sits.
The first settlement in the area dates back to the third millennium BC, when the Sicels established a community here. Following Arab rule from the 9th century, the town was destroyed by the great earthquake in the 17th century and subsequently rebuilt in the baroque style.
The town serves as a filming location for the television series Inspector Montalbano, whose regular production draws visitors into the old town lanes and squares. Local festivals animate the streets each spring with religious processions and costumed reenactments from the Norman period.
The railway station sits at the edge of the old town and provides connections to other Sicilian cities on the line from Canicattì to Syracuse. The narrow lanes in the center are best explored on foot, as many areas are closed to vehicles.
The church of Santa Maria la Nova contains a painting with a rare depiction of the suffering Christ wearing a white garment. This feature is shared only with one other painting in the Spanish city of Burgos.
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