Salemi
Member of I Borghi più belli d'Italia
For one day in May 1860 Salemi was the capital of Italy: Garibaldi, two days after landing at Marsala, raised the tricolour on the round tower of its Norman-Swabian castle. The town gathers around that castle among vineyards and olive groves, and the tower terrace looks across western Sicily to the sea. March brings the feast of San Giuseppe and its elaborate bread altars.
Highlights
- The Norman-Swabian castle and the view from its round tower
- The Museo della Mafia, in the former Jesuit college
- The feast of San Giuseppe in March, with bread altars and pane votivo
- Guided walks in Bosco Angimbè, a cork oak wood north of town
- Local Nero d'Avola, Grillo and Catarratto wines
Text adapted from Wikipedia (Salemi (IT), Salemi (EN)), Wikivoyage (Salemi). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Population: 9,986
Things to see
Events through the year
- Cene di San GiuseppeVotive altars of laurel and myrtle hung with decorated breads; sfinci pastries
- Feast of the Madonna della ConfusioneHeld in the Cappuccini quarter
- Lu fistinu di San NicolaFeast of Saint Nicholas of Bari, patron since 1290
- Feast of the Immaculate ConceptionHonours the town's protectress, whose wooden statue was given in 1740
Dates follow the traditional patterns in our sources: check locally before you travel.
Adapted from Wikipedia (Salemi). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Local food & wine
- Ritual breadsBread and pastaDecorated breads for saints' feasts, shown in the Ritual Bread Museum
- Sfinci di San GiuseppeSweetSweets made for St Joseph's feast on 19 March
CuccidatiPublic domainCucciddatiBread and pastaSacred breads made on 2 April for St Francis of Paola- GrilloWineWhite wine from the Val di Mazara vineyards around the town
- Nero d'AvolaWine
- CatarrattoWine
Adapted from Wikipedia (Salemi), Wikivoyage (Salemi). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to sleep
1 place to stay within 3 km
- B&Bs and guest houses 1
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Thermal baths nearby
- Hot spring: Polle del Crimiso · ~30 min by car
- Hot spring: Parkplatz freie Thermalquelle · ~30 min by car
- Hot spring: Terme segestane · ~30 min by car
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Nearby member villages
- Erice · 31 km
- Sambuca di Sicilia · 33 km
- Sutera · 89 km
- Cefalù · 110 km
- Petralia Soprana · 114 km