Last Days in Sicily, between Art and Sea: a Staircase to Dreams

Ciao, people of HIVE!

We have reached the final chapter of my trip to Sicily. Before leaving the island, I visited a few other cities and towns. In Mazara del Vallo, I injured my foot while playing football. In Porto Empedocle, I met an old friend. In San Leone, at night, I watched fireworks and danced on the beach. For some reason, I no longer have any photos from these moments.

However, in the Agrigento area, there are two interesting things I must tell you about: the Scala dei Turchi, a beautiful white cliff by the sea, and the Farm Cultural Park in Favara, a very unique art gallery and residence for artists.

I will put them together in this same article, in a sort of indirect comparison between the beauty of a natural place and the wonder arising from human creative expression.

Murals at the entrance of the Farm Cultural Park.

Scala dei Turchi

The Scala dei Turchi (Staircase of the Turks) is a very unique white cliff because, when viewed from the side, it resembles a stepped staircase. The origin of its name is linked to the troubled history of the island: it is believed that Saracen pirates, when landing on the island, would leave their ships in these waters because they were well sheltered.
The reference to "Turks" shouldn't be taken in a literal sense, since, in the medieval period, pirates coming from the East were generally referred to as Turks – moreover, their exact origin was almost impossible to determine; they were simply enemies appearing from nowhere, landing and raiding the territory. So, if you are Turkish, please don't be upset or offended 😁

Nowadays, the Scala dei Turchi has become a popular tourist destination, not only due to its beauty but also because it is mentioned in the famous TV series Il Commissario Montalbano (The Inspector Montalbano), based on the novels by Andrea Camilleri. In fact, the story takes place in Vigata, an imaginary town that can be identified with Porto Empedocle.

It’s a very beautiful and picturesque place to visit, especially for the cliff, its bright white color and its shape resembling a staircase that sinks into the sea.

Getting there is fairly easy, just driving from Agrigento or the close towns, even though I remember having some trouble with parking – then again, I was there in the middle of August, when tourism in Italy is at its peak. I have no idea what it's like in the other seasons, or what changes may have occurred since the time of my visit.

Another note: the photos I took of the Scala dei Turchi unfortunately aren't of great quality because I took them with my phone, which was quite inexpensive – I'm not a big fan of technology. I usually work with a Canon 750D, but I thought it was wise not to bring it to the beach.

The town of Favara

When I left Agrigento, driving north to return to Palermo, I passed through Favara. Like many other places on the island, its name comes from the Arabic fawwāra, a testament to the significant marks left by Arab culture. It became very important after the Norman conquest, having a large castle, but in the last few centuries, it underwent a gradual process of depopulation that continued until very recently.

The Mother Church - Madonna Assunta, the cathedral of Favara.

To stop depopulation and revitalize Favara's historic center, a husband-and-wife artist duo founded the Farm Cultural Park in a nearly abandoned neighborhood. Established in 2010 as an art gallery and residence for traveling artists, the park has grown over the years and successfully made Favara a more attractive destination for both residents and tourists. It is now the second most visited tourist spot in the province of Agrigento – after the Valley of the Temples!

Farm Cultural Park

As mentioned, this place is not just a museum, but also a cultural and tourist center where temporary art exhibitions and permanent contemporary art installations are set up. It also offers artist residencies, book presentations and various architecture courses.

The project was inspired by three main locations: the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, the square in Marrakech, Morocco, and the Camden Town market in London.

The British blog Purple Travel ranked the Farm Cultural Park and Favara sixth in the world as a contemporary art tourism destination, following Florence, Paris, Bilbao, the Greek Islands, and New York.

Of course, we were eager to visit it. Getting there was easy; it's very close to the Chiesa Madre I showed you in previous photos, and you can walk there in just a few minutes.

The entrance to the Farm Cultural Park.

Note: I seem to remember that the entrance fee was 6 euros at the time of my visit (August 2018), but it should now be 10 euros. However, from what I read online while researching for this article, it was free to enter until 2017.

Also, considering these photos were taken almost seven years ago, it's possible that some things have changed. I wouldn't know, as I’ve never returned since then. For example, I read on the Internet that the place was somewhat affected by the pandemic, especially between 2020 and 2021.

At one point during the visit, I saw something I never would have expected. It looked like a small pet cemetery, possibly specifically for cats. It was something both fascinating and macabre at the same time, maybe even provocative, as art can sometimes be.

Not far away, there were also some sweet cats deeply asleep, seemingly cuddled up together. But these weren’t part of the museum; it was more of a stroke of luck.

Music also plays an important role in this context. I appreciated how many of the artistic attractions were aimed at generating new sensations or stimulating creative behaviors, no matter how bizarre or unusual they might have been. I saw it as a challenge to rigid thinking, social conventions and the habit of taking ourselves too seriously.

"To proceed in dance steps".

As an Italian, suca is the last word I'd expect to see written at the bottom of a swimming pool. It's quite vulgar in slang, even though in this context it has a certain ironic touch. I won’t explain its meaning here, but it's pretty similar to English... otherwise you can Google it, you'll find it easily 😁

Overall, it was a pleasant experience, in a place that contrasts completely with the anonymous and somehow abandoned village surrounding it. Entering the Farm Cultural Park feels like stepping into a surreal, nonsensical dream; and when you leave, it almost feels like you haven’t truly experienced it, struggling to recall the details since it is so abstract. Precisely for this reason, it offers endless opportunities for reflection, ideas and feelings – depending on your imagination, listening skills and empathy.

Just as a white rock staircase brings us higher to make us able to see the top, so does art elevate our thoughts and perceptions, like a staircase that leads to our very own dreams.

Sardinia, here we come again!

This was the last adventure of my story about Sicily. Once back in Palermo, just like on the way there, I took the ferry to return to Sardinia. I’ll leave you with images of the port of Cagliari, taken the following morning, as I arrived on the island.

Which place did you prefer, the Scala dei Turchi or Farm Cultural Park?
Did you like this post?
Feel free to share your experience, or any similar one, or an emotion that my article has stirred in your heart.

For now, as always, thank you for your time, your attention and your support!

See you soon on the road,

Alessandro

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