What is Cammarata known for?

1,578-meter peak, the highest in the Sicani Mountains, a regional reserve with oak forest, golden eagles, and ridge trails. Roger I laid siege in 1087 and gave the town to his relative Lucia di Cammarata, who took the Norman title from the conquered lands. The working hill economy of the inland Sicani: wheat, durum, hard cheese and lamb, with two pastoral fairs each year.

Cammarata is a comune in the province of Agrigento, Sicily region of Italy, about 81 kilometers from Palermo.

Sicily · Agrigento

Cammarata

A Sicani town at 700 meters on the northeast slope of Monte Cammarata, the 1,578-meter peak that gives the comune its name and shape.

700m

Elevation

81 km / 50 mi

Nearest hub (Palermo)

5,896

Population

Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov

Best time to visit

Recognised as

Borghi Autentici

Why come

Cammarata sits at 700 meters on the northeastern flank of Monte Cammarata, the 1,578-meter peak that is the highest in the Sicani Mountains. The name comes from the Greek kàmara, vaulted room, after the limestone caves that perforate the slopes. King Roger I laid siege in 1087 and gave the conquered town to his relative Lucy of Hauteville, who took the title Lucia di Cammarata. The Chiesa Madre, rebuilt in the seventeenth century on twelfth-century foundations, holds a Madonna della Catena by Pietro D'Asaro and a sixteenth-century organ. The mountain itself is a regional nature reserve, with downy oak and holm oak forests, golden eagles, and ridge trails running to the summit. Cammarata is paired physically with San Giovanni Gemini next door; the two share Monte Cammarata as a watershed, a saint, and a working economy of grain, oil and sheep.

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Gallery

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Known for

Chiesa Madre di San Nicolò di Bari
Seventeenth-century mother church on twelfth-century foundations, with a Madonna della Catena by Pietro D'Asaro and a sixteenth-century organ.
Monte Cammarata
1,578-meter peak, the highest in the Sicani range, with a regional nature reserve of oak forest and ridge trails to the summit.
Ruderi del Castello
Remains of the medieval fortification on the rock above the centro storico, taken by Roger I in 1087.
Centro storico
Stepped lanes climbing the slope of Monte Cammarata, with stone houses, narrow piazzas, and the working economy still tied to grain and sheep.
Chiesa di Sant'Agostino
Convent church on the edge of the historic centre, founded in the fourteenth century and rebuilt after the 1693 earthquake.

When to visit

Best months · Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov

Best
Hot or crowded
Quiet
Mostly closed

April through June and September into November are the months that work on the Sicani slopes. Wildflowers in spring, dry gold in autumn, and the air at 700 meters stays cool while Agrigento on the coast burns. July and August routinely cross thirty-four degrees and the centro storico empties between noon and five. Winter at this elevation is cold and often wet, with snow possible on Monte Cammarata above the town. The festa for San Vincenzo Ferreri, the patron saint shared with San Giovanni Gemini, runs in early April. Late September brings the autumn fair, with sheep cheeses, oil from the first pressing, and grain from the surrounding fields.