Alcamo, Italy: travel guide to the Sicilian wine town, its castle and Monte Bonifato

Alcamo is a town in the province of Trapani, in western Sicily, set at the foot of Monte Bonifato at the centre of the Gulf of Castellammare. With around 45,000 inhabitants it is one of the larger towns of the province, lying roughly midway between Trapani and Palermo and combining a lively historic centre with vineyards, mountains and a nearby coast.

For travellers searching for Alcamo Sicily, Alcamo DOC wine, the Castle of the Counts of Modica or things to do near Trapani, the town offers a rich medieval heritage and some of Sicily's best-known wines.

History

The area was settled from the late Bronze Age and by Elymians, Romans and Byzantines, but the town's name comes from the Arab farmstead of Alqamah. After the expulsion of the Muslim population the medieval town grew in the 14th century around its castle, between the fortress and the mother church, flourishing under Spanish rule with fine palaces, churches and monasteries. Alcamo is also celebrated as the home of Cielo d'Alcamo, one of the earliest poets of the Italian language.

Main sights

The heart of the town is the Castle of the Counts of Modica, a rhomboidal fortress with four towers built around 1350, which today houses museums of wine and local traditions, a display of Sicilian puppets and the regional historic wine cellar. The historic streets are lined with Baroque churches and noble houses, while Monte Bonifato above the town, with the Bosco d'Alcamo nature reserve, offers woodland trails, an old tower-castle and sweeping views.

Wine, food and practical information

Alcamo is renowned for its Alcamo DOC wines, both white and red, and for the Purceddu d'Alcamo winter melon, a Slow Food product. The beach of Alcamo Marina lies about 6 kilometres away on the Tyrrhenian coast, and the town sits roughly 50 kilometres from both Trapani and Palermo, close to the magnificent Greek temple and theatre of Segesta and the resort of Castellammare del Golfo.