S. MARGHERITA DI BELICE

Santa Margherita di Belice, totalling about 7,700 inhabitants, stands on a plateau at 400m a.s.l. in the province of Agrigento. The city surroundings are home to sites of high naturalistic interest. Among these are the Collina Portella Misilbesi (295m), the Gulfotta valley and the Arancio Lake, an artificial lake stretching out to the Arancio Mount.

The city has an eventful history. During the Arabian domination the hamlet of Menzil-el-Sindi and a fortified building were established on this area, soon taken by the Normans. Some time later, exactly in 1572, Antonio Corbera founded a new village on the ruins of the former. The Filangeris, Princes of Cutò, were the successive Lords of the town. They resided in a splendid palace that, today, is one of the best attractions of Santa Margherita di Belice, along with the 1700’s Mother Church.

The city mostly lives on farming activities, notably associated with the wine grape and prickly pear outputs.