DONNALUCATA

Donnalucata, an administrative division of Scicli, is a lovely village along the Ragusa coast. A miraculous apparition of the Virgin was reported in 1091, that, it is alleged, saved the village from the Arab fleet who were attempting to re-conquer Sicily, occupied by the Normans.

Its name right refers to the “Illuminated Virgin” appeared that night. Thanks to its favorable location, Donnalucata became a natural harbor area of Scicli, hence called Marsa Sikla (Arabic for “Scicli’s Port”) during the Arabian rule. Fishing, farming and, recently, tourism, have been the main resources of this tiny and picturesque village endowed with large and beautiful beaches and developed tourism facilities. Arts lovers can enjoy a visit to the Duomo, built in 1883 in blocks of white limestone, and the Chiesa della Madonna delle Milizie, dating from the Norman occupation, but largely refurbished over the centuries. Of the original structure only survive sections of a tower and a monastery.