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{{for|the Sciacca Mafia crime family in the United States|Paul Sciacca}}
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{{Infobox Italian comune
| name                = Sciacca
| official_name       = Comune di Sciacca
| native_name         = 
| image_skyline       = 318 Sciacca (Ag) - Sicily.jpg
| imagesize           = 
| image_alt           = 
| image_caption       = 
| image_shield        = Sciacca-stemma.svg
| shield_alt          = 
| image_map           = 
| map_alt             = 
| map_caption         = 
| pushpin_label_position = 
| pushpin_map_alt     = 
| coordinates         = {{coord|37|30|33|N|13|5|20|E|display=inline}}
| coordinates_footnotes = 
| region              = [[Sicily]]
| province            = [[province of Agrigento|Agrigento]] (AG)
| frazioni            = Lazzarino
| mayor_party         = 
| mayor               =Fabio Termine 
| area_total_km2      = 191.67
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total    = 38912
| population_as_of    =  31 August 2022
| pop_density_footnotes = 
| population_demonym  = Saccensi, Sciacchitani
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m         = 60
| twin1               = 
| twin1_country       = 
| saint               = Holy Mary of Soccorso
| day                 = 2 February
| postal_code         = 92019
| area_code           = 0925
| website             = {{official website|http://www.comune.sciacca.ag.it/}}
| footnotes           = 
}}
'''Sciacca''' ({{IPA|it|ˈʃakka|label=Italian and [[Sicilian language|Sicilian]]:}}; {{langx|grc|Θέρμαι|Thérmai}}; {{langx|la|Thermae Selinuntinae}}, {{lang|la|Thermae Selinuntiae}}, {{lang|la|Thermae}}, {{lang|la|Aquae Labrodes}} or {{lang|la|Aquae Labodes}}) is a town and {{lang|it|[[comune]]}} (municipality) in the [[province of Agrigento]] on the south-western coast of [[Sicily]], [[Southern Italy]]. It overlooks the [[Mediterranean Sea]].

The town was founded by the [[Sicani]], an indigenous people of Sicily, in the 7th century BC. It has been known since ancient times for its thermal, sulfurous, and sodium-chloride waters.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sciacca - Enciclopedia |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/sciacca_(Enciclopedia-Italiana)/ |access-date=2025-07-13 |website=Treccani |language=it}}</ref> Throughout its history it has been dominated by different cultures and each period has left its mark on the city, enriching its historical heritage.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Agrigento |first=Provincia di |title=Sciacca |url=https://www.provincia.agrigento.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/3209 |access-date=2025-07-13 |website=www.provincia.agrigento.it |language=it}}</ref> 

[[Ancient Greece|Ancient Greeks]] legends attributed the discovery of the thermal baths to mythical figures, [[Hercules]] or [[Daedalus]] depending on the version. Later, the [[Christians]] attributed the discovery of the baths to [[Calogerus the Anchorite]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sciacca - Enciclopedia |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/sciacca_(Enciclopedia-Italiana)/ |access-date=2025-07-15 |website=Treccani |language=it |trans-quote=As with the Imerese Baths, Christians attributed to St. Calogero the discovery of the Selinuntine Baths, which the pagans attributed to mythical figures (Heracles or Daedalus).}}</ref>  

The town reached its period of greatest splendor during the [[Normans|Norman]] rule, between the 11th and 12th centuries, when it became the centre of a rich county.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sciacca - Enciclopedia |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/sciacca_(Enciclopedia-Italiana)/ |access-date=2025-07-15 |website=Treccani |language=it |trans-quote=Sciacca did not gain importance before the Normans, who made it the centre of a county and built a castle and a church there.}}</ref>  

In the late Middle Ages, the clash between two powerful noble families gave rise to the so-called Sciacca Cases. The [[Second case of Sciacca|second case]] ended the dispute in 1530.  

During the [[Spaniards|Spanish]] and [[Austrians|Austrian]] rule Sciacca lost much of its maritime and commercial prosperity.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sciacca - Enciclopedia |url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/sciacca_(Enciclopedia-Italiana)/ |access-date=2025-07-15 |website=Treccani |language=it |trans-quote=During the Spanish, Austrian, and Bourbon rule, having lost much of its maritime and commercial prosperity, it enjoyed a sleepy peace, interrupted in March 1720 by the siege of the Austrians of Seckendorf. It was liberated in May 1860 and, along with the rest of the island, joined Italy.}}</ref> Between the 16th and 18th centuries, naval trade routes were severely hampered by the constant presence of [[Barbary corsairs]] in the Mediterranean Sea, which profoundly damaged the city's economy. The recovery in trade was facilitated by the peace treaty signed between [[Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles VI]] and the [[North Africa|North African]] cities of [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]] and [[Tunis]] in 1726, which put an end to the emergence of pirates on those sea routes. 

Under the [[House of Bourbon|Bourbon monarchy]], between the second half of the 18th and 19th centuries, Sciacca became the seat of a sea consulate, responsible for the control and surveillance of the local maritime sector.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Regno di Carlo III° di Borbone |url=http://www.sciacca.it/lastoria/regno_Carlo_iii.asp |access-date=2025-07-15 |website=www.sciacca.it |language=it}}</ref>  

Today, Sciacca is the most populous town in the province after [[Agrigento]]. It is known for its historic carnival and its ceramics. Spa activities, despite being one of the town's main attractions, were suspended in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.termesciaccaspa.it/ |access-date=2025-07-13 |website=Terme di Sciacca S.p.a |language=it-it}}</ref> 

==History==

=== Origins ===
The founders of the first inhabited center were the [[Sicani]] in the 7th century BC. They were an indigenous population of western Sicily who developed between the 2nd millennium and the 5th century BC, and were then absorbed by the [[Ancient Greece|Greek civilization]]. The Sican culture in the area is evidenced by the presence of numerous burial chambers.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Sciacca - Storia i Sicani - Guida di Sciacca |url=https://www.guidadisciacca.it/index.php?pag=Storia%20i%20Sicani |access-date=2025-07-14 |website=www.guidadisciacca.it |language=it}}</ref> 

=== Greek age ===
'''Thermae''' was founded in the 5th century BC by the [[Ancient Greece|Greeks]], as its name suggests, as a [[thermal spa]] for [[Selinunte]], 30&nbsp;km distant, whose citizens came there to bathe in the [[sulphur]]ous [[spring (hydrosphere)|springs]], still much valued for their medical properties, of Mount San Calogero which rises up behind the town. There is no account of the existence of a town on the site during the period of the independence of Selinunte, though the thermal waters would always have attracted some population to the spot. It seems to have been much frequented in the time of the Romans. At a later period they were called the Aquae Labodes or Larodes, under which name they appear in the Itineraries.<ref>[[Antonine Itinerary|Itin. Ant.]] p.&nbsp;89; [[Tabula Peutingeriana]]</ref> [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] was most likely mistaken in assigning the rank of a ''[[Colonia (Roman)|colonia]]'' to the southern, rather than northern, town of the same name. [[Strabo]] mentions the waters ({{lang|grc|τὰ ὕδατα τὰ Σελινούντια}}<ref>Strabo, vi. p.&nbsp;275</ref>).

The origin of the town's name has been much debated, with [[Latin]] "ex acqua", as a reference to the springs of thermal water of the area, or [[Arabic]] "Syac", meaning bath, and al Saqquah, dating back to the cult of the Syrian god "Shai al Quaaum", as possibilities.

=== Medieval age ===
The city walls, the bastions and the Old Castle owe their existence to [[Roger I of Sicily|Roger the Great Count]].

A royal city that had remained faithful to [[Manfred of Sicily]] during the [[Capetian House of Anjou|Angevine]] invasion, by 1268 A.D. Sciacca was besieged by [[Charles I of Anjou]] and surrendered the following year. After the [[Sicilian Vespers]], it established itself as a [[medieval commune|free commune]]. During the [[War of the Sicilian Vespers]], the city was besieged numerous times; the final engagement of the 20-year war took place in 1302, when a French army failed [[Angevin invasion of Sicily|to capture the city]].<ref>Stanton, Charles D. “ENDGAME (SPRING 1301–SUMMER 1302).” In ''Roger of Lauria (c.1250-1305): “Admiral of Admirals,”'' NED-New edition., 289–301. Boydell & Brewer, 2019. {{doi|10.2307/j.ctvd58tqg.24}}.</ref>

Following the Vespers era, the Peralta family took possession of it and obtained from the king of Sicily the right to mint coins. In the following centuries, the town was at the center of bloody feuds between rival baronial families (the Luna, of Aragonese origin, and the Perollo, of Norman stock), which nearly halved its population. In 1647, the impoverished town was the seat of an anti-Spanish rebellion.

=== Modern age ===
During World War II, the Italian ''[[Regia Aeronautica]]'' (Royal Italian Air Force) had a base near Sciacca.

==Geography==
===Overview===
The municipality borders [[Caltabellotta]], [[Menfi]], [[Ribera, Agrigento|Ribera]] and [[Sambuca di Sicilia]].<ref>{{OSM|r|39255|Sciacca}}</ref>

===Climate===
Sciacca has a [[Mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]]: ''Csa''),<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://koeppen-geiger.vu-wien.ac.at/ 
 |title=World Map of Köppen−Geiger Climate Classification 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100906034159/http://koeppen-geiger.vu-wien.ac.at/ 
 |archive-date=2010-09-06 
}}</ref> with short, mild and moderately rainy winters and long, hot and dry summers. The city receives around 450 millimeters (17.7 inches) of rain per year, experiencing a peak of 72.3 millimeters (2.8 inches) in November and a minimum of 2.5 millimeters (0.1 inch) in July. 

{{Weather box|width=auto
|metric first=y
|single line=y 
|collapsed = Y
|location =  Sciacca, elevation {{convert|56|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|Jan record high C = 22.2
|Feb record high C = 22.5
|Mar record high C = 29.1
|Apr record high C = 27.5
|May record high C = 35.2
|Jun record high C = 38.5
|Jul record high C = 41.0
|Aug record high C = 40.8
|Sep record high C = 39.5
|Oct record high C = 32.8
|Nov record high C = 28.0
|Dec record high C = 23.2
|Jan record low C = 1.2
|Feb record low C = 1.2
|Mar record low C = 1.5
|Apr record low C = 5.0
|May record low C = 8.5
|Jun record low C = 8.0
|Jul record low C = 10.5
|Aug record low C = 11.6
|Sep record low C = 9.5
|Oct record low C = 7.7
|Nov record low C = 3.4
|Dec record low C = 2.3
|Jan high C = 15.0
|Feb high C = 15.3
|Mar high C = 16.8
|Apr high C = 19.1
|May high C = 23.8
|Jun high C = 28.0
|Jul high C = 31.0
|Aug high C = 30.9
|Sep high C = 28.0
|Oct high C = 24.2
|Nov high C = 19.9
|Dec high C = 16.2
| year high C = 
|Jan mean C = 11.7
|Feb mean C = 11.7
|Mar mean C = 13.0
|Apr mean C = 14.9
|May mean C = 18.9
|Jun mean C = 22.7
|Jul mean C = 25.7
|Aug mean C = 25.8
|Sep mean C = 23.4
|Oct mean C = 19.9
|Nov mean C = 16.1
|Dec mean C = 12.8
| year mean C = 
|Jan low C = 8.4
|Feb low C = 8.1
|Mar low C = 9.1
|Apr low C = 10.8
|May low C = 13.9
|Jun low C = 17.5
|Jul low C = 20.3
|Aug low C = 20.7
|Sep low C = 18.7
|Oct low C = 15.7
|Nov low C = 12.3
|Dec low C = 9.5
| year low C = 
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 70
|Feb precipitation mm = 61
|Mar precipitation mm = 54
|Apr precipitation mm = 41
|May precipitation mm = 22
|Jun precipitation mm = 4
|Jul precipitation mm = 2
|Aug precipitation mm = 9
|Sep precipitation mm = 25
|Oct precipitation mm = 81
|Nov precipitation mm = 67
|Dec precipitation mm = 80
|year precipitation mm = 
|source 1 = Regione Siciliana<ref name = Clim>{{cite web
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240421212141/http://www.sias.regione.sicilia.it/pdf/Climatologia_AG.pdf
| archive-date = 21 April 2024
| url = http://www.sias.regione.sicilia.it/pdf/Climatologia_AG.pdf
| title = CLIMATOLOGIA DELLA SICILIA
| publisher=Regione Siciliana
| access-date = 6 December 2024}}</ref>
}}

==Main sites==

Sciacca still retains much of its medieval layout, which divided the town into quarters, each laid out on a strip of rock descending toward the sea. Sciacca has several points of interest, including:
*Cathedral of ''Maria SS. del Soccorso'' (12th century, rebuilt in 1685)
*Castle of the Counts Luna; scarce remains can be still seen
*Church of ''Santa Margherita''
*''Chiesa del Carmine''
*Church of ''San Michele'' (1371, rebuilt in the 17th century)
*Church of ''Santa Maria delle Giummare''
*''Palazzo Steripinto''
*''Palazzo Tagliavia'' (11th century), in [[Gothic Revival architecture|neogothic]] style
*''Palazzo Perollo'' (15th century)

==Culture==
Sciacca's festivals include the [[Carnival]], celebrated during the week before the beginning of [[Lent]] (February). The highlight of the festival is the parade of bizarre figures mounted on floats, famous throughout [[Sicily]] for their gaudy expressions. The local television stations are [[TRS Tele Radio Sciacca]] and RMK Tele Radio Monte Kronio.

==Diaspora==
Starting around the turn of the 20th century, a number of residents of the Sciacca area emigrated to [[Norristown, Pennsylvania]] and the [[North End, Boston|North End]] of [[Boston]].

The Boston-based descendants of Sciacca, especially those from fishing families, have celebrated the Festival of the Madonna del Soccorso since 1910.

The Norristown-based descendants of Sciacca, through the local M.S.S. Club, founded in 1904, maintain both traditions and devotions to the Madonna del Soccorso. The M.S.S. holds a communion breakfast in February and a large festival (often called simply "The Feast") in August in celebration of the miracles performed by the Madonna herself in Sciacca.

==Economy==
The economy of Sciacca is mainly based on agriculture, fishing and related food industries, as well as tourism.

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:SCIACCA (Sicily) View from Piazza Scandaliato.jpg|View from Piazza Scandaliato
File:Sciacca 0018.jpg|
File:296Sciacca (Ag) spiaggia di Timpi russi- Sicily.jpg|Beach of Timpi
</gallery>

==Sister cities==
* {{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Salvador, Bahia|Salvador]], Brazil, since 2001
* {{flagicon|Turkey}} [[Kırşehir]], Turkey, since 2011
* {{flagicon|Turkey}} [[Mustafakemalpaşa]], Turkey, since 2011

==People==
*[[Cataldo Amodei]] (1649–1693), [[Baroque music|baroque]] composer
*[[Giuseppe Mario Bellanca]] (1886–1960), airplane designer who created the first monoplane in the United States with an enclosed cabin
*[[Johnny Dundee]] (1893–1965), world featherweight and super featherweight champion
*[[Tommaso Fazello]] (1498–1570), authored the first printed history of [[Sicily]]
*[[Giovanni Antonio Medrano]] (1703–1760), Major Royal Governor of Mathematics of the Kingdom of Naples, chief engineer of the kingdom, royal architect, brigadier, and teacher of [[Charles III of Spain]] and his brothers the infantes. He is the architect who designed the [[Teatro di San Carlo|San Carlo]] opera house and [[Palace of Capodimonte]] in [[Naples]].
*[[Andrea Tummiolo]] (born 1984), footballer

== See also ==

* [[Second case of Sciacca]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|position=left|Sciacca}}
*{{Wikivoyage inline|Sciacca}}
*[http://www.guidadisciacca.it/ Guide to Sciacca] {{in lang|it}}

{{Province of Agrigento}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Sciacca| ]]
[[Category:Coastal towns in Sicily]]
[[Category:Ancient cities in Sicily]]
[[Category:Roman towns and cities in Italy]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 5th century BC]]
[[Category:5th-century BC establishments in Italy]]